Evans High School
Football Recruiting
Manual
1
Dear ______________________________________________,
I hope this letter finds you excited about the recruiting process and the possibilities that could
come. I am a firm believer that any student athlete that would like to pursue athletics at the next
level should attempt to do so. However, I am also a realist. This letter is designed to lay
everything out before we begin this process of your college recruitment. One must understand
that high school coaches can not simply tell a college coach that they need to sign an athlete to a
scholarship. Our job is to use the resources and connections we have to advertise you as a
desirable student athlete.
It is imperative that coaches, players, and the families of our players are realistic about the
athletic abilities of the student trying to be recruited. It is extremely easy to let the hopes, dreams,
and desires to play at a major conference school stand in the way of what is actually attainable of
many of our athletes.
Many false impressions can be made to an athlete based on the fact that they have received
questionnaires from colleges or have been invited to participate in a camp in which they have to
pay for. These things do not necessarily mean that a college is actively recruiting a player to
become a member of their college and team. A college is actively recruiting you when a coach
has called you more than once, has come to one of our games to watch you, or has invited you on
an official visit to their school. If these actions have not been made, it is safe to assume that a
college is not actively recruiting you at that time.
The goal that I have in assisting you with your recruitment is to help provide a way for you to go
to college and earn a degree for free or at a reduced cost. I will approach coaches at many
schools for you. These schools will be schools that we have discussed together. They will also be
schools that we both believe you realistically have the best chance to attend.
The business of recruiting is typically a great process. However, it can also be an eye opening
experience for many people. Many players will have to understand how to deal with people that
will be brutally honest with them. Many players encounter people who tell them exactly how
they feel about their abilities and talents. This can be great or this can be devastating. Many
young athletes are disillusioned about their actual athletic skill sets because of what many people
that are closest to them will tell them. It is important to understand that there are currently tens of
thousands of athletes that are all trying to attain the same position as you. Many of these athletes
possess talents and skills that are more appealing to coaches than what you have to offer.
Athletes attempting to be recruited need to understand that this is a fact of life and we must
overcome any negative feedback that we may endure.
With all of this being said, I look forward to assisting you in your search for a college. I can not
guarantee that you will receive a scholarship, but I can assure you that I, as well as several of our
coaches, will do our best to get you to the next level!
Brad Freeman
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Athletes,
I want you all to understand that we, as your high school coaches, have to be honest with every
coach that we talk to. We never want to “burn bridges” with college coaches that we have good
connections with. Often, these bridges are burned when a high school coach sells an athlete as
hard-working, disciplined, focused, etc. and that athlete does not uphold the values when they get
into college. A college coach will not talk to that coach, or possibly the high school, again
because they do not feel that they can trust the word of the coaches.
Therefore, I have compiled a list of things that we as your coaches will always be 100% honest
about when talking to college coaches. This is not meant to alarm you, but rather to allow you to
be informed about what is discussed when talking to college coaches. Hopefully, you will strive
to be your best as a student-athlete and none of these talking points will affect you in a negative
manner.
1.
What kind of student is the athlete?
a. Coaches want to know if they are going to have to worry about you academically.
More times than not, college coaches will not take a chance on athletes that have not proven to
be hard working students. I will let a coach know if you do not perform to the best of YOUR
ability in the classroom. I will also let them know if you have the tendency to be late to school or
your classes. I will inform them if I have observed you not trying to be the best student you can
be.
2.
Are they hardworking? Are they disciplined?
a. Coaches want to know if they can rely on you to strive to be the best athlete you can be
day in and day out. I will inform coaches if it has been observed that you tend to “take plays off”
in practice or miss weight lifting sessions. I will let them know if you are consistently late to
practice or weight lifting sessions. I will let coaches know how much time you spend watching
film. I will let coaches know if you have not taken steps to improve yourself as an athlete.
Coaches want to know if you are disciplined to stay focused on being a great student-athlete.
They do not want to recruit a player that lets temptations get in the way of their academics or
athletics. I will let coaches know if you have let outside forces that are not necessary stand in the
way of you becoming a great student-athlete.
3.
