When basketball phenom Tom McMillen was deciding what college to attend in 1970, educational facilities mattered. The one problem for Maryland, McMillen said, was Duke’s library contained more books. But that didn’t stop coach Lefty Driesell from luring his most prized recruit to College Park. Driesell told McMillen when the latter was done reading all of Maryland’s books, an impossible task, he’d buy more.
That encapsulates college recruiting as national signing day for football is Wednesday. After pursuing high school players sometimes as early as eighth grade with hundreds of texts, dozens of calls, an official visit and plenty of pleading, begging, lying and more, colleges will do anything to sign players.
And then it starts again the next day.
The sad part of the recruiting industry, and there are many sad parts, is the arms race schools pursue to impress 17 year olds.
The weight room must always be bigger. Why? The player sure isn’t lifting all the weights at once and there’s not exactly a line waiting to use the machines like your neighborhood gym.
There must also be more seats in the stadium even if no one’s in them. The Byrd Stadium expansion crippled Maryland’s athletic department and essentially forced the coming end to eight other sports all because recruiters wanted to say, “You’ll play in front of more seats at Maryland.”
It’s not enough to show recruits past win-loss records, bowl trips and rankings. It’s now all about the myth that recruits can reach the NFL by coming through a bigger program with colossal weight rooms and sweeping stadiums that cost fortunes.
What a waste.
Few recruits and their parents look beyond NFL salaries when picking a college. They pay lip services to the value of a degree. Maybe that’s why only two-thirds of football players annually graduate, which is better than the general student rate but is still a small number given the added support players receive.
Prospects put too much faith into coaches, blindly believing when told they’ll be watched over for four years. What do Rutgers’ prospects think with coach Greg Schiano bolting for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday despite having five years remaining on his college deal?
Everybody wants to make money off high school recruits down to the countless websites that have turned signing day into a lucrative industry. There are private coaches not just for improving strength and speed, but SAT scores. It’s no wonder recruits and their parents want to get paid. Everybody else is.
Nonstop cable TV coverage on Wednesday will debate whether Alabama, Texas, Florida or Ohio State has the best recruiting class. Ironically, nobody truly knows for three years.
Meanwhile, the next wave of prospects will be contacted on Thursday. Just one year until those prospects can sign, too. Maybe by then the college will have a bigger weight room.
Too bad nobody notices the library anymore.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or email [email protected].
