For the average high school senior, committing verbally to a school after an acceptance offer is not an option.

But in the world of college football, the word of mouth breeds stronger vibes than sending an envelope through the mail.

While the present focus for Northwestern football followers is on this Saturday’s road showdown with Michigan State, the Wildcats’ coaching staff consistently maintains a focus toward the future. That focus has drawn attention earlier and earlier in recent years from one central element of modern-era recruiting: the early commitment.

Early commitments come from athletes who verbally state their intent to play for a school prior to college football’s universal signing day in February. It is a non-binding agreement that allows universities to set aside scholarships in exchange for having an idea of the positions they will fill in their upcoming freshman classes.

It is a window that narrows uncertainty for players, while bumping up the start of recruiting efforts by coaching staffs.

“Kids are hearing from schools early in their junior year, and that’s when they start visiting campuses,” NU offensive line coach Bret Ingalls said. “By the time the summer starts, they’ve seen four or five campuses. They may have not taken an official visit but they’ve met the coaches, met the players and been on the campus. If it’s the right fit, they go for it.”

This is especially true for national powerhouses, where 18 players who are current high school juniors have already committed to programs for the Class of 2013, according to Rivals.com. Texas A&M, BYU, and USC lead the way so far, with each school receiving three commitments for next year’s class.

With four months between now and signing day, Rivals.com currently has NU holding nine recruits who have verbally committed to the Class of 2012. The Cats stand with the fewest commits in the Big Ten – a product of NU’s triad of factors that the program prides itself upon. Tier one academics, access to a large city, and a top flight conference all come into play, representing a unique situation that superbacks coach Adam Cushing believes can’t be captured until recruits make an official visit.

“Typically, we don’t get as many early commitments as other programs because we want the kids to come see the place first,” said Cushing, whose recruiting areas include the south side of Chicago, Northwest Indiana and the mid-Atlantic. “We want a kid to be 100 percent sold on Northwestern because we don’t want them ever have to waver.”

SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED

In some cases, Cushing’s ideal takes shape. Junior linebacker Mike Dinard’s NU career began months before he ever set foot on the field. The most poignant moment involved a television set, an order of pizza and a piece of college football history.

Buried in Buckeye fan territory, Dinard and a small group of his high school friends got together to watch NU face Ohio State on the evening of October 2, 2004. While his friends screamed, “Shut up, man, I can’t believe you’re rooting for them,” Dinard’s allegiances never felt more concrete as he witnessed the Cats dethrone the then-No.6 Buckeyes in dramatic overtime fashion, 33-27.

“That’s my school, man,” he said. “I’m Northwestern all the way.”

Before his senior year of high school, Dinard had already made the verbal commitment to join the Cats’ incoming Class of 2009. While a few other schools were on his radar – Boston College, Vanderbilt and Duke – the northeast Ohio native’s heart was set on playing in the Big Ten. NU assuaged any doubts Dinard had of his own capabilities, fulfilling a dream that began with his attendance at a Cats high school summer football camp.

“When you get the scholarship, it just feels comfortable,” Dinard said. “This place was at the top of my list before I even knew I was going to be scholarship material for football. Having that scholarship before your senior year of high school is really comforting just as a high school kid looking to go to college.”

Even with a long waiting period and plenty of contact with other teams, Dinard’s loyalty remained solid with the Cats’ program. Early commits have been known to drift to other schools – notably Penn State senior quarterback Anthony Morelli’s departure from the Pittsburgh Panthers just before signing day in 2004.

“It’s a mixed bag,” Dinard said. “There are guys who like to play the field and keep schools on their heels. I don’t think it’s completely respectful if you’ve given (the school) a verbal commitment.”

TRADING PLACES

In the first week of his senior season of high school, Adam Hahn’s future seemed set. Ranked the fifth-best player in Wisconsin, the now sophomore defensive tackle had four Division I-A programs vying for his services – Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, Indiana, and NU. Hahn was ready to stop weighing the pros and cons and make a commitment.

The first phone call came from Bloomington, Ind., where Hahn agreed to verbally commit to the Hoosiers, starting his senior year with the comfort of a scholarship in his pocket. He contacted the Wildcats, Huskies, and Chippewas shortly after, informing those teams that his recruitment process was closed.

But three weeks into his final season at Hartford Union High School in central Wisconsin, his future began to spiral in a completely different direction.

It began with his health – a broken leg knocked him out of action in his fourth game, adding questions about his durability. Shortly after, Indiana’s end of the verbal deal began to crumble. Former head coach Gerry DiNardo was fired after registering his third-straight nine-plus loss season. Between rehabbing his injury and losing a coach who had ushered him through the recruiting process, the feeling of confidence in Hahn’s ties to the school began to waver.

“Northwestern had been my number one school all along and I hadn’t received an offer,” Hahn said. “When Coach DiNardo was fired, I just opened it up and looked again. … I had committed to that staff.”

Even after Hahn had closed his door on NU, the Cats had left their offer on the table. So Hahn decided to pick up the phone and call the Cats with news that his plans were on the verge of changing.

NU coach Pat Fitzgerald jumped on board, making the two hour trip to Hartford, Wisc., to sell Hahn on the high points of NU. After a two-hour talk, the Hoosiers had lost a scholarship player, while NU’s 2009 class had a new addition.

As for Indiana’s reaction to the loss, Hahn said there were no hard feelings. In fact, there was an air of understanding expressed by the in-conference rival.

“The late Terry Hoeppner called me right after he was hired and congratulated me,” Hahn said. “He said Northwestern was a great school, that I had a great opportunity there, and wished me the best of luck.”

FROM COMMITTING TO SIGNING

With verbal commitments anything but binding, one potential change to the recruiting process would be an earlier signing day. College basketball currently holds two signing days – one in fall and the other during spring.

While Dinard said his willingness to commit in writing to NU at the point of his commit would have been high, Hahn would have never worn purple if that change were in place.

“With the two signing days, I don’t think it’s really relevant in football,” Hahn said. “There are decisions made late, with coaches leaving or injuries.”

As Ingalls targets future needs at his coaching position, he said the determinant factor in the players NU selects has little to do with a fear of commits backing out. The 21-year veteran coach believes most kids have enough morals to stick with the school they commit to until the February signing day.

But it often comes down to a two-way ethical stance between the school and the player. While a situation like Hahn’s may later cause NU to lose a recruit in similar fashion, the outlook of the Cats’ coaching staff is based on the pe
rsonal needs of the player over the needs of the program.

“Some schools ethically don’t care if the kid committed or not,” Ingalls said. “They don’t care if the kid made the decision with his parents and said that’s the best fit. Here at Northwestern, if a young man commits somewhere else, we wish him luck.”

Reach Chris Gentilviso at [email protected].