Are they coachable?
a. College coaches want to recruit athletes that will be able to adjust to their program and
style of coaching. I will let coaches know if there have been instances that you have not taken
coaching well. I will let them know if you are hard to approach and not willing to listen about
what you can do better.
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4.
What type of kid are they outside of school?
a. Believe it or not, high school coaches receive a lot of information about your activities
outside of school and athletics. Most of the time, this information is about things that athletes
should not be doing. I will inform coaches about things I have heard if I perceive them to be a
reality. I would never tell college coaches information based on rumors. Instead, information
given to a college coach will be based on fact. I will let them know if you are a respectful kid
with good morals. Social media also plays a big part in determining if you are an athlete that a
college wants to recruit.
I hope that you do not take this as I am only going to tell coaches negative things about you.
Hopefully, your coaches will be able to say nothing but positive things concerning the aforementioned talking points. I do hope that you become more aware of what is spoken about you to
college coaches. If you are serious about becoming a college athlete, you will notice what is
talked about between high school coaches and college coaches and make sure that you can never
have a negative thing said about your desire to be the best student athlete that you can be.
Coaches can not make these decisions for you. All we can do is make you aware of what college
coaches want to know about you. It is up to you to create a product that is desirable for college
coaches to recruit.
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Probability of competing beyond high school
*Data taken from NCAA website
There are more than 460,000 NCAA student-athletes, and fewer than two percent will go pro in
their sports.
For the rest, the experiences of college athletics and the life lessons they learn along the way will
help them as they pursue careers in business, education, athletics administration,
communications, law, medicine and many more fields. Education is a vital part of the college
athletics experience, and student-athletes treat it that way. Overall, student-athletes graduate at
higher rates than their peers in the student body, and those rates rise each year.
The chart below shows the probability of competing in athletics beyond high school – both
college and professionally. These percentages are based on estimated data.
474,791
Men’s
Basketball
538,676
Women’s
Basketball
433,120
410,982
310,465
135,655
153,907
123,749
117,423
70,147
32,450
17,984
16,186
23,365
20,042
9,271
5,138
4,625
6,676
15,588
7,211
3,996
3,597
5,192
254
678
46
32
101
6.5%
6.8%
3.7%
3.7%
5.7%
1.6%
9.4%
1.2%
0.9%
1.9%
0.08%
0.50%
0.03%
0.03%
0.09%
Student--Athletes
Football
Baseball
High School
Student-Athletes
High School
Senior Athletes
NCAA Student
Athletes
NCAA Freshmen
Roster Positions
NCAA Senior
Roster Positions
NCAA Student
Athletes Drafted
Percent High
School to NCAA
Percent NCAA to
Professional
Percent High
School to
Professional
1,086,627
Soccer
Last Updated September 2013
http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/research/probability-competing-beyond-high-school
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Colleges to Target
*Compile a list of colleges that you are interested in sending your highlight tape
to. Remember that we need to target schools that you can realistically get into
academically as well as be a member of their team.
1.
16.
2.
17.
3.
18.
4.
19.
5.
20.
6.
21.
7.
22.
8.
23.
9.
24.
10.
25.
11.
26.
12.
27.
13.
28.
14.
29.
15.
30.
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College Coaches Contact Information
*For the colleges that you listed on your colleges to target sheet, go to their
website and get the following information. List that information and return it to
coach as soon as possible so we can get in contact with them.
