It has to be genuinely confusing being a teenager and having grown men tell you tall tales, text you at all hours, and do everything to convince you to come to their school. Two years ago, Jarrett Gauarantano was Urban Meyer's target at QB.

He ditched tOSU for Tennessee. There are lots of reasons to pick a different school - better offensive fit, closer to home, depth chart. In Guarantano's case, he picked Tennessee (per Birm and others at the time) for two primary reasons: 1) He was told by other teams - probably Tennessee - that OSU would always prioritize Ohio kids and therefore he wouldn't get a fair shake against Burrow. 2) Tennessee - under HC Butch Jones - was a true family atmosphere.

Imagine being Guarantano this weekend, first getting your ass kicked by Vandy, learning that (Maryland native) Dwayne Haskins led the Buckeyes to a huge win, and then watching the fiasco in Knoxville. 

Actually, you can gain some insight from his dad's reaction here. https://www.seccountry.com/tennessee/father-tennessee-quarterback-calls-...

The bottom line: there are plenty of reasons to pick or not pick a school. But believing the "family" talk of a coach without a track record, and believing whispers about something ridiculous about another program: that's how you screw up your college career.