Recruiting Hype: Necessary, Evil, or Necessary Evil?
by Husker Mike on Jan 30, 2009 7:00 PM CST
in Recruiting
24 comments
With National Signing Day next week, many college football fans can hardly wait to see who signs and how their team will rate in comparison with other programs. Other fans, such as myself, just roll their eyes and cringe. One thing is for sure is that recruiting coverage is huge...and profitable for sites such as Rivals and Scout, who very existence depends on fans paying for coverage of recruiting.
As the hype has increased in recent years, recruiting starts earlier and earlier each season. Commitments used to be handed through phone calls; now they take place in press conferences and in scripted hat productions that even end up televised. Earlier this month, the NCAA declared that 7th grade basketball players should be considered prospects since the recruiting process is starting to begin by that point. Think about that one: Children who are closer to their kindergarten graduation than their high school graduation are considered college prospects.
Is this for the best of college athletics? Depends on your perspective. Some people believe strongly in the recruiting process. Talent is important, and if you can get a jump on your competition, you give yourself a decided edge. As the adage says, you can't race a Clydesdale against a Thourghbred.
Others enjoy the competitive aspects of recruiting, especially during the off-season when there are no games to review.
But in this day when recruiting starts earlier and earlier, sometimes scholarships are given prematurely. Take the case of Shawn Bodtmann, a linebacker from Scranton, PA who committed early on to Nebraska. He suffered an injury in his senior season, and Nebraska is now pulling his scholarship offer. His high school coach and family are incensed that Nebraska backed out on him, as Bodtmann stopped considering other offers once he made the decision to attend Nebraska. Now, he's scrambling to find another way to college with few takers.
In this situation, it's obvious that Nebraska offered Bodtmann prematurely. But would a later start to recruiting help Bodtmann? Likely not, because everybody would probably be just as gunshy as they would be now. (But since there wouldn't have been an offer to rescind, there wouldn't be the hurt feelings that currently exist.) Would an early signing period have helped Bodtmann? Perhaps, but then Nebraska would have used a scholarship on a guy they've changed their mind on.
Recruiting is a complex beast. What are your thoughts about recruiting and the publicity it receives? Is it good for college athletics, good for your team, harmless fun, or is it something that's out of control?
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Absolutely vital!
But I wouldn’t say I follow recruitng as much as the games…not yet anyway.
"...don't TAZE me, bro..."
by zE bOp on Jan 31, 2009 9:36 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
I
fail to see how an early signing day would make that huge a difference.
It would cut down on expenses, since a kid would have to make an earlier commitment, but it would have to be void if the coach was fired after the kid committed in order to have any level of fairness on behalf of the student athlete.
After reading Bruce Feldman’s Meat Market, I came to the conclusion there really isn’t a way that the recruiting process could be made much better.
You can make the determination that it’s out of hand, but in what way? Is it the process itself, or the fact that fans are obsessed about it?
Go Big Red Nebraska!
Our Cobs Are Bigger Than Yours!
Corn Nation!
by Jon Johnston on Jan 31, 2009 10:08 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
I'd argue that the whole process needs to be scaled back...
For starters, no scholarship offers can be made until the end of the junior year in school. Players can sign at any time (no “signing periods”). Scholarship offers are only good for 30 days, and offers cannot be revoked unless both sides agree. A “dead period” when you cannot contact a recruit starts on the day the are born until the start of your junior year.
I also wonder if it wouldn’t be helpful if coaches maintained the “no comment” policy until students actually enroll in classes (or practice begins).
by Husker Mike on Jan 31, 2009 10:26 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
hhmmm, sry can't get the youtube to post....
"...don't TAZE me, bro..."
by zE bOp on Jan 31, 2009 10:41 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
hmmmmmmmmmmmm
not sure about youtube posts in comments.
i’ll check on that one. otherwise, there’s the fanshot tool, and then link here.
Go Big Red Nebraska!
Our Cobs Are Bigger Than Yours!
Corn Nation!
by Jon Johnston on Jan 31, 2009 12:00 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Different sites do Youtube
differently. Some, you just copy the link in the ‘copy link’ icon, so I tried that here, didnt seem to work. Others you gotta type out the [youtube][/youtube] stuff, etc…
"...don't TAZE me, bro..."
by zE bOp on Jan 31, 2009 3:58 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
But what about this guy?^^^
Get him SIGNED!!!
"...don't TAZE me, bro..."
by zE bOp on Jan 31, 2009 10:42 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
It starts to young!
They shouldn’t be able to recruit them until they are finished with their junior season. And the horrible specticle they make about the hats on signing day is a joke, they haven’t done anything to deserve the coverage they get. I think it makes them look like premadonnas and “look at me” idiots.
by Huzkerfan on Jan 31, 2009 11:23 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
the problem
is that there’s nothing legally the NCAA can do to stop the process. I don’t believe there is, anyway.
Maybe I’ll check on that.
Go Big Red Nebraska!
Our Cobs Are Bigger Than Yours!
