News of Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban deferring a 2012 signing day spot from longtime North Atlanta commit Justin Taylor was not well-received nationally, other than by Bama fans who took the entire thing as a compliment. Georgia Bulldogs coach Mark Richt and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets coach Paul Johnson (along with UGA athletic director Greg McGarity and Jackets legend Bobby Dodd) have previously lamented oversigning before, but this isn't quite oversigning -- it's overcommitting, as is legal under new SEC rules.
Friday, Johnson again clarified his stance on various over* practices:
"That's like (if) we go out there, we've got 15 commitments and we just keep recruiting over the top of them," Johnson said. "Now, people do that, but not many. And then they just come back and they tell ‘em, ‘Hey, sorry, you'll have to come next year. You'll have to come in the spring. We found somebody better than you. We oversigned.' That's wrong. And it's wrong on both sides. It's just wrong."
Tech under Johnson's watch has developed a particular set of recruiting preferences. No oversigning, no visits elsewhere for commits. Last year the Jackets lost out on at least one defensive line recruit due to Johnson's system, but this time around it could work in Tech's favor: Tech, along with Georgia, is still competing with Alabama for four-star defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson.
While four-star 3-4 tackles aren't the players who need to worry about their scholarships being delivered, this is one where Johnson and Richt can further distinguish their programs from the SEC West. Not that he's namin' names, of course. But the issue is being discussed this week for a reason.