On The Rush to Judge Clemson Commit Robert Nkemdiche
By Kyle Kensing
Maybe the magnifying glass under which Robert Nkemdiche lives is ultimately a good thing. The young man widely regarded as the best prospect in the 2013 college football recruiting class receives harsh life lessons at 17 I’m sure would have benefited me at that age and moving forward.
Then again, maybe it’s time to lay off the kid. And he is a kid, not even yet officially a senior in high school.
Recruiting pundits have salivated over Nkemdiche’s game for awhile now, and with good reason. The Loganville, Ga. defensive end has physical maturity well exceeding his age, but highlights show his technique to match that. The combination should make him an immediate impact player on the college gridiron, not unlike the star of the 2011 signing class, South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.
Clowney left fans and coaches guessing beyond the 23rd hour, not making his commitment to Steve Spurrier official until after National Signing Day. The drama of Clowney’s commitment gave folks fodder for months, years even leading up to NSD and the days following.
Perhaps that’s why rather than allowing the young man his moment, or taking his word with any validity, there arose a clattering of second guessing. Questioning. Even outright dismissal. When will he flip his commitment? How solid is his word? Blah blah blah. A guessing game like Clowney’s recruitment lends itself to content. A commitment like Nkemdiche’s leaves a void. And what compensates for a void? Filler.
It is true that a commitment is not official and cannot be finalized until the February before an athlete is to arrive on campus and I noted just as much when TigerIllustrated.com first broke Nkemdiche’s pledge to CU. But the immediacy with which his commitment was questioned and chastised was astounding, as though they knew more than Nkemdiche what was best for his long-term plans.
Playing for a reigning conference champion with a stockpile of young talent and commitments from high school teammates and friends hardly seems like a head scratching decision. Surely people can empathize with wanting to take their life’s next step surrounded by friends.
And that leads us to the latest uproar in the manufactured drama of Nkemdiche’s recruitment. His interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution‘s Michael Carvell created quite the stir, based on Nkemdiche saying that CU finding a place for his Grayson High teammate and good friend Ryan Carter would make the end’s commitment a “done deal.”
One of two scenarios seem most likely. Either Nkemdiche was overzealous in expressing his enthusiasm for playing alongside Carter and chose his words poorly, or he was calculating in using an outlet he knew would get word to Dabo Swinney and staff. The latter would certainly be cunning, but is it really all that worthy of condemnation?
Sports Illustrated columnist Andy Staples has the right idea, if Scenario No. 2 was Nkemdiche’s motivation. College football makes coaches, athletic directors, university presidents, TV execs, and on and on big money. Athletes earn scholarships. The fairness of the trade-off can be argued. If Nkemdiche wants to squeeze more out of the partnership, and in the process benefit a friend, I say kudos.
Nkemdiche is obviously about friends and family. That much he has made clear in statements about his college choice. He cited Ole Miss as a possibility, with Hugh Freeze offering Carter a scholarship. Robert’s brother Denzel already calls Oxford home. The allure of playing alongside ones best friend and brother hardly seems worth of ridicule, either.
And from Clemson’s standpoint, offering a prospect already on the SEC’s radar and contributor to an undefeated, Georgia State championship hardly seems a bitter pill to swallow for landing the nation’s top recruit.
Football programs sign anywhere from a dozen to two dozen prospects a year. A signing class rarely has 100 percent of its players pan out and remain in the program; never does 100 percent of a signing class contribute in meaningful game situations. If giving Carter a scholarship assuming he does not contribute means landing Nkemdiche who does, it hardly seems an unfair trade-off.
LeBron James spent the past two NBA seasons trying to shed the criticisms he endured for leaving his birth state and teammates behind. Nkemdiche being criticized for the opposite seems hypocritical.
But maybe in the James parallel is the most ridiculous, yet truest of all life lessons that pertain to sports: winning cures all. If he arrives on campus and delivers, all of the above is forgotten.