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DEL.ICIO.USHow long before big-time recruits sit out their senior seasons?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
He’s high school’s biggest star, so why shouldn’t quarterback Jimmy Clausen arrive at his own press conference in a stretch Hummer limousine? A week before his senior season began, Sports Illustrated, USA Today and ESPN were among the approximately 20 media outlets that wanted a piece of the 18-year-old Oaks Christian (Calif.) quarterback, who has already been anointed as Notre Dame’s next golden boy. (He even big-timed the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Gasp!)
Welcome to the modern era of high school football, a time when players are bigger than any program or coach; a time when superstars the caliber of Caleb King may decide to sit out their senior years.
In Gwinnett, the question of which school King would play for this season stirred up emotions across the state. His decision to transfer from Parkview, a perennial AAAAA power, to AA Greater Atlanta Christian also showed that the team name on the front of a jersey matters little in the recruiting world. Before long, the question surrounding the elite senior athletes will be about not where they’ll play, but if they’ll even play at all.
When King, who is out for the year with a broken leg, was making his decision to transfer, his older brother Andre King said, “I don’t care if Caleb plays another down of high school football. I’d rather him miss his senior year at Parkview than his freshman year in college.”
Even if King had chosen to sit out this season, it would be unlikely that many of his 60 offers, if any at all, would have been rescinded. That’s the case for most of the nation’s elite high school athletes. They simply don’t need to play their senior year. Which raises a question that until now had been reserved for college juniors considering entering the NFL: With scholarship values rising well over $100,000, why risk injury?
The increasing frequency of transfers shows that loyalty to a school or coach clearly is not an issue, and does anyone really need a 61st offer? That leaves playing for the love of the game. Is a passion for the pigskin really worth $100K?
“There’s no such thing as loyalty at any program,” said Bill Redell, Clausen’s head coach at Oaks Christian. “There’s a lot of excuses, but there’s just so much money involved with how much it costs to go to college.”
Camps, combines, passing leagues and online scouting sites have streamlined the recruiting process. They’ve also forced college recruiters to start earlier. College coaches have pinpointed and often offered scholarships to the athletes they’re interested in by the end of their junior year. They’ve known about the Caleb Kings of the world way before their senior year. If they haven’t, they’re probably too late.
Redell sees the day when players will commit to a major university early and then decide not to play during their final year of high school. In fact, it might already be here. Eight years ago, an Oaks Christian player committed to a major university before his senior season and then sat out most of the year with an injury that Redell wasn’t sure was that serious.
The Forbes Report provides recruiting information on sophomores and juniors to more than 100 of the 119 NCAA Division I programs. Founder and president Terry Forbes, a former assistant coach at Notre Dame, says college coaches cannot afford to use a wait-and-see approach to recruiting. They’re forced to recruit potential, not on-the-field performance. They’re forced to recruit athletes, not football players.
“From a college coach’s standpoint, I don’t think that any of them want to recruit juniors and sophomores,” Forbes said, “but there’s really not much choice. You have to be early coming in or else the game might be over.”
Forbes doesn’t think we’re to the point where we’ll see a player sit out his senior season, but notes that the possibility of it happening grows each year.
“You’re not talking about that many guys,” he continued. “You might be talking about 50 guys in the nation. It’s rarified air. “Sometimes the guys that are the most highly thought of are guys that don’t have the highest profiles, may not have won all the awards, but they are still the guys that those top 20 programs might say if we could only sign five guys, these are the guys we would sign. And you’d be surprised [who] would be left out and some of the guys that would be included.”
Marshall “Scottie” Williams, who transferred to Southwest DeKalb this summer, started just three games for Parkview last year. But strong performances at spring camps earned him a scholarship offer from Auburn. Patrick Witt was considered an unspectacular quarterback last year at Parkview. He moved to Dallas, performed well in passing leagues and picked up several offers, before committing to Nebraska.
Byrnes (S.C.) High School head coach Bobby Bentley, whose quarterback, Willy Korn, is ranked second behind Clausen by Rivals.com, says there’s too much emphasis on combine statistics.
“The recruiting services and dot-coms get these stats from in kids running in shorts at these camps,” he said. “The last time I checked football was played in helmets and shoulder pads.”
Forbes and Redell agree with Bentley and urge players not to overthink the recruiting process.
Said Redell, “High school is becoming like the NFL to a certain degree. They bring in all these guys into combines to judge athletic ability and potential. Coaches have their fanny on the line and can’t afford a recruiting mistake. So they come to these things to find kids and also eliminate others. It’s big business. High school football throughout the country is too much. The kids don’t have a chance to be a kid.”
