The recruits, their parents and their coaches talk. This isn't limited to the current year's recruiting class. They have relationships that will impact the recruiting for the next few years.
And while most everyone realizes that fans will over-react and get emotional, when it's over the top and seems to be a majority of a team's fans, it leaves a lasting impression.
As an example this year, Washington is struggling with in-state recruiting. The way their fans are behaving makes it likely, imo, that they'll struggle again next year.
Here's what Walker Williams said on Facebook in response to Keivarae Russell posting about how UDub fans turned on him after he committed to Notre Dame:
"Those UW fans on the blogs and everything are ridiculas. 1st I'm garbage and they don't need me, then josh is weak cause he's not goin either, not u aren't a good player cause u ain't goin to UW. I wonder if they realize how much bein jerks to UW recruits who decide not to go there hurts washingtons recruitment. I don't think they realize that all the in state guys know each other and lots of them are friends. They can dig their own graves tho!"
http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=147&f=1361&t=8503365&p=1
The majority of the reactions from Husky fans in that thread would embarrass me if they came from Buff fans.
For the most part, I think we CU fans are pretty good about this kind of stuff. We tend to blast the school a kid chose rather than turning on the kid. Much better approach.
And while most everyone realizes that fans will over-react and get emotional, when it's over the top and seems to be a majority of a team's fans, it leaves a lasting impression.
As an example this year, Washington is struggling with in-state recruiting. The way their fans are behaving makes it likely, imo, that they'll struggle again next year.
Here's what Walker Williams said on Facebook in response to Keivarae Russell posting about how UDub fans turned on him after he committed to Notre Dame:
"Those UW fans on the blogs and everything are ridiculas. 1st I'm garbage and they don't need me, then josh is weak cause he's not goin either, not u aren't a good player cause u ain't goin to UW. I wonder if they realize how much bein jerks to UW recruits who decide not to go there hurts washingtons recruitment. I don't think they realize that all the in state guys know each other and lots of them are friends. They can dig their own graves tho!"
http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=147&f=1361&t=8503365&p=1
The majority of the reactions from Husky fans in that thread would embarrass me if they came from Buff fans.
For the most part, I think we CU fans are pretty good about this kind of stuff. We tend to blast the school a kid chose rather than turning on the kid. Much better approach.