National Signing Day is certainly a unique occasion. Reporters flock all over the country to witness high school seniors sign their letters of intent. Teams of national reporters grade each class and each player down to what they like to eat for lunch. Schools with the top-ranked classes celebrate wildly, thinking national titles are inevitable.
All of this is associated with the love of college football. That, I can live with. However, as odd as it may seem to have college coaches, most of them millionaires, traveling to high schools to beg and persuade an 18-year-old kid to come play for them, how odd is it more that they have ... agents?
That's right, agents. There are now high school recruitment companies ... companies, whose purpose is to promote and help streamline the process for recruits. They offer a slew of flashy alternatives to promote a kid's ability on the field ... for a fee that is usually a few thousand dollars a year, and then they offer to help campaign the recruit to various programs.
Basically, these companies make money recruiting coaches. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? How long do you really think it'll take before these companies start getting some gifts from interested boosters, if they are completely neutral to all schools in the first place? Which, if one is a fan of college football, they're going to have at least a slight bias towards the alma mater.
Shoot, go back to when John Calipari left Memphis for Kentucky. Remember how most of his class followed him, and the discussion of someone that helped lean players towards the controversial coach? No matter what all went down, the seed was planted.
One such company in Arkansas, Pinnacle Preps, is already facing controversy. The company was sued recently by a local family who alleges the company did not deliver as advertised. Furthermore, the same company caused an uproar in the state when its founder was seen in a picture with recruits inside an Auburn University locker room.
Granted, it's his right to go to campuses if he pleases. However, it does raise suspicions, mostly because the founder's high school coach was Gus Malzahn, Auburn's offensive coordinator, hence the uproar from Arkansas fans.
See what I mean? I certainly don't know all the facts to the story, but even if it's just coincidence, the whole "high school recruiting company" just oozes of trouble. And let's face it, college football has enough debate and controversy as is.
What's more shocking is that the NCAA hasn't taken a serious sniff at this situation. With all the inquiries the organization has had with boosters paying players or giving out favors, wouldn't you think they'd try to either get some rules straight or nip some of this in the bud? Does it not seem a little suspicious that high school recruitment is becoming less and less between coach and player (and his family), and more and more towards coach, player, family, and promoter?
I'm sure they'll get around to it in 2018 ... I mean, they're making some speedy headway this year by talking to Reggie Bush about his USC days, right?
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