Kaneal Sweetwyne, the Skyridge High quarterback who “committed” to BYU in February, announced earlier this month that he has decided to “rescind” his commitment. He is “decommitting,” the oxymoronic term that is most often used in such cases.
He joins a crowd of “decommitting” prep recruits. According to the 247Sports database, 1,738 players committed to Power Four schools in the 2024 class. Of those, 327 “decommitted.”
It really wasn’t much of a commitment after all. On Feb. 4, Sweetwyne made the following announcement on X: “COMMITTED!!!! #GoCougs” — Kaneal Sweetwyne.
On Aug. 5 — almost exactly six months later — he posted a photo of himself under his name, followed by two paragraphs announcing that he was backing out of his commitment and signed off with his autograph.
“My recruitment is now 100% wide open,” he wrote.
No one could blame him for the change of heart, not in today’s world of college football. He “decommitted” just weeks after BYU received another “commitment” from a high school quarterback. Ryder Lyons, who, according to one report is the highest-rated BYU recruit in more than 20 years, “committed” to BYU. Maybe they bumped into each other coming and going. Lyons is considered a five-star talent; Sweetwyne gets three stars.
There was a time — a long time ago — when BYU could have several top quarterbacks on the roster at the same time and none of them fled to another school — Marc Wilson and Jim McMahon, McMahon and Steve Young, Steve Young and Robbie Bosco — but not anymore.
Every year thousands of high school players make public announcements that they have verbally “committed” to a school. Why do they bother? It means nothing; it’s not binding. Nobody is committed to anything. Not the universities. Not the coaches. Not the players. It’s simply a gentleman’s agreement.
The only agreement that means anything in college sports is the new financial aid agreement, formerly known as the National Letter of Intent.
Think of a verbal “commitment” as a promise ring, which precedes the actual engagement, which precedes the actual marriage.
Anyway, how do you decommit from a commitment? Isn’t that a contradiction in terms? Let’s call a verbal commitment something else — SWEETWYNE MAKES PINKIE PROMISE TO BYU.
The verbal agreement supposedly means the recruit is off the market and coaches have one less slot to fill on their roster. In reality, coaches can easily decommit from a verbally committed recruit if they land a better recruit, and athletes can do the same thing if a better school comes along or they see that the school has signed a higher-rated recruit at his position a la Lyons.
It’s a game of chess.
The verbal “commitments” keep on coming every year. There are websites devoted entirely to verbal commitments.
An online dictionary defines a commitment this way: “an engagement or obligation that restricts freedom of action.”
The NCAA definition: An engagement or obligation that restricts freedom of action until that person changes his mind.
Where will all this lead?
To Whom It May Concern at my bank: I have decided that I am going to rescind my commitment to pay my mortgage and pursue opportunities with other banks. My recruitment is now 100 percent wide open.
Dear Costco; I know I committed to a membership card for a year, but I’m decommitting. Please return my money.
To my fiance: about the proposal I committed to the other night; I am decommitting. I got a better offer from Lexy in my accounting class.
On June 17, Sports Illustrated reported that BYU’s football program had received as many as 11 verbal “commits” (including Sweetwyne). Who knows how many of them will actually follow through.