Clemson’s Top Commit for 2021 Decommits
Korey Foreman, rated as the top prospect in the 2021 class, has decommitted from Clemson. Foreman, who committed in January, apparently has decided at this point, he is not “All-IN” with the tigers. Believe me when I tell you the sky is not falling.
There could be any number of reasons for Foreman’s action. In today’s recruiting world, just because a kid commits to a certain school does NOT mean others are going to stop recruiting him. The pressure he faces is similar to the pressure D.J. Uiagalelei faced coming out of high school and choosing to travel across the country to play for little ole Clemson. The difference between these two players is simple to spot: DJ committed when he had taken all the visits he wanted to take, Foreman did not. DJ and his family committed, not just DJ. There are many reasons he decommitted but the ones you’ll read about will not be the ones he actually did it for. Make sense?
Think back to 2016. The story line was “Clemson lost a key commitment Thursday afternoon when blue-chip defender Rahshaun Smith backed off his verbal pledge to the program.” Smith said “Due to my need to further explore all of my options and make sure where I sign is 100 percent where I want to attend, I must take other visits. Since this is not allowed by Clemson, I have made my decision.” You’d have thought the world was coming to an end, reading some of the Clemson fan sites. Nevermind what opposing fan sites will say about Foreman. One poster today on twitter stated “This is the beginning of the end for Clemson. Watch, they will be losing Bowman next.” Sorry, shaking my head at that one. Oh, and for the record, Shaq Smith did indeed recommit to the tigers. Putting this into perspective, Foreman is out in California. He is around his family and friends and one can only assume he and his family did not grow up to be Clemson fans. My understanding also is about a “specific” new advisor at Southern Cal who is telling him that Clemson’s recruiting policy is “unfair” with regards to the visits. I mean, he comes from Corona, California (Corona?) and it’s 2,271 miles from Clemson. There hasn’t been a lot of mention of Foreman’s family. For a 16-17 year old kid, it’s important to make this a family commitment. Take a look at the recruitment of Bryan Bresee, Tee Higgins, Sheridan Jones, Deshaun Watson, Uiagalelei, and countless others. Did the coronavirus have any impact on this decision? Did his family simply want him to stay closer to home? Are friends and California coaches hammering him with phone calls every day? We simply don’t know, but I can tell you who does know; Dabo Swinney, Brent Venables, Todd Bates. As fans, all we can do is “suppose” why a kid commits or decommits.
Recruiting is a game. The story of John Johnson is epic. In case you don’t remember, Johnson of LaGrange, Ga, had committed to Georgia on a particular Monday. On signing day, he couldn’t be found to sign his National Letter of Intent because he was being “chaperoned” by a couple of Clemson assistant coaches. The Tennessee Volunteers, while recruiting Shy Tuttle in 2014, actually did a “mock Rolling Stone cover” of him with Beyonce on “Why she things Tuttle belongs at Tennessee.” Apparently, he was impressed by it. Not saying it’s the only reason he went there, but it goes to show what college coaches will do in recruiting. Jim Harbaugh, i.e. Khaki Pants, has climbed trees to impress recruits and, even more lame, has either spent the night with various players and/or “Netflixed and Chilled” with them, as well as going as far as to accompany a few of them to school the next day. When it comes to recruiting, coaches can get really “cuckoo for coco puffs.” In the end, Korey Foreman will go where Korey Foreman wants to go. The Clemson coaches will do what’s best for Clemson. He may recommit to Clemson or he may not. Clemson recruits character, not characters. It’s obvious Dabo felt comfortable taking Foreman’s commitment thinking he had landed the #1 player in the country. Only time will tell but one thing is certain, the sun will come up again tomorrow, and we are one day closer to solving the Coronavirus chapter of U.S. history. Now if we can get “Corona, California” sorted out, that’s gravy.
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