If nothing else, college football assistant coaches have learned two things about the metro area —- the high school talent pool is deep and traffic is horrible.

"Traffic in Atlanta is just as bad as L.A.," joked North Carolina State assistant coach Mike Reed as he was attempting to make the trek from southeast Atlanta to Duluth to catch a couple of spring football practices.

College coaches have flooded the metro area the past three weeks, combing spring practices to evaluate the abundance of talent in the area. On signing day this February, more than 300 area athletes signed with colleges.

Most players have highlight tapes, but this evaluation period gives the coaches a time to get a real sense of the player in full uniform while doing drills. They get to see their game speed, footwork and work habits in a practice environment.

Coaches like to see things that they can rarely get a feel for on film.

"This is a great way to evaluate the kids," said Florida State defensive line coach Odell Haggins, who has been assigned to recruit the metro area after a seven-year hiatus.

"You get to see the character of the player in the practice environment," he said. "You look at character and grades. In today's society, you want to see everything a player has to offer, not just football."

Practices revealing

College assistant coaches from almost every school —- big or small —- have been in the area to evaluate the state's deep talent pool.

For the past two weeks, Carver-Atlanta coach Darren Myles Sr. has had a steady stream of college coaches in his office looking at game film on several players. They all return later in the day to watch the players go through spring practice workouts.

"You can look good on film by speeding a tape up or just showing the highlights," said Reed, who just added the metro area to his recruiting responsibilities this spring. "Coming out, you really get to see what a kid is like. You see the footwork, size and how he reacts."

Having another pair of eyes on them in practice doesn't seem to bother the players.

Washington High junior Branden Smith has more than 14 college offers, including Georgia and Georgia Tech, but he knows that he still has to perform.

"I just have to do my thing and practice and play the way I know how," said Smith, who missed last week's practice while competing on the school's track team. "You have to practice hard. If they like me, that's good; if not, I can't worry about that."

For some players, like Chamblee junior running back Warren Norman, this is a big week. He has a lot of interest from colleges, but no offers.

A good showing will certainly get him some, with his 4.42 speed in the 40-yard dash and 5-foot-10, 191-pound frame.

"They [college coaches] said they're going to check me out during spring practice," Norman said last week. He rushed for 1,558 yards and 27 touchdowns last season as the Bulldogs reached the Class AAA semifinals.

High school coaches notice a difference in practices when the college coaches come around.

While this is a non-contact period for college coaches —- they're not allowed to speak with the players —- they stand along the track watching. Some occasionally take notes as their eyes shift from the various drill stations.

It's not hard to spot the coaches since most are dressed in slacks with shirts bearing their school's logo.

Stephenson, long a pipeline for top talent, has grown accustomed to practicing under the watchful eyes of college coaches. Jaguars coach Ron Gartrell said the practices seem to be more enthusiastic with the coaches around.

"I wish they would come to all our practices," he joked. "All the kids pick it up a little more; even the players that have no chance at playing in college give it a little more effort."

Said Darren Myles Jr., a highly recruited safety for his father's team at Carver: "It is great motivation for my teammates. Things are a lot more intense. You get used to them being there, but you go on about your job."

Time to watch not limited

While most coaches come to the practice with particular players in mind, they occasionally spot someone who wasn't on their radar.

"You know about some players, but you never know what you might spot," Haggins said. "There might be a sleeper out there."

Georgia assistant coach Willie Martinez agreed.

"There is a lot more information about the players," he said. "We might know about a particular player, but if another school goes out to practice, they get to discover him."

With no game or practice preparation in their way, coaches get to spend more time looking at a player. The only slowdown is the occasional traffic gridlock.

"You are not really pressed for time during the spring," Martinez said.

Martinez said film is good, but he likes to see the good and bad plays that a player makes, which is why viewing practice is essential.

"You are out looking for competitive kids," he said. "This is a tough game, and it takes tough players. You want to see how they handle adversity.

"The film is a lot of highlights, [but] you want to see the adversity."