There are few subjects that seem to draw more vehement contrasting opinions than that of the trend of early commits. Comment like "ruining the game" "the NCAA needs to stop this" "foolish decision."
Quite frankly I am not sure I see the logic behind this criticism. Most of the early commits (2014 class) are at some of the premier academic institutions in the country namely Hopkins, UVA and UNC. How can a student athlete go wrong accepting an opportunity to attend those great schools and to play under some of the most dynamic coaches in the game.
But rather than guess at what drives the decision of some of the athletes who made early commits, I decided to drill down deep with the family of Bugs Carper (2014) who was the first commit in his class. His decision to attend UNC has lit up the boards at many of the lax websites.
When I spoke to the Carper family, their decision making process was anything but a well thought out family decision. Both Don and Rhonda Carper went through the rigors of recruiting with their older boy who is a scholarship gymnast at U of Minnesota. They did in fact consider much of what their older son had to say in helping Bugs make his decision.
The Carper family saw much in Coach Breschi and his staff that led them to believe that besides receiving a superior education, their son would be mentored by a coaching staff that shared many of the same priorities that they as a family did. Another factor that made the decision a more logical one was Bugs' desire to become a Pediatrician and potentially attend UNC's top ranked medical school upon graduation, made this decision even more logical.
All these factors were given consideration well before Bugs attended a football game as a means to get a real feel for the UNC experience, subsequent to the football weekend the family all reconvened to share their thoughts. Remember how this was a process that began in midsummer when Bugs decided to attend the UNC tournament to get a better feel for the staff and campus.
Don Carper was well aware of his son's desire to realize his dream of getting a shot at becoming a Tar Heel. He told me they have raised their boys to assume responsibility at an early age. As a football coach, he brought a sense of being responsible for your own path, determined by hard work to plot your own course in life. Both he and Rhonda completely supported Bugs' decision to commit early to UNC.
What seemed to many to be an impetuous ill-advised decision was in fact a well thought family decision predicated on the values that have been a part of the household for years.
So as this trend continues to gain momentum, I suspect that the athlete who is afforded this early commit option will often replicate the well thought out process that the Carper family relied upon.
