A look at some of the craziest commitment announcements
With National Signing Day arriving on Wednesday, it's time to take our regular look back at some of the most outlandish college football commitment announcements in recent memory.
MORE: National Signing Day Announcement Guide | Ten must-get prospects as National Signing Day nears | Predictions for all uncommitted prospects | Farrell's bold predictions | Prospects who could flip
No. 5: Jacob Copeland's mother gets a tongue lashing on TV
We’ve seen family members disagree with college decisions. That’s not new, notable or ridiculous. So while wide receiver Jacob Copeland’s mother showed up to his televised commitment wearing an Alabama shirt and was visibly upset as she got up and left the table nanoseconds after her son chose Florida, that’s not what makes the situation ridiculous. Instead, that honor belongs to the ESPN studio crew, which spent the following few minutes scolding and lecturing Copeland’s mother as though she’d left her child alone in a hot car. Imagine being a high school kid, agreeing to announce your college choice on live television so a network can exploit it for viewership and then, in return, having adults chide your mom for the entire country to see.
Forget the fact that Copeland’s mom returned to hug her son minutes after the announcement, and toss aside the fact that the whole stunt had an aura of being pre-planned from the jump. None of that matters, because most people that cover college football recruiting are physically unable to pass on a chance to get sanctimonious. ESPN has coincidentally made video of its studio host’s overblown reaction to the incident difficult to find, but rest assure that the extended and wholly unnecessary lecture took place.
No. 4: Landon Collins proves moms don't always win
There’s a saying in recruiting that if a coach can win over a mother, it’s only a matter of time before the son will follow. But former five-star Landon Collins proved that there’s always an exception to the rule. In 2012, the five-star safety spurned in-state school LSU to commit to Alabama and he had planned on throwing up gloves featuring the Alabama "A" to reveal his choice. Before he could get the gloves on the attention quickly shifted to his mother, who openly said she didn't agree with Collins' decision to commit to Alabama over LSU.
The moment made for some pretty awkward TV, but is fondly remembered by those who enjoy recruiting drama. Two years later, in 2014, the same scenario played out with Collins' half-brother, Gerald Willis. The Rivals100 prospect picked Florida over LSU, much to the dismay of his mother again. Collins is currently in the NFL with the New York Giants, while Willis has since transferred to Miami and is likely to be an NFL Draft pick next spring.
No. 3: Omar Bolden takes disrespect to a new level
Long before his NFL career, Omar Bolden was a four-star all-purpose back in the Class of 2007. Leading into his announcement on a regional sports channel, there was plenty of speculation that Bolden would stay close to home and end up at USC. He had hats on the table from Oregon State, Washington and the Trojans, and when it came time to announce he flicked the Beavers and Huskies off the table before picking up the USC hat. It looked as if he was bound for Troy, picking up the USC hat and saying "I think it might be …" only to disregard the Trojans hat as well and select Arizona State.
The choice ultimately worked out for Bolden, who was a fourth-round draft pick in 2012. If this were to happen today, the police on Twitter would lose their mind, and Bolden would be a talking point on every debate show on sports TV.
No. 2: Alex Collins' mom makes a break for it
Well before Alex Collins was an NFL Draft pick, he was star for Arkansas. Before he was a star for the Razorbacks, he was at the center of National Signing Day incident.
On signing day 2013, Collins was set to announce his intentions to play for the Razorbacks. He had a ceremony at his high school and everything was in place … except for the actual letter of intent, which his mother abducted, of course. The motivation was simple: Collins’ mom wanted her son to stay closer to his Florida home and attempted to force the issue by making off with Arkansas’ letter of intent - as though it were the only existing key to a stocked casino vault. In reality, however, the star running back simply got a new letter of intent and had his father co-sign it. Just like that, a solid effort by mom was thwarted.
No. 1: The original mascot prop
Five-star running back Isaiah Crowell's announcement ceremony started like most, with a few hats sitting on the table in front of him. After announcing his intentions to commit to Georgia by putting on a Bulldogs cap, it seemed like just another ho-hum announcement -until Crowell looked off camera and gestured to someone to bring him something. That something? It turned out to be a live bulldog puppy, dressed appropriately in a Georgia Bulldogs sweater.
Video of the announcement quickly went viral, and while Crowell's career in Athens was short-lived, the current New York Jets back will always be known one as of the first prospects to garner a live animal as part of his announcement, a tactic that has been copied several times over the years. Another future Bulldog running back, Class of 2016 four-star Elijah Holyfield, followed Crowell’s lead and used a pair of Bulldogs for his announcement.
