Tennessee has received its first commitment for the Class of 2013. Evan Berry, brother of UT All-American safety Eric Berry, has committed to the Vols even before beginning his freshman season in high school.  What is up with this? 

I know new coach Lane Kiffin is really trying to be cutting edge and aggressive in his recruiting and he’s doing that. He’s the King of the minor recruiting violation.  I compare him to a lawyer that always says things the jury shouldn’t hear and gets warned over and over again.  Kiffin is right on the edge of problems but not enough YET to warrant anything really serious. He wont’ get in trouble over a 13 year old committing to his program but it does set some standards as to what is ethical and what isn’t.

In college basketball it has widely been considered that once a kid has been verball offered and he has accepted that the kid has that scholarship regardless of what happens to him.  I know schools can run kids off and all sorts of things but for the most part it sticks.  In college football we haven’t had a lot of these because so much can happen to a kid in 5 years.  This kid hasn’t even played college football yet.  He’s a 13 year old boy…we don’t know how much he’ll grow or fill out or when or how he’ll develop.  What if he’s the kid that grows before everyone else or what if he’s the kid that doesn’t grow?  I don’t think Lane Kiffin is the type that number 1 will be there in 5 years and number 2 would hold up his end of the bargain if things don’t go his way. 

I could be wrong and I shouldn’t judge but 13 and committing to a college football program is just too early for both parties.

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