New prep football season brings new recruiting schemes

By Ed Daniels, Sports
Clarion Herald

Another high school football season is almost here.

This week, my wife told me goodbye. She said, only half-jokingly, that she would see me in late December.      

The so-called goodbye meal was a dandy.

Robin made shrimp cocktail, followed it up with a scrumptious salad, trout almondine with all the trimmings, and then finished it off with one of her specialties – cheesecake with strawberries on top.

The meal was special. Just like every season of Louisiana high school football.

But, as the years go by, I worry more and more about the high school game.

The influx of recruiting services, 7-on-7 camps, and, as one of my coach friends described them, “the middlemen,” seem to have too much relevance.

Edna Karr head coach Brice Brown said he has flipped the script.

He said he tells his players that all of the college coaches can see you play if you are playing in the state championship game.

Yet, he says he is often blindsided when one of his players receives an offer from an out-of- state school.

“These coaches can contact players through social media,” said Brown. “They can bypass the head coach completely.”

Brown said it doesn’t happen with in-state coaches who have built up respect in the coaching community.

“We don’t have those problems with coach Orgeron at LSU, coach Wilson at McNeese, coach Rebowe at Nicholls and coach Scelfo at Southeastern,” said Brown.

Brown notes that a player can take only five official recruiting visits, but he can go to as many 7-on-7 camps as he desires.

Brown said recruiting services measure a player’s height and weight and then sell that information to colleges.

This summer, John Curtis competed in 7-on-7. But, head coach J.T. Curtis is skeptical of its value.

“7-on-7 is not real football,” said Curtis. “But, these people have created the illusion that is. Division I coaches tell me all the time that is not a factor in recruiting. They tell me it is not real football.”

“There’s no pass rush,” said Curtis. “And, there’s five receivers in the pattern every time the ball is snapped.”

Curtis said 7-on-7 in the spring often takes players away from what they should be doing, which is track and field.

“Receivers, defensive backs, linebackers – all of these players who need to improve their speed – can do that through track and field,” Curtis said.

Brown and Curtis say there are two additional issues that concern them. For Brown, it is the transfer portal.

“Why should a Division I college recruit a true freshman when they can grocery shop in the transfer portal?” asked Brown. “They can get a kid from another college with experience. With a freshman, they have to take the time to develop that kid.”

For Curtis, one of his big concerns is the new freedom athletes have to make money off their name, image and likeness.

“It is easy to play for a quarterback like Joe Burrow,” he said. “But, what happens if your quarterback is someone you don’t particularly like, and he is making a lot more money than you are? With every day, we are moving further and further away from team.”

Ed Daniels is sports director of ABC26 WGNO. He can be reached at [email protected].