[COLOR= rgb(178, 34, 34)][SIZE= 24px]Not Low Key: Twice a decommitment, Arden Key taking it slow this time[/COLOR]
Jan. 16, 2015[/SIZE]
ATLANTA — Winston Gordon was hoping for low-key.
When Arden Key came to Hapeville Charter School’s football coach to announce he no longer wanted to be publicly promised to South Carolina’s 2015 recruiting class, Gordon suggested a more subtle approach.
“But Arden is Arden,” Gordon said.
And little about Key’s recruitment has been low-key. Key is a 6-foot-5, 230-pound defensive end, a four-star prospect who is being pursued by most of the South’s football powers and has had an on-again, off-again relationship with the Gamecocks’ commitment list. When he announced on Jan. 6 that he wanted to decommit, it was the second time he had done so. His first flirtation came when he committed in June 2013 and then backed away in September 2013. He committed again in June 2014 before reconsidering two weeks ago.
“I told him he really didn’t have to decommit,” Gordon said. “I explained to him, you didn’t sign a scholarship, recruiting goes on until Feb. 4. He said he wanted to be able to be clear-minded in his thought process and to him that’s what he feels clears his thought process to be able to make a sound decision.”
It’s a situation dozens of players nationally in each class find themselves in every year, reconsidering a months-old commitment that is beginning to feel stale and trying to figure out how to gracefully get out of it.
“In today’s game, nothing is final until signing day, until that ink is dry and faxed. That has really changed over the last five or six years,” said Chad Simmons, national recruiting analyst for Scout.com. “Verbal commitments mean very, very little in recruiting. In most cases, there is no real commitment being made by the kid. Many of them when they commit to one school, there are still seven schools on their mind. It’s basically a kid naming his leader.”
For fans, though, a commitment can feel more like a marriage, at least when it’s to their school, and an easy exit is rarely in the cards. Key’s decommitment was the latest in a long string for the Gamecocks, and several people vented their frustration toward Key on social media.
“They called Arden all types of things,” said Antoine Wilder, a teammate of Key’s at Hapeville Charter and a South Carolina commitment. “Most of the fans are rude and nasty. My thing is, you really want him to come to the school? (The decommitment) doesn’t mean he can’t come, but if y’all are throwing those negative vibes at him, he’s not going to feel welcome there. That’s not helping at all.”
Key’s decommitment had nothing to do with South Carolina’s 7-6 record last season, Key said.
“It was just me hearing from all schools and making sure I am making the right decision for the next three or four years,” he said. “I played a very good game (in the Under Armour All-America Game in early January) and that opened a lot of eyes of other schools. Now, they are just coming. For me, ninth, 10th and 11th grade, it was all fun and games. Senior year, when you are the guy they want, it gets crazy.”
South Carolina’s rivals for Key’s affections were never discouraged by his commitments to the Gamecocks, Gordon said.
“Nobody ever let up,” he said. “This is recruiting.”
When a player such as Key begins to struggle with a decision, recruiters sense opportunity and pull harder in their respective directions. For Key, it has felt like he’s going to be pulled apart at times, he said.
“These kids are hearing different things from different people every hour, every day and there is so much pressure to say yes to this person, say yes to that one,” Simmons said. “There is a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes that people never see. I think he has matured over the last six months or so, but it’s hard for anybody to digest what he is going through.”
When South Carolina’s class began to lose players and speculation swirled about the future of coach Steve Spurrier and the defensive assistants, opposing recruiters found themselves with an abundance of ammunition to use against the Gamecocks.
“Most schools in some fashion will negatively recruit against the other school,” Simmons said. “They are going to put different things in the kid’s mind. Key is definitely hearing a lot of different stuff.”
Wilder could tell Key was on the verge of officially restarting his recruiting, and he could understand it, he said.
“I knew it was getting to him,” Wilder said. “I don’t have as many offers as him, but it was getting to me at one point. It becomes real stressful.”
Key has heard a lot about Spurrier’s future, and he plans to talk to Spurrier about it when he visits Columbia on Jan. 23.
“The only negative thing about (South Carolina) is Spurrier and how long he will be there,” Key said.
Key’s strongest connection to the Gamecocks is defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward, who has been recruiting Key for three years. Key plans to make official visits to LSU, Miami, South Carolina (Jan. 23) and then either Auburn or Florida before announcing his decision of FoxSportsSouth on the evening of Feb. 2.
“I don’t have a leader,” he said. “I don’t know where I am going to go. I am going to take all my visits. I am going to take it slow and pray on it and talk to my parents about it.
“It’s a real tough decision. You are making a lifetime decision.”
ARDEN KEY
School: Hapeville Charter (Lithonia, Ga.)
Position: Defensive end
Height/Weight:6-5/230
Composite Ranking: 4 stars
School considering: South Carolina, LSU, Auburn, Miami and Florida
HELP AT DE
Arden Key might join five defensive ends who are members of the USC recruiting class:
Marquavius Lewis
6-4/274
Hutchinson Comm. College
Dante Sawyer
6-3/265
East Miss. Comm. College
Shameik Blackshear
6-4/235
Bluffton High
Quandeski Whitlow
6-3/225
Opelika (Ala.) High
Devante Covington
6-3/230
Georgia Military College
Jan. 16, 2015[/SIZE]
ATLANTA — Winston Gordon was hoping for low-key.