School
Contact Information
Head Coach E-mail:
HC Phone:
OC E-mail:
OC Phone:
DC E-mail:
DC Phone:
Position Coach E-mail:
PC Phone:
Head Coach E-mail:
HC Phone:
OC E-mail:
OC Phone:
DC E-mail:
DC Phone:
Position Coach E-mail:
PC Phone:
Head Coach E-mail:
HC Phone:
OC E-mail:
OC Phone:
DC E-mail:
DC Phone:
Position Coach E-mail:
PC Phone:
Head Coach E-mail:
HC Phone:
OC E-mail:
OC Phone:
DC E-mail:
DC Phone:
Position Coach E-mail:
PC Phone:
Head Coach E-mail:
HC Phone:
OC E-mail:
OC Phone:
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DC E-mail:
DC Phone:
Position Coach E-mail:
PC Phone:
Head Coach E-mail:
HC Phone:
OC E-mail:
OC Phone:
DC E-mail:
DC Phone:
Position Coach E-mail:
PC Phone:
Head Coach E-mail:
HC Phone:
OC E-mail:
OC Phone:
DC E-mail:
DC Phone:
Position Coach E-mail:
PC Phone:
Head Coach E-mail:
HC Phone:
OC E-mail:
OC Phone:
DC E-mail:
DC Phone:
Position Coach E-mail:
PC Phone:
Head Coach E-mail:
HC Phone:
OC E-mail:
OC Phone:
DC E-mail:
DC Phone:
Position Coach E-mail:
PC Phone:
Head Coach E-mail:
HC Phone:
OC E-mail:
OC Phone:
DC E-mail:
DC Phone:
Position Coach E-mail:
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PC Phone:
Head Coach E-mail:
HC Phone:
OC E-mail:
OC Phone:
DC E-mail:
DC Phone:
Position Coach E-mail:
PC Phone:
Head Coach E-mail:
HC Phone:
OC E-mail:
OC Phone:
DC E-mail:
DC Phone:
Position Coach E-mail:
PC Phone:
Head Coach E-mail:
HC Phone:
OC E-mail:
OC Phone:
DC E-mail:
DC Phone:
Position Coach E-mail:
PC Phone:
Head Coach E-mail:
HC Phone:
OC E-mail:
OC Phone:
DC E-mail:
DC Phone:
Position Coach E-mail:
PC Phone:
Head Coach E-mail:
HC Phone:
OC E-mail:
OC Phone:
DC E-mail:
DC Phone:
Position Coach E-mail:
PC Phone:
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NCAA Course Work Requirements
Help your student-athletes stay on track
Student-athletes must complete appropriate course work in order to qualify for NCAA
programs. Therefore, it's important that you and the school's coaches monitor changes in NCAA
course work requirements and communicate such changes to your student-athletes.
Course work requirements for NCAA athletics and NCAA scholarships
Here is an overview of the basic NCAA eligibility criteria. Visit the NCAA Eligibility Center, the
authoritative source for more details.
Division I:
16 core courses
4 years of English
3 years of math (algebra 1 or higher level)
2 years of natural or physical science
(including one year of lab science if offered)
1 extra year of English, math, or science
2 years of social science
4 years of additional core courses (from any
category above, or in a foreign language,
nondoctrinal religion or philosophy)
Division II:
16 core courses
3 years of English
2 years of math (algebra 1 or higher level)
2 years of natural or physical science
(includint one year of lab science if offered)
3 extra years of English, math, or science
2 years of social science
4 extra years of additional core courses (from
any category above, or in foreign language,
nondoctrinal religion or philosophy)
Academic standards
Division I eligibility


All students entering college must have completed 16 core courses in high school.
Students must earn a minimum required GPA in core courses and a combined SAT or
ACT sum score that matches this GPA on a sliding scale, which can be found in the
NCAA Eligibility Center Quick Reference Guide (.pdf/270K). Requires Adobe Reader
(latest version recommended).
Division II eligibility


All students entering college prior to August 1, 2013, must have completed 14 core
courses in high school.
All students entering college on or after August 1, 2013, must have completed 16 core
courses in high school.
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
Standards require a minimum GPA of 2.0 and a combined minimum SAT score of 820 or
sum ACT score of 68.
NCAA core courses definition


An academic course in one or a combination of these areas: English, mathematics,
natural/physical science, social science, foreign language, comparative religion or
philosophy.
A four-year college preparatory course and a course at or above the high school's
regular academic level, for example, an AP® class or outside college course.
Remedial courses, or those taught at a slower pace or that cover less content are not
admissible. And not all classes that meet high school graduation requirements meet NCAA
course work requirements.
Meeting NCAA admission requirements does not guarantee admission into college — it
simply determines whether students may participate in athletics during their freshman year.
Students must follow each member college's admission policies and apply directly to that
college.
