[pjdoug]

- I DON'T think recruiting happens hardly much at all in the way most would define "recruiting". I do not think there are very many High School coaches who actively seek out players and try to convince them to transfer schools.

- I DO think parents and kids choose to make moves that are athletics related though a whole lot and half of the fanbases that accuse other teams of recruiting benefit from this as well.

- I DO think that the above statement is not necessarily a level playing field and see why people get upset about it as the rich typically get richer and the poor get poorer.

- I DON'T fault parents who make the decision to do this though as I would bet nearly any parent would be willing to do what is best for their child's benefit if they had the means present themselves to achieve it.

- With all this said I DO feel that some private schools have benefitted from loopholes over the years that give a competitive advantage toward luring talent and those loopholes should be closed or at the very least monitored closer as they are being mis-used from their intent (need based scholarships, going to athletes, paying off tuition through fundraisers, etc) .


I have said for years now that recruiting is not the problem and the single quickest way to show one's ignorance on High School Football is to accuse programs as "recruiting" players. What is happening is what I call TALENT POOL FLOW. It has always existed and will always continue to exist, but with the evolution of social media, advancements in transportation, and the increase of importance due to collegiate athletic recruiting it is now more prevalent than it has ever been.

Essentially every geographical area has a talent pool associated with it that gets divided among the schools in that area. Talent will always flow, whether by transfer or by families moving, and often benefit specific schools or hinder the weakest. Twenty five years ago when long distance phone calls existed, roads were curvier, and you had to get your information from a Newspaper the talent pool flow did not move as drastic. People either did not have the means or the information and thus rarely moved whether as a by product of effort, restrictions due to commuting time to school or work, or kids being restricted to a certain pool of friends.

Nowadays kids are getting involved in AAU, travel ball, and have the ability through Social Media to maintain friendships in different areas. Parents now readily can compare schools, often work from greater commutes, and see who is having success and easily facilitate moves to best facilitate their kid's chances for scholarships or to play with a certain group of kids (happens very often in basketball especially).

bull butter is all I have to say about that :biggrin: