Jackson Carman is an Ohio native who made the perfectly reasonable decision to not sign to play college football at Ohio State. Because of his talent and location in Fairfield, Ohio, Buckeyes fans have not taken that snub too well.
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Perhaps some of the anger from Columbus is due to what has been classed as a “dirty recruiting” tactic from Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, who told and convinced Carman that Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer is on the downside of his career and landed the massive offensive lineman on Early Signing Day. If so, that anger should rightfully be directed more at Swinney than a teenage football player.
Regardless, the outrage at the ALL-USA FOOTBALL first team offense selection’s decision was both swift and significant, as you can see from just a small sample below:
Carman eventually had enough, and waded into the online debate himself. Here’s what he had to say:
Carman’s crucial point in the second Tweet is an almost inarguable one. Sure, people can disagree on whether Caman will be more or less successful in one program or another, but willing failure on him or hatred at his decision is a bit much, regardless of the motivation behind it.
Like all college football recruits, Carman is just a teenager. He still has plenty of personal, professional and athletic growth ahead of him. In his case, we now know it’ll take place in South Carolina, and the huddled masses should probably come to grips with that sooner rather than later.