Despite all the great sports action that takes place in the month of January, one of the fastest growing and most popular sports is one that is not even played on a field. That’s right, you do not use a ball, cleats, or even a uniform. There is nothing to watch, no odds to bet on, and no pay-per-view game plans to buy. All you really need is a pen that writes well and a decent looking suit to wear for a couple of days. So what is all the excitement about? You might have to sit down for this. College football recruiting. That’s it, three simple words that are used together more times than “I love you” on Valentine’s Day. To some people it becomes as important as the season itself. Football nuts are constantly scanning the Internet and latest magazines for any tidbits of information they can receive about the progress of their sacred institutions. All this to find out if a high school kid is going to come to their school and magically lead it to greatness.
Before I continue I should tell you that I am often one of those nuts. While the credibility of my viewpoint might be somewhat crippled by that statement, there is a notion of excitement when you hear that a top athlete thinks your school is better than the next guy’s. However, that is not to say that the whole process has gotten out of hand, and something needs to be done to control it. Let us try to weed through this hysteria.
It is hard to determine who is actually at fault for the way this process has become so huge. As usual with big sports hype, the media would probably have to be the top choice. Go to any major sports website right now and look. ESPN, Fox Sports, CNNSI, CBS, they all have it. Click on their college football sites and the eager fan is greeted with the smiling face of an equally eager high school senior. You are sure to find video clips, bios, and articles on the top players in the country. Often times a page will have the top 100 players, or maybe the top 25 at one position.
Not only are there the big name companies, there are also websites from companies who deal solely with recruiting to wet your whistle. Borderwars, TheInsiders, just a couple on the endless string of sites devoted to help you keep up with your favorite high school stud. There are also regional recruiting magazines with the players listed, and we all know about the “Countdown to Signing Day” show that airs on Saturday mornings to really add to the excitement. Personally, I am always asleep when that comes on so I have to get my knowledge somewhere else, but that is not a problem.
Enough about the media, what about the universities themselves? Oh, they do their part as well. As the high school prospects come for their official visits they are given V.I.P. treatment. They get to tour around the facilities, stay on the field during the game, and probably get a couple of free meals out of the trip. My old roommate once got into an area club for free because they thought he was a recruit. I mean what is that? The school wants that player to come play for it, and will often times go out of its way to get him. Of course everyone probably has heard of the Albert Means story and the University of Alabama. Do not be fooled into thinking that under the table benefits are not given from other schools as well. Except for Duke of course, they have not won a game in 23 tries, so they must not be getting any good players.
Anyway, what I am trying to get at is for people to back off a little bit. Let these kids enjoy their last year of high school, let them decide for themselves where they want to go, and let them enjoy the game they are playing. There will be plenty of time to discuss business later on. Let’s just think about how ridiculous it is to go hog wild over a bunch of teenagers just because they can play a game really good. I enjoyed every minute of last season, even though State did not have the best year, college football is still the greatest game to see. Let’s spend a little more time enjoying it, and a little less time worrying about who might be suiting up in two years.