Have we taken any chances since the Custis and Autry fiascos w/ academically border line recruits? After being burned twice, I think we resolved to steer clear from these types of recruits. Then the mass DL attrition, some for academic reasons, further bolstered that resolve.
Imo, when you target high achievers, primarily if not exclusively, you may further limit an already tiny pool of prospects, but you get a few advantages in the trade off.
1. Much less worry of academic ineligibility
2. Much less worry of off the field poor character issues
3. Much less worry of last minute flips to factories that come a callin' at the 11th hour
4. Much less worry of bad apples in the lockerroom poisoning team chemistry
All that said, I don't mean to imply Travis was any of that other than #1. I have no idea. It's just that all of that becomes much less likely when you target kids who are already a good fit for GT academically. I'm sure there are a handful of exceptions to the rule and someone can list a handful of guys who did very well for GT on and off the field who were academic exceptions, that's not the point.
We have a very small margin for error in recruiting especially now in the era of Progress Towards Degree requirements. We don't oversign or kick kids out of the program for not making the 2 deep. We need to do everything possible to reduce our risks of attrition. Keeping kids eligible is paramount for non factory programs that depend on development over immediate contribution.