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Summary of Grades
High School GPA: _______________
SAT: _________________
ACT: _________________
Honor Societies or Clubs that you have been involved
with in high school:
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
Any academic accolades you have received:
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
Transcript Received?: ________________________
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College football dreams hinge on making the grade
By: Ryan S. Clark, Sun Sentinel
Isaiah McKenzie is, unquestionably, one of the nation's most electrifying high school football
players.
Anything can happen when the ball is in the hands of the American Heritage receiver. He can
slice through defenders thanks to quickness, speed and vision, and he did just that as the
Plantation school made its way to the Class 5A state championship in December.
McKenzie's dizzying athleticism caught the eye of some of the nation's top football programs,
and as National Signing Day approaches on Feb. 5, he's set to choose between Notre Dame and
Florida.
But flashback to the end of his junior year, McKenzie didn't think he stood a chance of playing
college football because of his low grades and test scores.
"My junior year, I was not expecting any offers or anything like that," McKenzie said. "I wasn't
going to college. I felt like I was going nowhere. … I just started working."
No matter how fast they are, every high school football prospect soon learns they cannot
outrun academics.
McKenzie is just one South Florida prospect whose college football dreams were almost stifled
by below-average academics. Like McKenzie, each had their own "ah-hah" moment — a turning
point that compelled them to buckle down and make the grade.
That lesson comes in a variety of ways. Santaluces receiver Darrell Langham knew Miami
wouldn't honor his commitment if he didn't pull up his test scores. Cypress Bay's Marquese
Dudley-Gordon knew early in high school he had to work more than his teammates to
overcome a learning disability if he was to receive any interest from colleges.
But not every player goes to those lengths for academics. The NCAA uses a sliding scale
between standardized test scores and grades to determine eligibility, but a 2.0 GPA is
considered the minimum and colleges can hold student-athletes to higher standards.
"They choose not to get things done that they're supposed to get done," said Cardinal Newman
coach Steve Walsh. "They regret it and sometimes suffer the consequences."
Cypress Bay coach Mark Guandolo said that he and his staff have set up a program that helps
players receive tutoring for classes and standardized tests, but whether the players use it is up
to them.
"You try to help them but you cannot help everybody," he said. "They have to want to do the
work."
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For Heritage's McKenzie, the turning point was when he saw that he was being passed over by
college coaches that visited American Heritage.
McKenzie knew the reason he was being overlooked, and it drove him to seek a tutor and keep
taking the SAT until he received a score good enough to get into college, which he recently did.
"I would say to anyone out there, start working from your ninth grade on," McKenzie said.
"Even if you're going to go D-2 or D-3, just keep working. Take your SAT your junior year and
not your senior year. My coaches told me to do it, and I didn't. It's better if you do it your junior
year and also keep your GPA up. Then when it is your senior year, you can sail smoothly and not
have to worry about it."
Langham, at 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds with 40-yard dash time of 4.5 seconds, has all the
makings of an elite college football receiver. Miami coach Al Golden and his staff saw that, and
offered Langham a scholarship during a summer camp in 2013.
Langham committed on the spot, but Miami's offer came with a caveat: A coach would visit
Santaluces every three weeks to check in on Langham's grades.
Miami made the situation clear to Langham, but how to overcome his anxiety while taking tests
wasn't as easy to decipher.
Langham said he spent an extra hour doing homework compared to his peers. He also made it a
habit to speak with his teachers about the best way to study for an upcoming test, asking about
extra credit frequently.
The strategy worked, and Langham was able to boost his GPA and earn an ACT score that
should ensure his admission into Miami.
For Dudley-Gordon, the "ah-hah" moment came earlier in middle school. The defensive back
has a specific delayed learning disorder, which means he processes words and numbers at a
slower speed than his peers.
Since he knew testing was an issue for him, Dudley-Gordon did two hours of ACT tutoring daily
while taking extra classes to boost his GPA during the summer. The plan worked as he will sign
with FAU.
"While his buddies were off at the beach," Sue Gordon, his mother, said. "He was out studying.
That's how important it was to him."
His teammates, he said, never took offense that he rarely hung out with them.
