Montezuma (Ga.) Macon County outside linebacker Roquan Smith committed to the UCLA Bruins over Georgia, Michigan and Texas A&M on National Signing Day. Shortly after his announcement, however, he received news that UCLA defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich was headed to the NFL, so he decided to hold off on sending in his Letter of Intent, instead choosing to take some time to re-evaluate.
Some fans don't take kindly to recruits changing their minds on a school because of a coaching change, but Smith's high school coach Larry Harold had a long message for such critics in an interview the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"I'm reading a lot of these websites, and you've got people on there saying things like 'A kid shouldn't commit to a coach; he should commit to a school,'" Harold said. "I just want to tell those people this, because maybe they don't know: If you've never played sports or anything like that, you are more than just a coach to these kids. You're their dad, their mom, and their extended family. You're everything to these kids. So when they're going to get recruited by the next coach, to find the person who is going to be charge of the next four years of their life, they are looking for the same things."
"When you get recruited by Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama, Oregon and all these top schools - when you go visit them, they all have nice football facilities. They have good academic centers and beautiful campuses. Everything is basically the same everywhere," Harold continued. "So what separates them? You know what the coaches sell those kids on? That it's about the people and the relationships. That's all they sell the kids on. They all say the same things. If you had a recruiter sitting here, he'd say, 'Our school is just like everybody else, but it's all about the people and relationships with us.'"
"So how can these guys (college coaches) talk about the people and the relationships - and then you get these kids signed and then you bail on them at the first time you get the opportunity? Look at all these stories after signing day. You can't tell me that these head coaches aren't telling these assistants that they know are leaving - don't tell anybody until after signing day and then we'll announce it. That's deception and that dishonesty. And, most importantly, it's not fair to the kids."
"I'm really, really, really getting upset because there are grown men sitting behind a computer commenting on stuff that they know nothing about. These kids are innocent and good kids."
A four-star recruit, Smith is ranked as the nation's No. 47 overall prospect and No. 5 outside linebacker in the 2015 recruiting cycle, according to the 247Sports Composite. He's also the No. 5 player in the state of Georgia.
Some fans don't take kindly to recruits changing their minds on a school because of a coaching change, but Smith's high school coach Larry Harold had a long message for such critics in an interview the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"I'm reading a lot of these websites, and you've got people on there saying things like 'A kid shouldn't commit to a coach; he should commit to a school,'" Harold said. "I just want to tell those people this, because maybe they don't know: If you've never played sports or anything like that, you are more than just a coach to these kids. You're their dad, their mom, and their extended family. You're everything to these kids. So when they're going to get recruited by the next coach, to find the person who is going to be charge of the next four years of their life, they are looking for the same things."
"When you get recruited by Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama, Oregon and all these top schools - when you go visit them, they all have nice football facilities. They have good academic centers and beautiful campuses. Everything is basically the same everywhere," Harold continued. "So what separates them? You know what the coaches sell those kids on? That it's about the people and the relationships. That's all they sell the kids on. They all say the same things. If you had a recruiter sitting here, he'd say, 'Our school is just like everybody else, but it's all about the people and relationships with us.'"
"So how can these guys (college coaches) talk about the people and the relationships - and then you get these kids signed and then you bail on them at the first time you get the opportunity? Look at all these stories after signing day. You can't tell me that these head coaches aren't telling these assistants that they know are leaving - don't tell anybody until after signing day and then we'll announce it. That's deception and that dishonesty. And, most importantly, it's not fair to the kids."
"I'm really, really, really getting upset because there are grown men sitting behind a computer commenting on stuff that they know nothing about. These kids are innocent and good kids."
A four-star recruit, Smith is ranked as the nation's No. 47 overall prospect and No. 5 outside linebacker in the 2015 recruiting cycle, according to the 247Sports Composite. He's also the No. 5 player in the state of Georgia.
