Commentary: Recruiting can be emotional ride

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By Greg Billing, Staff Writer 6:52 PM Monday, February 6, 2012

Say what you want about Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer and his recruiting tactics, but at least he didn’t pull a Les Miles on the recruits he didn’t get.

The LSU coach spoke at the Tiger Gridiron Club’s signing day celebration, the Bayou Bash, and took the name literally. Miles voiced his disappointment with Gunner Kiel, one of the top quarterback recruits in the country, who flipped his verbal commitment from LSU to home-state Notre Dame.

“There’s a young gentleman from Indiana that thought about coming to the Bayou state. He did not necessarily have the chest and the ability to lead a program, so you know,” Miles told the crowd, who responded with cheers.

The odd thing is, Miles didn’t seem to mind or question Kiel’s ability to lead a program when the teenager flipped his verbal commitment from Indiana to LSU.

Where is Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema when you need him?

Recruiting is a tough business and feelings sometimes get hurt, both for the recruits who have a change of heart when making one of the biggest decisions of their lives and the college coach who gets spurned.

And ironically, it’s the SEC that routinely oversigns players to scholarships — an unethical practice, many would argue. I wonder what kind of character speech Miles gives the kid he just cut because he handed out too many scholarships?

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