They knew Dudley-Gordon's struggles, and if they could handle some of the menial tasks to
help him focus on the big ones, they did. For instance, Dudley-Gordon was texting a girl and
spelling the word "complicated" left a perplexed look on his face.
His teammates stepped in.
14
"They'll take my phone and say, 'We got you,' " Dudley-Gordon said. "They'll talk to a girl for me
so I don't look bad. They're really good about helping me out."
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Guidelines for making your Highlight Tape
*Use this sheet to assist you with making your highlight tape. It is important to
compile clips that will not only be enjoyable to watch, but also effective for a
coach to evaluate you as a player.
Do’s for making your highlight tape:
 You want your tape to be 3 to 6 minutes long.
 Identify yourself before the play using the editing tool on Hudl. Use the
arrow or the circle. Do not keep the graphic up during the play.
 You want your initial clips on your tape to be your best plays. After you
have shown “highlight” plays (touchdowns, sacks, etc.), then put in
fundamental highlights (blocking, block shedding, etc.).
 If it takes a while for a play to develop to your highlight, it is ok to cut out
the portion that does not highlight your talents in the play.
 Show plays to their conclusion.
Dont’s for making your highlight tape:
 Do not insert random photos of yourself or our high school logo in the
middle of your clips.
 Do not change the speed of the clip. This will prevent coaches from truly
being able to evaluate your speed.
 Do not make your highlight tape private.
 Don’t have a long introduction screen (Your name, high school, etc.)
 Do not include stats and honors at the beginning of your tape. It is fine to
include this at the end. Coaches do not care about these things at the
beginning. They are interested in seeing your clips as soon as they hit play.
*Important Note: Coaches do want to see your highlight plays. Put those at the
beginning as I have previously stated. They also want to see what you do well in
regards to your fundamentals. If you have a play that you have done something
great that is not regarded as a “highlight”, you do want to put those plays in your
tape.
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Social Media Guidelines for Students participating
in our Recruitment Program
*If you decide that you want to become involved in our recruitment program, you will need to
follow the guidelines listed below.
First, you will need to allow Coach Freeman to follow you on any social platform that you use.
Understand that this is not to invade your privacy. Periodically, a check will be done to make
sure that there is nothing on your social media site that would be viewed negatively by
college coaches. If it is evident that you do not post anything that would stop a coach from
recruiting you, then the checks will become less frequent for your site.
The following guidelines should assist you with what you should and should not post on social
media:
1.) If you wouldn’t want your grandmother to see it then Don’t post it.
2.) If you even hesitate for a second to post it, Don’t. There is a reason you hesitated in the first
place.
3.) Make sure your default picture (and all others) are appropriate.
4.) Your Twitter handle and Facebook name and URL should not include profanity or slang.
5.) Privacy settings only go so far. Social media is public, always keep that in mind.
6.) Respect yourself and respect others. You are conversing on a public platform after all.
7.) The laws of the real world still apply in the world of social media, i.e.; underage drinking is
against the law, harassment, hate crimes, cyber bullying, etc. Remember that teachers,
coaches, teammates, peers, and other important influencers are watching and listening.
8.) ReTweeting profanity is no different than using it in your own original Tweets. Don’t do it.
9.) Avoid replying to, or ReTweeting Twitter users with vulgar names.
10.) Is who you are representing yourself to be online, who you want the world to see you as?
Be a responsible social media user.
11.) Don’t allow a hater to bait you into a “social beef.” Ignore them and remember their
actions are usually fueled by jealousy.
17
12.) If you don’t like something a media member wrote about you, your coach or your
teammate, ignore it. Engaging in a public Twitter of Facebook argument is a battle you won’t
win.
13.) Consider opinionated topics off limits. Avoid commenting on sexual orientation, race, and
religion.
14.) There are many other teams and student-athletes at your school. Take the time to give
them a shout-out when they do big things.
15.) What happens in the locker room stays there. Things that are said in private team settings
should never find their way onto social platforms.
16.) Don’t tweet or post during class. That’s like disrespecting someone (in this case, your
teacher) behind their back. Always be mindful that your teachers may be monitoring your social
accounts.
17.) If your coaching staff and/or athletic administrators give you guidelines to follow for
Twitter and/or Facebook, be sure to trust and follow them closely. Your team and staff has your
long-term best interests in mind.
