College football recruiting is 'about to explode': NIL, new evaluation rules and the most hectic month ever
If there's anything these coaches and recruiting staffers can take solace in, it's that everyone is in the same position.
theathletic.com
Excerpts:
After a dead period that spanned more than a year, the college football recruiting world is returning to normal. And it’s not a small step toward normalcy — it’s a cannonball into the pool of official visits, evaluation camps and a new NCAA rule that allows for head coaches and their assistants to evaluate prospects one-on-one on campus. At the same time, coaches are having to formulate recruiting plans while considering the impact of the new one-time transfer rule and the looming name, image and likeness legislation. It’s all happening at the same time. There will be more official visitors than ever before, larger camps than ever and now, for the first time, NFL combine-like one-on-one evaluations with prospects eager to earn scholarships by doing what they haven’t been able to do for more than a year — showcase their talent and development.
Get ready for 30 days of nonstop in-person recruiting action after more than 12 months of doing everything from in front of a computer screen.
“We’re fitting it all into one month,” a MAC recruiting coordinator said. “It’s going to really suck for our staff, but that’s kind of how it is when coaches haven’t been on the road in a year and kids haven’t been able to come for visits in a year. It’s been a ticking time bomb for so long, and it’s been getting bigger and bigger as people were tired of being cooped up at home. Now it’s about to explode.”
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In a normal recruiting cycle not altered by a pandemic, Ohio State typically hosts around 50 official visitors. Mark Pantoni, the Buckeyes director of player personnel, said last week that the program is expecting that many in June alone this year.
This isn’t unique to Ohio State. Another Big Ten recruiting coordinator said he anticipates his visits to double in June from what he’d expect in a typical month. The reason is simple. Prospects have spent 15 months talking to coaches on video calls and have gathered more than enough information to narrow down their respective lists to roughly five schools.
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“Nobody knows what in the hell the rules are gonna be,” a Big 12 head coach said. “Everybody is worried about what these states might do. We can tell (the players) how to build their brand, but where the rubber meets the road is who is getting paid. We’re five weeks away from July 1 (when NIL becomes law in many states), and I don’t know how you prep for it. I can manage all this June stuff, but it’s hard to plan for it if you don’t understand what’s coming.”
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“It’s something that’s going to be head coach driven,” the Big 12 recruiting coordinator said. “What is your staff philosophy? If it’s an open-door policy that you (conduct the workouts) whenever you want, that’s going to exhaust resources really fast. It’s not just the kid showing up and working out. There has to be a plan, medical clearance, the proper coaches have to be available. You have to have the indoor or outdoor practice facility, and the team can’t be there. There is a lot that goes into it. If you go Wild Wild West with it, it will become exhausting and turn into a shit show.
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The majority of recruiting staffers The Athletic spoke with are in favor of the change. But the introduction of this rule during a month that will feature a record number of visits is just another thing these staffs have to account for when time is already at a premium.
“There are going to be no days off this month,” Pantoni said.
There's more good stuff including the impact of the one-time transfer rule.
