Rank Em’: Best Commitment Videos, So Far

What ever happened the old fashioned way of making a commitment? Waiting until the end of the school day, getting the local papers to come out and picking a hat.

Now a days, recruits are all about bigger and better. Two minute videos featuring montages, local flair and concluding with a big decision. There has been no shortage of awesome commitment videos over the last few months.

Bleacher Report did an excellent job creating videos for their commitment week.

The hardest part is ranking these videos. Let’s take a stab at it...

5. “DJ Johnson’s Crazy Day”

DJ Johnson took a simple, grassroots approach to his video, having a friend film it. No, it wasn’t flashy, but it was authentic. The viewer follows DJ through Sacramento, where his story began. You get a sense of community and passion for his hometown. You begin to get an idea of how hard it is for a recruit to make a decision when you see the pile of letters DJ received on a table. Three of his friends try persuade him to attend the schools they’re wearing on their hoodies: Texas, UCLA and Oregon. When it comes down to it, he chooses The U. The video closes with some nice highlights, displaying DJ’s beastly abilities at defensive end. Overall, a quality video with no frills, but a fun plot.

4. “CJ Holmes Gone Fishin’”

Much like DJ, CJ took a simple, but fun approach. The quality of the video is a little better thanks to Bleacher Report Studios. CJ and his buddies enjoy a great day on the lake. They’re laughing, having fun, tubing and fishing. The first catch of the day? An Alabama helmet. He tosses it back in displeased with his finding. Next up: A Tennessee jersey. CJ throws that back into the lake too. His last catch was a bit of a battle. He struggles to real in a monster. Well, that monster is a leprechaun who gives him a Notre Dame cap. It was a very well scripted video for the 4-Star athlete from Connecticut.

3. “Robert Beal Commits After Intense Warehouse Workout”

Everything about this video is intense. It’s far from flashy, but it’s dark, gritty appeal fits the way Beal plays. He flips tires, and works on footwork, while his strength coach barks at him to work harder. You get to see how hard a division one recruit works to get to the next level. The closing of the video is the best part. After busting his butt, Beal marches out of the dark warehouse, slamming the door to reveal the Georgia “G”. Very good video by Bleacher Report. Georgia fans had to be jacked up watching this.

2. “4-Star OT Kai-Leon Herbert Makes Choice With ‘Walking Dead’ Parody”

The pressure of being recruited by coaches and fans can feel like a pack of flesh-eating zombies chasing you. Bleacher Report portrayed that pressure in this awesome video. A hoard of zombies wearing various college t-shirts chases Herbert through the woods. He tries to slam a gate on them. He makes it deep into the forest and encounters a zombie trying to attack. He obliterates the zombie and keeps on hustling. One zombie manages to take him down to the ground. That zombie was wearing a Michigan State shirt. Did the zombie him turn into a flesh-eating Spartan? No. He knocks the zombie out with a brick, gets up, rips his shirt revealing the block M of the Michigan Wolverines. Bravo, Bleacher Report.

1. “4-Star D’Andre Swift Inspired By Creed For Commitment”

This video is so raw and so Philly. It makes me want to eat a cheese steak, listen to Meek Mill and run up the stairs like Rocky. Swift pays homage to his hometown in an incredible fashion. The video basically is a hybrid of “Rocky” an a Meek Mill music video featuring motorcycles, ATVs and four-wheelers tearing through the Philadelphia streets. Swift runs through local neighborhoods as fans cheer him on. It’s a tribute to his roots, and even his “Beyond Blessed” shirt shows you how fortunate Swift is to be able to leave the city and make a name for himself. To finish the video, Swift stands in the middle of a circle of fans and motorcycle smoke. He reveals that he’ll be a Georgia Bulldog and the video fades out with a Georgia “G”.