18.) Your athletic compliance office is monitoring your social accounts. The NCAA has
acknowledged that it monitors student-athlete activity on Twitter as well. Even if you don’t
compete in a major conference or a revenue sport, don’t be fooled into believing nobody is
paying attention.
19.) Multiple mentions of the same business could be considered an endorsement, which is
impermissible according to NCAA legislation.
20.) Act as a representative of your sport and your team and always maintain a professional
profile.
18
College football: Bad behavior on social media can cost
recruits
By: Nabil K. Mark | Centre Daily Times
At St. Paul's Episcopal School in Mobile, Ala., the high school that produced Crimson Tide
quarterbacks AJ McCarron and Jake Coker, there's a new preseason ritual for football players:
the social media talk.
It's about more than minding their manners. Coach Steve Mask warns players not to post about
injuries, which can scare away recruiters. Committing on Twitter to a school is also discouraged
-- one recent former player tweeted commitments to four different schools without informing
any coaches.
"He came across as being not reliable," Mask said. "He gets a little joy out of the attention, but
it's not worth it."
This season, Mask is taking his players' online personas so seriously that he's assigning an
assistant to monitor their accounts. As college programs increasingly use Twitter, Instagram and
other social media accounts to evaluate a player's character, one wrong comment can cost a
scholarship offer.
That was the case recently at Penn State for offensive line coach Herb Hand, who took to
Twitter recently to vent his frustration with a recruit gone bad online.
"Dropped another prospect this AM due to his social media presence ... Actually glad I got to
see the 'real' person before we offered him," Hand tweeted.
At Penn State media day last week in State College, Hand said that his wife scolded him for the
tone of the tweet. Cruel, maybe, but fair.
"You want to recruit guys with strong character," he said. "Somebody messaged me,
'Sometimes kids are worried more about being a character than having character.'"
Yes, teens do tweet the darndest things, but Hand and other coaches say it's usually fairly easy
to differentiate between a cringe-inducing post and one that raises a serious red flag on a
prospect.
"There's a difference though when you're talking about information that may be degrading to
women, referencing drug use, and anything that has to do with cyberbullying and stuff like that.
There's certain things you don't want to be part of your program," Hand said.
Hand, who is one of the most active and engaging college coaches you'll find on Twitter, is not
alone in cutting off a recruit because of the player's use of social media.
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"It's happened this year and this recruiting class," Duke coach David Cutcliffe said. "It's just
insane what some of them think's OK. When I know it's them and I read it and I see some of the
things out there, if I'm on the road, I'll call a coach -- let his high-school coach know we're no
longer interested. And I'll call back to (Duke director of football relations) Kent McLeod or the
people in the office and say I want him dropped off the database. No more mail. Nothing."
NCAA rules regarding contact between recruits and football coaches have become more
restrictive in recent years. Coaches can't text recruits and opportunities to meet face-to-face
have decreased. As social media has become more ubiquitous, it has helped coaches fill the
information gap in recruiting.
Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said that social media is now part of his standard checklist for
recruits.
"He's got to have a GPA that I can relate to, an ACT or SAT score or a pre-ACT score, and the
third box is for social media," Bielema.
"I distinctly remember a player last year who signed, was a big-time kid, had an interest in us,
and his Twitter handle was something that I can't repeat in here. I just kind of said, what are we
doing here? This is about as obvious as it gets about what kind of thing we're dealing with here,
so we backed out altogether."
Hand said he tries to educate high-school coaches who might be behind the curve in online
communication. And he often tries to educate players he's recruiting about how to avoid social
media missteps.
"If you talk to a guy and he doesn't adjust things, that's another red flag for you," he said. "If
they're not going to take coaching on this, what are they going to do on third-and-short when
you need them to make a block and they kind of do their own deal?"
Bruce Rollinson, who is starting his 26th season as coach of southern California powerhouse
Mater Dei High School, said he added the social media talk to his routine about three years ago,
borrowing some of the dos and don'ts USC gives its athletes.
