The excitement around college football recruiting is starting to reach a fever pitch as the temperatures continue to rise and we inch closer to summer.
Part of that is due to the fact that we are still a long way away from any meaningful college football being played, but it's also because a lot of big dominoes on the recruiting board are starting to fall.
Most casual fans may not think of late spring and early summer as big months for five-stars to make their verbal pledges, but if you look at the recent commitment activity from the class of 2027, you'll see a ton of blue-chip talents are already off the market.
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A perfect example of this would be Friday afternoon, when not one, but two five-star talents along the trenches announced where they would be playing college ball for the next three or four years (or until someone comes along with a better offer, but I digress).
Five-star defensive lineman David Folorunsho picked the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, while five-star offensive tackle Mark Matthews chose Texas A&M as his landing spot, and it's the latter who we will be discussing today.
Matthews conducted a hat ritual for the ages that has drawn the ire of many fans across college football.
Try and get through this one without cringing.
If you're familiar with me, you know my thoughts on the "hat games" that high school recruits play.
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Call me an old man yelling at a cloud, but would it kill these kids to just announce where they are going, put the hat on, and pose for pictures?
I'm obviously not the biggest Miami fan, given my Gators fandom, but I hate to see anyone get hat faked on principle alone.
Matthews at one point in time was considered a lock to go to Miami, given that he is just down the road from Coral Gables at Fort Lauderdale high school powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas.
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But the Aggies started to pick up steam in recent months and surged to earn his commitment, which could explain the saltiness from Canes fans regarding his announcement antics.
In their defense, it looks like they aren't the only ones who think Matthews' commitment ceremony was a little much.
On one hand, it seems like coping from Canes fans.
There's no way to spin losing out on a five-star offensive lineman who lives less than an hour from campus. Homegrown talents like Mark Matthews don't grow on trees.
But on the other hand, I think Miami fans can take solace in the fact that this guy might not be a "culture fit," either.
I don't make the rules when it comes to handling recruiting losses; I just abide by them.