Do you think the day is coming when we’ll see a star athlete choose to sit out his senior year?
Permalink | Comments (10) | Post your comment | Categories: David Purdum
Comments
By Clubhouse
November 2, 2006 11:06 AM | Link to this
Of course. This is where we are headed! But the saddest thing about the recruiting processs is that you see kids change right before your eyes. Kids who were once humble, hard nose kids who just wanted to play football become these prima donas who now get the impression that life is going to be handed to them on a silver platter. And can you blame them? They can’t study because they spend all their time talking to coaches, answering text messages or granting interviews. The don’t want to listen to their coaches because all of a sudden the high school coach doesn’t know anything in comparison to their new college coaches. There is no love for the game, that was brainwashed out of them. It’s a business now!
So, its not that hard to see that its just a tiny little step to next level where kids will feel, “What’s the use of playing my senior year. I’ve already committed. I need to just spend time with my personal trainer in the weight room.” They are already foregoing the last semester of their senior year just to start college early. Not to get a jump on their education but to get a jump on the football season. Skipping senior year…right around the corner.
By Thinvikingfan
November 2, 2006 11:29 AM | Link to this
I watched Caleb king as a sophomore against Lowndes In the Title game, and he was no factor whatsoever. I also saw him in 2005, and although he was good, he was not great. He definitely needed to play his senior year, but should have stayed at Parkview for the exposure and so he could show his stuff against better competition.
By Who's Your Daddy
November 2, 2006 12:23 PM | Link to this
Usually the senior year stats seem to be the best. Why ride the pine when other seniors are playing and suppossedly getting better? I would also think that college coaches would be somewhat concerned about a player who has taken a year off when he could be or should be improving his game.
By Matthew
November 2, 2006 12:40 PM | Link to this
I don’t think it matters where Caleb played, he’s still going to Auburn or UGA.
By Thinvikingfan
November 2, 2006 01:41 PM | Link to this
CALEB KING WILL NEVER START FOR AUBURN OR GEORGIA. HE JUST AIN’T THAT GOOD. EVERYBODY THOUGHT THE KID THAT TRANSFERRED TO BROOKWOOD LAST YEAR WAS SO GREAT, BUT HE ONLY GOT 25 YARDS ON 20 CARRIES AGAINST LOWNDES IN THE TITLE GAME. GOOD PLAYERS EXCELL AGAINST GOOD COMPETITION, AND CALEB KING HAS NOT DONE THAT.
By Thinvikingfan
November 2, 2006 01:53 PM | Link to this
Good running backs are good no matter the competition. Take Lowndes for instance. They play every other year on Valdosta’s artificial turf, and nearly wear it out by running up and down the field for so many yards. They can only play in the Georgia dome once each year (semi finals) because of the damage they do to that surface. That’s why they won’t let Lowndes play in the Corky Kell Classic in August!
By A SE GA Player
November 2, 2006 10:01 PM | Link to this
I honestly do not feel we are hitting a stage where a senior would sit his final season out. No matter how good you are, that’s what it is, your SENIOR SEASON. That means it is your last chance to win a state title, your last chance to go undefeated and be a region championship. Each season, you are guaranteed 10 games, ask any senior across the state if he would like to end it there, and I guarantee you the answer is NO. By the time you are a senior, you have put in too much into your team to just sit out the season. From 5:30 am sprints to spring practice to offensive/defensive camps to two-a-days to team camp, you put in too much to just throw it all away for a scholarship.
By a fan
November 3, 2006 04:29 AM | Link to this
Blame it on the scouting combines & parents, who think they have the “NFL’S NEXT BIG THING”. Before long some of these highly rated five star combine football players will be comiting while they are still playing “POP WARNER BALL”. Bear Bryant & Woody Hayes must be turning over in their graves. If my memory serves me right neither of these two coaches put much stock in the so called super star athletes.
By Thinvikingfan
November 3, 2006 10:37 AM | Link to this
High School athletes need to compete in their senior year to continue to develope their talents. I doubt any major college would take a chance and give a scholarship to someone who bypassed that important year merely to “keep from getting hurt.” Character and dedication are important when deciding who to make an offer to. If a kid did that in high school, colleges would know that same kid would “sit out” on them to keep from getting hurt before he turned pro.
By bob
November 3, 2006 02:02 PM | Link to this
thinvikingfan you are a moron. caleb actually had 16 carries for 52 yards to be exact and 3 receptions for 28 yards. he is unbelievable. those stats were his sophomore year and he wasnt even the starter then. you know nothing. i have seen this kid play and anyone who can rack up 2700 yards in 13 games is pretty good. and by the way he is going to lsu and he will start.