Kearis Jackson’s commitment shows what’s really important

A lot of people think recruiting, especially football recruiting, has gone over the top in recent years.

Commitment announcements have become big productions — videos that resemble nicely made movies (sometimes) with a ton of attention focused on them. Recruiting is big business, so why not?

But people who think recruiting doesn’t matter aren’t paying attention. It’s just all the stuff surrounding a program recruiting a player that doesn’t matter: the videos, the rankings from websites, the fans acting like children when they get a commitment or even worse when their rival gets one.

No, the rankings don’t matter. Sure, they’re fun to talk about, they keep fans interested, and they, too, are big business. But in the grand scheme of a player’s career, they don’t mean a thing. It’s a lot like whatever NFL draft “expert” you trust. That opinion goes out the window once the players are drafted.

Once these young men get on campus, if they were a five-star or a no-star, none of that matters, except for the fans who are going to put unrealistic pressure on teenagers for their own life fulfillment. What does matter is the young men putting in the work and their friends and families who support them.

That’s what made Saturday in Fort Valley so special as Peach County’s Kearis Jackson committed to Georgia. Sure, there was a little bit of a show as we waited for Jackson’s one-car parade to make it to the commitment announcement.

But once he stepped out of the car wearing a Georgia shirt and hat, what really mattered became quickly evident. And that was the reaction of family, friends, coaches, teammates and supporters to a young man making the biggest decision he has made so far in his life (there will be others, for sure).

There were big hugs to go around, plenty of smiles and a lot of tears. It reminded everyone around why this was so important: family, friends, coaches, teammates, supporters, big hugs, smiles and tears and … hard work.

Jackson is listed as a four-star recruit, and he’s ranked as one of the top wide receivers in the nation. That’s terrific, but it won’t matter next year when he gets on campus in Athens; just like those rankings won’t matter for any other recruits once they get on the campus of their choice.

They all will start over from the bottom and have to work their way back up the ladder. If they have the right attitude, focus and work ethic, they can get it done. If they don’t, they could end up just another great recruit who didn’t live up to the hype.

The former is most likely in the cards for Jackson and hopefully other area recruits who go through this process. Jackson has put in the work, and he has the right kind of support system around him.

It was obvious how much it meant to him Saturday afternoon surrounded by the people who care about him most. He got a little emotional during the ceremony, but he said that was OK because everybody cries some time.

When the tears are tears of pride, those are the best times.

This story was originally published August 23, 2017 at 2:35 PM with the headline "Kearis Jackson’s commitment shows what’s really important."