An inside perspective on recruiting from a HS Coach.

TideFan in AU

Hall of Fame
I wish there was a link to it, but the best I can do is relay what I heard from local HS Coach this week about.

The Coach went in depth about the recruiting process, the recruiters, and the mindset of the kids, and it was especially eye-opening for me. The Coach is an unapologetic Bama fan and was discussing several of his kids that were being recruited in this cycle. One of his kids in particular was being recruiting by Trooper Taylor. He openly said that going in, he felt about Trooper like my pretty much all Bama fans do. He said his first inclination was to do whatever he could do steer the kid away from Trooper, but he also said that is that is one of the major issues in recruiting. He said that kids are being pushed and pulled by everybody and often their HS Coach is biggest one doing it. He said he made his mind up a long time ago that he was only going give the facts as he knew them, and to try not to sway them. He said he tries his best to get the kid to fall in love with a school. He said even that being his mindset, how incredibly hard that is for him sometimes. He said he had to constantly remind himself not to let his own biases get in the way. He said it is a very fine line between advising and swaying, some HS Coaches truly can't tell the difference.

He said after meeting Trooper, he said he gets it now. He said that Trooper was are true pro at what he does. He said that Trooper is articulate, charming, has an uncanny knack for making the kid he is recruiting seem comfortable. He used the expressions that Trooper could "talk the panties off a nun" and that he could "sell ice to an eskimo". He said "Even knowing what Trooper is, Hell, I was feeling the urge to commit to him!". He said that these guys that are truly elite recruiters are like a best car salesman you ever saw to 100th power. He said these guys are smooth talkers with a knack of saying exactly what you want to hear, and that they put tremendous pressure on these kids without the kids (and sometimes the kid's HS Coaches) even knowing that they are being pressured. He said these guys make you feel like you cannot let them down.

He said that he sees and hears people all the time that bash the kids for not being honorable, honest, or having integrity for de-committing from a certain school. He said the people saying that have absolutely no clue how hard it is for these kids and they are passing judgment about something they know nothing about. He compared some of these kid's commitments to people you see on Cop shows that commit to a murder just to get out of the interrogation room. He said he's seen and heard about kids that go almost into depression after committing because they feel like they let another Coach/recruiter or their parents down. He said they often commit to school because of the recruiter/coach/parents, but they really want to go to another school. He said this is further compounded when the kid's heart is on School "B" but his HS Coach and or parents is making him feel scum for not choosing School "A".

He admitted that there was some kids they play the system and enjoy it, but he said a lot of these kids end up signing to school still not really knowing what they wanted. He attributes a lot of this to the guys that you see flame out after a year or two at a school. He said he's seen kids commit to recruiters that he personally feels that are honest guys with kid's best interests at heart, but the kid really is not truly happy with the decision. He said the question he asks his kids before they put a pen on a piece of paper is "Are YOU sure?" "This is YOUR decision."

He also said that the highly recruited guys have WAY more options in this thing. He said most kids don't get the opportunity to "hold out" or and to be considered a "take" by 100+ plus schools. He said the fans of the elite schools in the country are seeing their school recruiting guys that almost any of school in the country will take. He said the kids with 2 or 3 offers generally have less options with a clearer path, but that most them better commit fairly early to get a spot.

He wrapped up by saying that he wished this information was common knowledge, and he wanted to try to get it out there. He said that these people bashing kids on twitter and message boards can't imagine what these kids go through in the recruiting process. He said that many of these kids are going through this from the time they are 15 or 16 years old until they graduate. He asked the question "Did you know you wanted when you were that age?" He also asked "Would you give a kid your credit card (assuming he could use it at will) and send him to a car dealership?"

I apologize for the KrAzY long post, (-j/k KrAzY;)) but I found it very interesting and enlightening, I wanted to share.
 

Redwood Forrest

Hall of Fame
Sep 19, 2003
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Boaz, AL USA
This hit a nerve with me. I have known people who could sell ice cream to an Eskimo. I have found myself in that exact same position, being taken in and suddenly having to remind myself that this person lies about everything. It is an unnerving experience. I might add that I literally HATE that kind of person. I see now why there are so many unhappy freshmen and sophomores.
 

TideFan in AU

Hall of Fame
This hit a nerve with me. I have known people who could sell ice cream to an Eskimo. I have found myself in that exact same position, being taken in and suddenly having to remind myself that this person lies about everything. It is an unnerving experience. I might add that I literally HATE that kind of person. I see now why there are so many unhappy freshmen and sophomores.
I agree. It was an angle I have never really about that hard. When you think about it, there are adults that get pressured into buying cars, timeshares, and all kinds of things every day. These are impressionable kids, many of which grew up without a father.


As a fan, I've kinda thought that a flip or de-commitment is of a disingenuous thing, and I still think there a few that are, but this take really changed how I feel about all of it.
 

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