ATHENS — First to the important stuff. The guys at Chimin’ In Media swear they don’t know where Demetris Robertson is going to school this fall. They wish they knew, but as of Friday afternoon they were waiting to find out like everybody else.
They’ll have to know eventually. It is, after all, their job to put together the video that’s going to drop on YouTube at 1 p.m. ET Saturday and tell the world where Robertson, an elite wide receiver from Savannah, Ga., is going to transfer to continue his college football career. The former 5-star prospect spent his first two seasons at California. He has announced that he’s transferring but (allegedly) is still deciding on a final destination between Georgia, Alabama, Texas, and West Virginia. So the recruiting-crazed fan bases of those four schools are all on edge to see how this turns out.
That’s interesting, for sure. But what really intrigues me is the outfit that is helping young Mr. Robertson get the word out on his decision, Chimin’ In Media. I was enticed to find out more about it when I started reading on message boards Friday that “those are Bama guys” and therefore there is strong suspicion that’s where Robertson is headed.
So I reached out to Chimin’ In Media via email Friday, and was thrilled, surprised, and impressed to get a call-back right away.
I first heard back from Branden Greenberg, who is one of two principal partners and one minority partner who own and operate this relatively new-media, marketing startup. The other principal partner is Eric Silver of Dunwoody, Ga., and the minority partner is a guy who prefers to be identified only as “Isaac The Producer.”
As for the Alabama association, yes, Greenberg and Silver are Alabama students. Greenberg, 24, is a second-year law student and Silver, 20, is a rising junior and marketing major. As for “The Producer,” I’m going to honor his wishes to remain anonymous. But I did a little digging so I’ll tell you that he’s 22, he graduated from a school that plays football in the Mid-American Conference with a degree in mechanical engineering, and he was raised in Atlanta and claims to be a Georgia fan.
Emphatically, though, they all insist they’re not in the business of influencing their clients’ decisions, D-Rob included.
“To us, that’s a laughable question,” said Greenberg, who was also an Alabama undergrad. “We’ve looked at the message boards and we know that narrative is out there. But D-Rob is going to choose whatever is the best situation out there for him. And the truth we still don’t know what he’s going to do. He’s still struggling with the decision.”
Greenberg said his team has four different videos shot and ready to load up and play on their YouTube channel. All of them have the same opening but, of course, different endings. And he swears they don’t know yet how this drama is going to unfold.
There’s a good argument for all of them. Texas is, well, Texas. West Virginia and its Air Raid offense piloted by former Florida QB Will Grier certainly has statistical appeal. And then there’s Alabama and Georgia.
Many may have forgotten that Robertson actually committed to the Crimson Tide as a high school sophomore. Of course, Kirby Smart, then a Bama assistant and ace recruiter, had a lot to do with that. Georgia, as the state school and a fast-rising national power, certainly checks all the boxes. Both of the SEC schools would probably help Robertson on the side of his hardship eligibility appeal.
That part, Greenberg and his associates say they’re staying out of. They insist they’re interested in building a business, not a pipeline to Tuscaloosa.
“Our commitment is to be as unbiased as possible,” Greenberg said. “We’ve done stuff with other players who have gone other places, too. Demetris is more of a big deal for us. Our interest is to hone in on what we see as a niche market through new-age technology.”
Greenberg said they don’t pay or get paid by their clients. The end-game is to earn revenue through YouTube subscribers (their page currently has 66) and sponsorships.
“We think we may be a little ahead of the curve on this,” Greenberg said. “D-Rob is leaving one program and heading to another. With the new transfer rules that the NCAA has put in, we think we might see a lot more of this in the future.”
Of course, in the end, one fan base is going to be thrilled and three others are going to be disappointed, if not fighting mad. The guys at Chimin’ In Media know that and are preparing for the inevitable blowback.
“We’ve heard from a lot of different fans already,” Greenberg said. “Probably Georgia and West Virginia the most. We don’t know what the fallout will be if he doesn’t choose Georgia, but we have an idea what the celebration will be like.”
