Richard Hyatt: Recruiting keeps the ball rolling

National Signing Day is not a national holiday, but it should be. And it’s a day that Dale Williams has experienced at just about every level.

He was introduced to the process when he was a skinny defensive back at Hardaway High School in 1977. He was back on the market after one season at The Citadel, when he convinced the University of Georgia that he was good enough to play in the SEC. As a player, he was the host to young recruits who visited Athens and today he sees recruiting through the lens of a camera as the co-host of a weekly TV show.

But as the proud father of a high school football player, those experiences meant nothing.

"You learn you can't fix anything," he said.

Thirty-seven years ago, he was young and naïve. After Christmas during his senior year, he heard from Frank Beamer, who coached defensive backs at The Citadel.

"The first time I ever flew on a plane it was to Charleston," he said. "They told me not to worry about it being a military school, that it was just like ROTC."

The head coach was Bobby Ross, who later won a national championship at Georgia Tech. His position coach was Beamer, now the veteran head coach at Virginia Tech. Williams liked the people and the town, but though he started as a freshman he did not feel at home.

"It wasn't college life to me," he said.

On his own, he wrote Vince Dooley and told him he wanted to transfer. Williams sat out a year and secured a grant from the Urban League of Greater Columbus that paid his tuition. He erased any doubts about his abilities by being named Scout Team Player of the Year. He went on to become a two-year starter for the Bulldogs.

Since those days, recruiting has become a national pastime.

"It's so big that it's scary," he said.

As co-host of Sportsvisions with D.J. Jones, he has seen the cavalier attitude that schools and players have toward early commitments and it bothers him.

"Until they sign in ink, promises mean nothing," he said.

Dale Williams Jr. is a senior at Columbus High School. Middle Tennessee University, Birmingham-Southern, Kennesaw State and Huntingburg have already contacted him. His father has told him to wait, which is what he tells every prospect.

"So many things are happening behind the scenes," Williams said. "And if you don't get a scholarship, you can still go wherever you want to go."

Youngsters get caught up in the frenzy. They read their clippings and celebrate their rankings, not realizing that such things are meaningless once you sign.

Dale Williams remembers the words of Coach Erk Rusell: "The sooner you forget about high school, the better you will be."

Richard Hyatt is an independent correspondent. Reach him at hyatt31906@knology.net.

This story was originally published February 3, 2015 at 6:53 PM with the headline "Richard Hyatt: Recruiting keeps the ball rolling."