The Daddy Mac's commitment explained

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http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20110201/SPORTS0402/102010331/Auburn-recruiting-Frost-a-pleasant-surprise-for-Tigers

Auburn recruiting: Frost a pleasant surprise for Tigers

By Jay G. Tate • February 1, 2011

AUBURN -- The biggest day of Kris Frost's life quickly became a mess recently.

That's when the North Carolina native, a coveted linebacker and wideout, announced on Jan. 8 that he had decided to play college football at Auburn. Frost made his proclamation during NBC's broadcast of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and immediately Michigan fans, who believed they were on the cusp of a major commitment, felt a wave of disappointment.

Yet this story was far from over. And far from clear.

Auburn wasn't ready to accept Frost's commitment, so Frost spent the next 10 days trying to understand what went wrong and how to fix it.

"A lot of people didn't expect me to commit to Auburn. There was a bit of a ruffle if they would have room and things like that," Frost said. "We tried to just work our way through and see how it would go."

Clarity didn't come easily.

The NCAA prohibits coaches from publicly discussing players who haven't yet signed a letter of intent. The Tigers won't be able to explain their position until Wednesday, which is the first day players can sign with four-year colleges.

Frost said numbers are to blame.

Auburn, like all Bowl Subdivision programs, has approximately 25 new scholarships to allocate each season. Ensuring that all committed players have a corresponding scholarship is an important part of the process.

Frost's surprise commitment, he said, affected that plan and required some serious dialogue to confirm interest both ways.

"I can't sit here and be upset because I feel like they may not have enough room for me," Frost said. "There are 50 other guys fighting for the same spot who are just as good as I am. I have to understand that. Guys coming from other states are fighting to get into this university."

Few have Frost's credentials.

He led his high school to the Class 4A state championship in North Carolina by amassing 103 tackles and five sacks. His play earned invitations to both the Shrine Bowl, the U.S. Army game and a scholarship offer to play at Michigan.

Though Frost never publicly discussed a commitment to the Wolverines, he actively promoted Michigan to fellow recruits during the fall.

Then came the NBC broadcast.

"That whole deal with the televised commitment was odd, but there's nothing questionable about his ability on the field," rivals.com analyst Keith Niebuhr said. "We actually bumped him from a four-star to a five-star after what we saw leading up to that game. To me, he's the top guy in the (Tigers') entire class so far."

The 10-day period between Frost's original commitment and when Auburn publicly acknowledged it Jan. 18 was eventful. Coaches from Michigan, LSU and several other programs began calling in hopes of taking advantage of the chaos.

Yet Frost insists his allegiance never wavered.

"It made us hold our breath for a little bit," he said. "It's a relief now. Now it's time to get down to what's really meaningful, which is getting into school and playing football. All that other stuff is almost done now."