Corn Nation!
by Jon Johnston on Jan 31, 2009 12:01 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Suppose they could create
more rules, but then in would be a nightmare trying to enforce the rules, sending out undercover ‘football moms’ and such to the YMCA…LOL.
"...don't TAZE me, bro..."
by zE bOp on Jan 31, 2009 4:02 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
btw
here is this year’s recruiting class.
Go Big Red Nebraska!
Our Cobs Are Bigger Than Yours!
Corn Nation!
by Jon Johnston on Jan 31, 2009 12:08 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
What about the money?
More money in college athletics, for facilities, for coaches salaries, from TV contracts, all that money means more problems in recruiting.
I do not like the additional attention that recruits get. I fail to see how it can be a positive.
You can't possibly be a scientist if you mind people thinking that you're a fool.
~Wanko the Sane
by JLew on Jan 31, 2009 12:54 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
What about the bling?
I know they give CFB players a bunch of ‘cool stuff’ for going to a bowl game—ipods, UnderArmor, caps, and sometimes flat screen tvs—but don’t they also do some of that for recruits?
And all these state of the art facilities are all well and good, but I think it’s making them too pampered and persnickity. I mean, how much hard oak and maple crammed in a lockerroom does it take to impress these guys, especially in the light of the fact that most of come from families of modest means.
They may be ‘blue chip’, but they aren’t ‘blue blood’, as far as I can tell….
Plus, look at all the media bling some of these guys get: Marlon Lucky turned out to be just an above average back, but the guy musta been on every Husker related magazine cover published over the last few years. TV coverage?
Rockstar treatment.
I’, waiting for the 1st true dome stadium to be built by a college; then it will be the beginning of cfb armagedon…
"...don't TAZE me, bro..."
by zE bOp on Jan 31, 2009 5:26 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
The money is crazy...
and the guys that are doing 95% of the physical work aren’t getting any cash for doing it. Figuring 15,000 dollars a year for 85 guys comes out to 1,275,000 dollars worth of scholarships. Sounds like a lot. I am a season ticket holder and my ticket costs 52 dollars a game, not the best seat in the house but not the worst, a good average I assume. In one game the university takes in right around 4,500,000 million, IN JUST TICKETS!!!!! They haven’t sold a hot dog, t-shirt, or runza yet, of which I am sure they get a share. Not to mention the massive TV contracts. As long as the money is unreal the pursuit of the workers that make the product is going to unreal. Especially when they do it for slave wages.
by Huzkerfan on Jan 31, 2009 5:48 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
But that's the way of capitalism!
ha ha, not to get too political here…
"...don't TAZE me, bro..."
by zE bOp on Jan 31, 2009 6:15 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
unfortunately
it IS the arms race that is college football.
And the Big 12, when compared to the SEC, is actually pretty sensible about it.
Can’t help but imagine that NCAA sports are going to feel the pinch of this economy sooner or later. I imagine people will be lessing willing to fork over large donations with their season tickets.
Go Big Red Nebraska!
Our Cobs Are Bigger Than Yours!
Corn Nation!
by Jon Johnston on Feb 1, 2009 7:12 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Yea,
that’s the flip side of the coin. They should be getting some sort of healthy stipend, at least, for playing on the team.
"...don't TAZE me, bro..."
by zE bOp on Jan 31, 2009 6:13 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
if
you did that, you’d have to do it for every sport, not just revenue-producing sports.
And there are some (including me) that with the cost of a college education – they are getting paid. They get to start work life without a huge amount of college debt. If that’s not a huge benefit, what is?
Go Big Red Nebraska!
Our Cobs Are Bigger Than Yours!
Corn Nation!
by Jon Johnston on Feb 1, 2009 7:14 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
yea, I guess,
but they can’t work while they are in school so have no spending $$ and some get into trouble because of that.
"...dOn'T tAZ3 m3, brO'..."
by BO-urne Supremacy on Feb 1, 2009 9:30 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
A benefit
would be to get a larger part of the 40,000,000 or 50,000,000 you help bring in a year not just that 15,000 dollar a year education. I am not saying an education isn’t important but proportionately it is out of whack. If you give the players 4 percent of 50 million that is 2 million. Take out the 85 scholarships and it is down to 725,000. Divide that by the 100 players on the roster and it is 7250 a player. Divide that into nine months while in school and it is 805.50 dollars a month during school. Hardly a crazy amount of money but in college would be very helpful. If the NCAA was worried about the stipends getting to big cap it a 1000 or 1500 dollars. That would keep the bigger schools like Nebraska, OU, USC, Notre Dame, all of the crazy SEC, and the Texas colleges from paying to much. And on top of that if you get caught paying players to much stipend make it so you can’t give schlorships or stipends for 5 years no questions. Plus, have the NCAA cut the checks to avoid temptation. Something many schools in south haven’t been able to avoid in the past. As for the programs that don’t make any money, tough. Football is already paying for your programs scholarship players so you are already riding on the coattails. But if your program makes money then you should get a share be it b-ball or v-ball. If it don’t welcome to your first dose of the real world and more lessons are on the way.
by Huzkerfan on Feb 7, 2009 2:05 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
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