"Don't harass anybody," Rollinson said, focusing mostly on the don'ts. "Don't bring up race,
religion, sexual orientation and physical conditions."
South Carolina freshman defensive back Chris Lammons said he got the message in high school
and cleaned up his Twitter act, despite what his friends were doing.
"In the transition from being a little kid to a man, that's the thing you have to do, because when
you're growing up, you probably want to get a big time job somewhere and they look back at
your Twitter account and they see the things you're putting out," Lammons said.
http://buckeyextra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2014/08/12/0812-cfb-social-media.html
20
Social Media Can Cost You In Recruiting
By: Mike White / Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Aliquippa football star Dravon Henry posts messages on his Twitter account for the world to see,
but is careful of what he says. He’s wary of Aliquippa’s Twitter police.
“We have an assistant coach, Vashawn Patrick, and he follows me and everyone on the team on
Twitter,” Henry said. “He, and a lot of our coaches, will tell me and all of us when we might say
something wrong or bad.”
But, when it comes to social media, Aliquippa is the exception more than the norm. With nobody
monitoring their messages, high school athletes around the country — high-profile players to
non-starters — are posting things on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram that can cause problems
for their teams or themselves.
It might be a tweet about an opponent that festers into a tense situation in a game. Or it might be
a vulgar or sexually explicit “tweet” that is offensive and causes repercussions for an individual.
On top of that, guess who is monitoring Twitter and Facebook accounts more and more these
days? College coaches.
A few examples:
• Last month, University of Houston football coachTony Levine decided to stop recruiting three
high school athletes because of their comments on social media.
• In 2012, Don Bosco Prep (N.J.) kicked star football player Yuri Wright out of school, and
theUniversity of Michigan withdrew its scholarship offer because of racially and sexually
offensive remarks Wright made on Twitter. Wright eventually signed with the University of
Colorado
• Also in 2012, Pitt withdrew a scholarship offer to Sto-Rox’s Marzett Geter because of critical
comments he made about Pitt on Twitter. Geter had verbally committed to the Panthers months
earlier.
• Chase Winovich, a talented senior linebacker at Thomas Jefferson High School in the WPIAL,
already has made a verbal commitment to Michigan. But, when he visited Ohio State
this spring along with another linebacker, Ohio State ended up offering Winovich a scholarship,
but not the other linebacker, who Winovich didn’t want to identify.
“The other linebacker was with me,” Winovich said. “When he didn’t get an offer, I remember
[Ohio State assistant] coach [Mike] Vrabel telling him, ‘You have to get your stuff on Twitter
cleaned up.’”
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Just last week, Thomas Jefferson coach Bill Cherpak was a little uneasy about a game against
Elizabeth Forward because of what was apparently being said by players on both teams on
social-media outlets.
“Apparently, there was a lot of banter and that just leads to things that go too far,” Cherpak said.
“It never ends good whenever something like that goes on. It might carry over onto the field, and
that’s unnecessary.”
Cherpak, considered one of the best coaches in the WPIAL, said neither he nor the school has a
policy toward Twitter or Facebook, but a few assistant coaches and school administrators
monitor both outlets. Cherpak said he hates Twitter because “it creates headaches I don’t need,”
he said.
In fact, last season when it became apparent that Winovich was going to be recruited byDivision
I colleges, Cherpak suggested to him that he cancel his Twitter account. Winovich did.
“Just because too many kids can hurt themselves image-wise,” Cherpak said.
“It can lead to jealousy or resentment from your teammates. It just can create so many problems
a kid doesn’t need. And you tell kids that once you put something out there, there is no room for
error and you can’t take it back. They just don’t realize it.”
Ryan Luther is a senior basketball player at Hampton High School who has Division I
scholarship offers. He has a Twitter account but said he never tweets anything about basketball
or recruiting.
“I’m always surprised at what some kids tweet,” Luther said.
Colleges are watching
Chris LaSala is an assistant athletic director/director of football operations at Pitt. He has been
involved with college football recruiting for decades at a few different schools and said Pitt uses
Twitter and Facebook to sometimes communicate with a high school player
because NCAA rules regulate face-to-face and phone contacts. But also, “any college coach will
tell you these [social-media] outlets can give you a read on kids,” LaSala said.
