Internet recruiting allows coaches first-hand look at potential players

By Jaime Aron
Associated Press

For years, the merger of recruiting and the Internet has meant rumor-mongering on chat rooms and message boards, or up-to-the-second information from sites that rank prospects and keep tabs on where they’re headed.

Now, there’s a new breed of Web sites that coaches are actually turning to for help — recruiting databases.

These services are the online equivalent of newspaper want ads, listing all sorts of information from players across the country who are searching for scholarships. Think of it as eBay listing 18-year-olds for auction to the college with the best offer.

From zero to $90, players can post their athletic resume, some pertinent academic details and some personal facts. Most sites charge extra for upgrades such as video clips.

Each site tries to be unique. FootballProspects.com does mass mailouts to schools across the country. College Recruiting.com gives players their own e-mail address and makes it easy to e-mail as many schools as they choose. A bonus for recruiters are the filters many sites offer that enable them to scan for variables such as position, size and grades.

The companies make no guarantees to their clients. All they offer is exposure.

“Once the communication process begins, we’ve done our job,” said Nick Cohen, president of CollegeRecruiting.com. “Our goal is just to get the student noticed and give recruiters opportunities to find the right students.”

Before Dustin Hall signed up with Cohen’s company, he’d heard from about five schools. Since then, the lineman from Midland Christian has received more than 30 letters.

Although he’s made several campus visits, he’s still waiting for an offer.

“I’ve e-mailed schools through the system and I’ve written personal letters,” Hall said. “I’ve found out that the more you send them, the more they think you’re interested.”

Carlous Stone is another believer. The coach of Class 5A San Benito has seen the Internet provide his players with more exposure than guys usually get in the Rio Grande Valley, an area that produces fewer college standouts than the rest of the state.

“How many bushes can you actually beat?” he said.

Stone has six players listed on FootballProspects.com, including his son, Caleb, who plans to attend Division I-AA Stephen F. Austin. The other players are of lower-caliber, but are being wooed by NAIA colleges from Kansas and Iowa.

“Those schools got their information from somewhere,” Stone said. “The only place I can attribute it to is the Internet.”