When Arden Key came to Hapeville Charter School’s football coach to announce he no longer wanted to be publicly promised to South Carolina’s 2015 recruiting class, Gordon suggested a more subtle approach.
“But Arden is Arden,” Gordon said.
And little about Key’s recruitment has been low-key. Key is a 6-foot-5, 230-pound defensive end, a four-star prospect who is being pursued by most of the South’s football powers and has had an on-again, off-again relationship with the Gamecocks’ commitment list. When he announced on Jan. 6 that he wanted to decommit, it was the second time he had done so. His first flirtation came when he committed in June 2013 and then backed away in September 2013. He committed again in June 2014 before reconsidering two weeks ago.
“I told him he really didn’t have to decommit,” Gordon said. “I explained to him, you didn’t sign a scholarship, recruiting goes on until Feb. 4. He said he wanted to be able to be clear-minded in his thought process and to him that’s what he feels clears his thought process to be able to make a sound decision.”
It’s a situation dozens of players nationally in each class find themselves in every year, reconsidering a months-old commitment that is beginning to feel stale and trying to figure out how to gracefully get out of it.
“In today’s game, nothing is final until signing day, until that ink is dry and faxed. That has really changed over the last five or six years,” said Chad Simmons, national recruiting analyst for Scout.com. “Verbal commitments mean very, very little in recruiting. In most cases, there is no real commitment being made by the kid. Many of them when they commit to one school, there are still seven schools on their mind. It’s basically a kid naming his leader.”
For fans, though, a commitment can feel more like a marriage, at least when it’s to their school, and an easy exit is rarely in the cards. Key’s decommitment was the latest in a long string for the Gamecocks, and several people vented their frustration toward Key on social media.
“They called Arden all types of things,” said Antoine Wilder, a teammate of Key’s at Hapeville Charter and a South Carolina commitment. “Most of the fans are rude and nasty. My thing is, you really want him to come to the school? (The decommitment) doesn’t mean he can’t come, but if y’all are throwing those negative vibes at him, he’s not going to feel welcome there. That’s not helping at all.”
Key’s decommitment had nothing to do with South Carolina’s 7-6 record last season, Key said.
“It was just me hearing from all schools and making sure I am making the right decision for the next three or four years,” he said. “I played a very good game (in the Under Armour All-America Game in early January) and that opened a lot of eyes of other schools. Now, they are just coming. For me, ninth, 10th and 11th grade, it was all fun and games. Senior year, when you are the guy they want, it gets crazy.”
South Carolina’s rivals for Key’s affections were never discouraged by his commitments to the Gamecocks, Gordon said.
“Nobody ever let up,” he said. “This is recruiting.”
When a player such as Key begins to struggle with a decision, recruiters sense opportunity and pull harder in their respective directions. For Key, it has felt like he’s going to be pulled apart at times, he said.
“These kids are hearing different things from different people every hour, every day and there is so much pressure to say yes to this person, say yes to that one,” Simmons said. “There is a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes that people never see. I think he has matured over the last six months or so, but it’s hard for anybody to digest what he is going through.”
When South Carolina’s class began to lose players and speculation swirled about the future of coach Steve Spurrier and the defensive assistants, opposing recruiters found themselves with an abundance of ammunition to use against the Gamecocks.
“Most schools in some fashion will negatively recruit against the other school,” Simmons said. “They are going to put different things in the kid’s mind. Key is definitely hearing a lot of different stuff.”
Wilder could tell Key was on the verge of officially restarting his recruiting, and he could understand it, he said.
“I knew it was getting to him,” Wilder said. “I don’t have as many offers as him, but it was getting to me at one point. It becomes real stressful.”
Key has heard a lot about Spurrier’s future, and he plans to talk to Spurrier about it when he visits Columbia on Jan. 23.
“The only negative thing about (South Carolina) is Spurrier and how long he will be there,” Key said.
Key’s strongest connection to the Gamecocks is defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward, who has been recruiting Key for three years. Key plans to make official visits to LSU, Miami, South Carolina (Jan. 23) and then either Auburn or Florida before announcing his decision of FoxSportsSouth on the evening of Feb. 2.
“I don’t have a leader,” he said. “I don’t know where I am going to go. I am going to take all my visits. I am going to take it slow and pray on it and talk to my parents about it.
“It’s a real tough decision. You are making a lifetime decision.”
ARDEN KEY
School: Hapeville Charter (Lithonia, Ga.)
Position: Defensive end
Height/Weight:6-5/230
Composite Ranking: 4 stars
School considering: South Carolina, LSU, Auburn, Miami and Florida
HELP AT DE
Arden Key might join five defensive ends who are members of the USC recruiting class:
Marquavius Lewis
6-4/274
Hutchinson Comm. College
Dante Sawyer
6-3/265
East Miss. Comm. College
Shameik Blackshear
6-4/235
Bluffton High
Quandeski Whitlow
6-3/225
Opelika (Ala.) High
Devante Covington
6-3/230
Georgia Military College
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