High school kids might provide recruiting information on their Twitter accounts. They might
comment on how they like or dislike a school.
“You can also find out a little personality about the kid,” LaSala said.
Good and bad.
Tyler Boyd was an all-everything player at Clairton and is now a starting freshman receiver at
Pitt. When he was at Clairton, his Twitter posts sometimes included messages either from him,
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“retweets” of other messages or quotes from songs. The posts would sometimes have vulgar
language or sexually explicit material.
Since Boyd has gotten to Pitt, his tweets are much different. In short, they are much cleaner.
LaSala said Pitt coach Paul Chryst has a policy for his players about Twitter and Facebook.
“Coach Chryst has a policy that I’d rather not make public,” LaSala said. “But our department of
life skills talks to all student-athletes about it. Our media relations, our support staff, our
recruiting office are all part of a program with student-athletes and social media.”
LaSala knows some high school players might hurt themselves with college coaches because of
their Twitter and Facebook posts. For a good-but-not-great player, bad social-media posts might
mean whether or not a college offers a scholarship.
“Sometimes, you might pull aside a [high school] kid or just tell them, ‘You might want to watch
what you’re putting out there because you’re not helping yourself,’” LaSala said. “Personally, I
think it’s obvious that some kids don’t understand the ramifications of what they post. I think the
big thing with this is maturity, and some kids mature faster than others.
“From age 14 to 18, there is a huge maturation process in their lives. Some get it and mature
faster not only physically, but mentally.”
Ron Everhart used to be the coach of Duquesne men’s basketball team and is now an assistant
at West Virginia University. When he was at Duquesne, he didn’t permit his players to post
messages on Twitter. He believes many kids eventually will post something they will regret.
“It was almost like it eventually never helps you or the kid,” Everhart said. “A lot of times it
ends up as something detrimental to the kid or his future. … It shocks me to look at some things
that people and kids put out there. You would have to believe that every athlete in the world
should be intelligent enough to know that the info they post is accessible to everybody. It baffles
me to no end to see what some people put out there.”
Everhart said the West Virginia coaching staff monitors what current players and some potential
recruits put on Facebook or Twitter.
“I think this technology has changed the whole recruiting landscape,” Everhart said. “You have
to monitor it. With Twitter, because it’s such a real time thing, you can learn everything from
what college coaches might be coming into the home of someone you’re recruiting, to how a kid
did in his last scrimmage game.”
What the athletes say
Many people apparently are curious about what top high school players say, including WPIAL
players. Shai McKenzie, a heavily-recruited running back at Washington, has 4,111 followers on
Twitter, and Aliquippa’s Henry 2,179.
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Lenny Williams is a star quarterback at Sto-Rox who has a few Division I college scholarship
offers and 557 Twitter followers.
“Some kids are on Twitter all day. I don’t have time for that,” Williams said. “But I kind of
watch what I say now because I know recruiters pay attention to see what kind of kid you are.”
Said Henry: “We’re kids. We might say a cuss word sometimes. Or if you see one of the top
recruits in the country use some bad words some kids might say, ‘If he can say something like
that, why can’t I?’ … But I always try to tweet something positive. It’s just a matter of respect —
respect for my parents and there might be little kids looking up to you. So you should watch
what you say.”
Hampton’s Luther added: “I’m just surprised that kids tweet about themselves, that they’re doing
this or this happened to me. You don’t have to tweet to make yourself look good. If you want to
say something, say something nice. I think with a lot of kids, it’s just a publicity thing. They’re
trying to show off.”
Thomas Jefferson’s Winovich said he believes he is one of the few players on his team who no
longer has a Twitter account.
“It’s probably for the best,” he said. “I think it’s dangerous because anything can be taken out of
context and it opens your life up to people who really don’t need to know. … I know a lot of kids
who spend a lot of time on Twitter. I like to funnel my time elsewhere because you don’t get that
time back.
“At the same time, Twitter is great if you want to spread a message. Maybe when I’m older, I’ll
hire someone to tweet for me.”
http://www.ncsasports.org/blog/2013/09/13/social-media-cost-recruiting
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