1) It would take a tremendous leap of faith for a top recruit (especially a top out of state recruit) to commit to a pretty mediocre team without a “celebrity” head coach. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the guys who are getting decommits are guys like Meyer and Carroll. They’re rockstars in college football, and as such, it’s tough for kids to say no, even if they might not be sure.

2) Hawkins definitely slow plays. I remember a few kids last year who said that the coaches actively discouraged kids from committing on their visits unless they were a hundred percent sure. While other coaches are pressuring kids to commit and then hoping it sticks, Hawkins just wants kids to make the best decision for themselves. I think that speaks a lot to the “family” environment that Hawk tries to foster, and it’s a lot less stressful in terms of keeping kids.

The bottom line is, how many kids have decommitted to Hawkins? 3, I think? Corey Surrency, Nosa Egoue, and Jordan Wynn. And only Wynn was considered a solid verbal. And his reason for leaving was pragmatic- he didn’t like the depth chart. Pretty much everyone who decommits from other schools offers some fuzzy logic like, “I just didn’t feel comfortable,” et cetera. Hawk doesn’t get those, because he explicitly wants kids to be comfortable before committing. Instead of looking for quick and easy headlines, Hawk wants substance. And that takes time.