Alabama And Darius Philon: Timing Matters

With the new SEC rule limiting how many recruits a school can sign, Alabama got into a bit of a number crunch. Mobile defensive lineman Darius Philon was a casualty of that crunch, as he chose Arkansas when his Alabama offer turned into a grayshirt.

This video shows a clearly conflicted Philon putting on an Alabama cap at his ceremony. But Philon wouldn't sign at the ceremony, and later faxed his paper to Arkansas.

And it's no secret that the media in Alabama, along with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, will run any story related to Alabama's roster management and scholarship situation. It's just good business, as the hits pour in from rivals like Auburn and Georgia, as well as from Big Ten country.

Was Alabama in the wrong here? It depends on what and when they told Philon, who had been committed to the Tide since September, about his offer becoming a grayshirt.

According to Philon's teammates, Alabama told Philon that he would need to grayshirt, or delay enrollment by a semester. It's important to note that Philon had knee surgery after his season, and will have a lengthy rehab process. The chance he would have contributed to Alabama in the 2012 season is extremely slim.

The key is when Philon was informed of this.

I am assuming it came after his knee injury, though I am not totally sure. If Alabama told Philon in late November, there shouldn't be a big problem with this. Informing him then would have given him plenty of time to open up his recruitment, consider all his options, and take some visits to other schools. We do know that Philon did not take other visits after September. If Alabama informed him early in the process, then it is the fault of Philon and his handlers that this scene played out as it did.

But if the Tide didn't tell Philon until January, after they realized they were bigger players for Kirven and Tomlinson than they thought, that is a problem. It's problematic because it leaves very little time for Philon to open up his recruitment and schedule visits. Many teams are full at certain spots by that time, including Philon's position. Philon ended up signing with Arkansas without ever visiting the campus or establishing a relationship with the coaches. That course of action seems to imply that Philon was not told until very late in the process.

But again, we don't know for sure because Philon and Saban aren't discussing the situation. Philon could clear this up if he chose to tell his story.

The practice of grayshirting gets a bad name, but it really shouldn't. It's a fine tool that can allow a school to fit in an extra kid or two who really want to attend. But the practice of telling a commitment that his offer is now a grayshirt late in the game is wrong. The last minute, surprise grayshirt offer doesn't allow a recruit to fully avail himself of the recruiting process. And that's just not fair to a kid. Without knowing the timing and the disclosure, judgment cannot be passed on Philon's situation.