SZVETITZ COLUMN: Business of recruiting too serious

By Mike Szvetitz
Sports Editor, Opelika-Auburn News
Published: February 10, 2008

I’ve counted more stars this week than Galileo.

So much so, I’m starting to see them.

What do they all mean? Honestly, I have no idea.

Do you?

Someone does. And they get paid more than I.

They also have a better eye for talent and more time to figure out the difference between a 4.55 and a 4.54 40-yard dash.

With one of the longest weeks in the profession now in the books, I find myself wondering what all the hype is about.

And I’ve figured a few things out:

First, football recruiting, to some, is bigger than the actual season. Or so it would seem.

Second, it’s serious business. Seriously.

There’s a lot of money, time and resources put into evaluating high school talent. And my hat is off to those guys. To be able to break down a youngster’s skill set and project how he will perform on the next level is tough.

What’s even more difficult is to try and figure out what’s going through the minds of these teenagers. Parents have been trying, and failing, for centuries.

Third, it’s very serious business.

By now, we’ve all heard of Kevin Hart — the high school kid who faked his own commitment to Cal.

Hart, a senior at Fernley High School in Reno, Nev., made up an elaborate story that he had been recruited to play football at Cal, including a huge production at his school last week where he “chose” Cal over Oregon that involved TV camera crews, newspaper reporters and a band.

The problem was, he had nothing to “choose” from. No one at Cal, or anywhere for that matter, had ever heard of him.

Hart finally admitted Wednesday, on National Signing Day, that the whole thing was a farce, concocted in his own mind because ... “I wanted to play D-I ball more than anything. When I realized that wasn’t going to happen, I made up what I wanted to be reality.”

Wow.

Wednesday, after watching three of his seniors sign scholarships to play college football, I asked Auburn High head coach Tim Carter about recruiting. All the hype. All the Internet chat. All the expectations.

Is it too much?

Carter should know. After all, Florida signee Dee Finley — one of the nation’s top safety prospects — played for the Auburn High coach.

And over the last two years of Finley’s recruitment, Carter has seen both the good and the bad side of this phenomenon.

“It depends on the kid,” Carter said when asked if the hype was too much. “How much support does he have at home? How’s his maturity level? It depends on a lot of that.

“There’s a lot of pressure, because it makes these kids larger than life. It’s a burden to some of them, because they feel like they have to live up to these expectations.”

Some can. Some can’t.

But should they have to? Should a 17- or 18-year-old be subjected to this much attention? This much pressure to perform? This much notoriety?

“There’s a lot of give and take,” Carter said. “Because if it wasn’t for the recruiting services, players wouldn’t have the opportunity to maybe get signed or have opportunities to play in the Under Armour (All-Star) game like Dee did.

“I don’t know if there is a perfect science, because you want your kids to get exposure, but you want them to be a part of, and think, team. You want them to keep it all in perspective.

“I guess that’s our job.”

Yes, yes, it is.

It’s our job — coaches, parents, fans — to make sure we remember that it’s a privilege to get a college scholarship, not a right.

That, and, as Carter said, “it’s an opportunity to change their lives.”

And their stars.

MIKE SZVETITZ is sports editor of the Opelika-Auburn News. He may be reached at . com or 737-2513.