UConn football coach Randy Edsall, a graduate of Susquehannock High School, is unhappy with the way technology is changing recruiting, The Associated Press reports.
The rest of the AP story:
The proliferation of recruiting Web sites that rank players has added more people to the process, some who often have a prospect’s ear long before a college coach.“It’s killed recruiting,� Edsall said. “When there’s people outside of a (college) coach or even a high school coach who have more control over a student athlete, I think that’s wrong. You’ve taken some kids that can’t handle publicity and created a monster. And now it’s our job when they get here, we’ve got to de-recruit them. They think they’re better than what they are.�
If a high school student is interested in a dozen schools, Edsall said that player may end up fielding a dozen calls from the various recruiting sites covering those schools. It’s major distraction, he said, for a high school kid.
“These kids are supposed to be students,� Edsall said. “They’re spending more time on the telephone than they are taking care of business. They’re thinking about the NFL before they even go to college.�
While coaches are bound by NCAA regulations on when they can meet with or phone a recruit, some have found a way to bend those rules, he said. Edsall said he’s heard of some coaches sending as many as 100 text messages a week to prospects.
“I know this, if I’m sending 100 text messages a week, I’m not doing anything else,� he said. “There’s got to be a whole revamping of the recruiting process in my opinion.�
And there are other ways to skirt the system including using disposable cell phones or phone cards to contact a recruit outside of the calling period, he said.
“Some people have been turned in by other schools and that’s what has to happen,� Edsall said. “People have to turn people in.�
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