The recruiting web

[milohimself]

Has anybody read this article? It's in the ESPN magazine and on ESPN Insider. It's really interesting... In particular, it follows Myron Rolle and the absolute bombardment of e-mails, phone calls, etc. that he recieves from people on recruiting websites.

It's kind of complicated, and I'm still trying to figure out how to format the topic for discussion on here, but if anybody has read the article, or simply has something to say on the issue of internet-based recruiting, and would like to help me get the ball rolling, that would be awesome.

 

[GAVol]

The whole explosion of internet recruiting analysts is really a double edged sword. On one hand, it's great for those that really get into recruiting, but on the other hand it's a business driven by hearsay and gossip about the decisions made by 18 year olds. I think recruiting has probably been this cut throat for a long time though.

One of my favorite recruiting stories was several years ago a sports radio guy put up a fake player from a fake high school on his website to see if he could generate any buzz. He ran a 4.6 40 and benched 375 lbs. Sure enough, a week later two recruiting websites listed Linebacker Demario Spiker from Garden Lakes High School in Augusta, GA as a 3 star recruit. :lol:

 

[milohimself]

:lol: That's pretty good.

There was this one part of the story, with Myron Rolle talking with Tom Lemming that kind of got to me.

Tom Lemming, one of the pioneers of the recruiting beat, has been in the business since 1979, when he had one subscriber by mail. Last year he racked up 45,000 miles crisscrossing the country to scout for his magazine, Prep Football Report. Lemming denies accusations that he sells information -- and influence -- to the very schools whose signees and recruiting classes he is ranking. One coach says Lemming coerced prospects to attend a photo shoot this spring by telling them he otherwise wouldn't consider them for the roster he helps put together for the U.S. Army All-American game. The shoot was held on Notre Dame's campus. "Tom Lemming is a huge Notre Dame guy," Myron says. "He kept saying to me, 'You know they have a great coaching staff. You know Charlie Weis is Mr. NFL. You're an academic guy. That place is for you.' Then he killed Florida State [to whom Myron is leaning towards]. He said, 'You're stupid if you go there.' Um, okay. Thanks."

 

[GAVol]

A couple of years ago when I was in charge of carting around coaches for our Touchdown Club, Ralph Friedgen said it the best:

"If these recruiting gurus were so damn smart, don't you think every Division 1 school in America would be camped out on their front porch begging them to come to work as their recruiting coordinator?"