I’ve been following the recruitment of Arik Armstead (and his brother Armond) for some time now and have come to the conclusion that the Irish should remove themselves from the process. I realize we are dealing with teenagers who are trying to make one of if not the most important decisions of their lives and they may or may not be getting the right support or have the background to do this in a mature manner. However, this process also gives an insight to a player’s personality and character. I don’t know Arik Armstead, and from what I have seen and read there is nothing to suggest that he is a bad person. There is, however, a lot to suggest that he is a very good athlete (in both football and basketball). He graduates early so he can enroll early into the school, which would give him a great jump start into his college career and an opportunity to join a basketball program now and play in spring practices. By delaying the decision, those opportunities go out the window.
This indecision is what also leaves me with some concerns with Gunner Kiel and his commitments from Indiana to LSU and now to Notre Dame. Look at Amir Carlisle, who after a year at USC decided that maybe he made the wrong choice and came to South Bend. One of the consequences is sitting out for a season and that’s what he will have to do, although he will get to work out and practice with the team for a year. When a school recruits a student, I am sure they hope to have that player for 4 years (5 if redshirted) and they not only committed to the team but to the University as a whole, student and campus life, tradition and philosophy. It is hard for a high school student (and their family) to look into the future and see how they fit into classes, campus life and the sports program.
As for Arik Armstead, it may be time to cut our losses. If he chooses the Irish on February 1 (wasting his opportunity for early enrollment), fine. If not, so be it. I know his father Gus is looking forward to the parade of recruiters (ass kissers) coming to the house from schools in the running including Oregon, Washington, Auburn and Cal. What confuses me is this family has been through this before with Armond and should have more insight to this process. Along with the fact Gus has been involved in sports at a high level most of his life including running a company called ToTheHoop.com , which is a premiere basketball training service for pro athletes, college players, and select high school players; this family should be more in tune with the process than others. Something with this tells me this may not be the right fit for the Irish.
There have been a lot of conversation and comments online regarding the Armsteads’ (more so Arik) recruitment, and most of it swings to the negative side. One comment; “They’ve already received their best offers from the schools they visited. I don’t think Feb 1, or beyond, will see any change.” I would like to agree, but after the Cam Newton college stories (Arik’s father seems to be overly involved in this process), some schools may sweeten the pot. That’s not anything I want the Irish to be involved in. These young men being recruited need guidance and support from friends and families. However, as I watched the U.S. Army All American Game there seemed to be a lot of people around these players while they made their declarations and I wondered who they were, how they influenced these decisions and why were they involved.
The following linemen are still up for grabs and whether they are sure things or long shots we should re-allocate time and effort to them: Andrus Peat, Zach Banner, and Joshua Garnett
