The schools were in the spotlight, and the prospects were just a bunch of names on a big board—hanging in some coach's office—the importance of those names had little to no meaning to the everyday fan until said player showcased his talents on the football field.
College football didn't have the luxury of sending out key members of their staff to recruit a particular player. That was something schools with big money did—schools that many coaches considered as "cheaters" for doing so.
You see, during the 1950's, few schools had a recruiting budget and there was no place on the staff for a "recruiting coordinator" or talent scout. There was no Rivals, Maxpreps, or Scout around to offer up their evaluations. It was a fairly new concept back then to do so and very few schools had any idea where to start.
Sure there were guys who knew how to analyze talent—and they did it well—but, for the most part, their talents were only valuable to those who were looking for an edge over their opponents and were willing to pay to get it.
Nowadays, the everyday college fan finds himself paying a premium to keep up with every little item on a prospect they, prior to that point, probably had never heard of and they will likely know as much as any analyst about how good that particular will be.
In 1956, the University of Florida was the only school in the State of Florida to utilize a full-time recruiter on it's staff.
Fast-forward to 2010, and not only is recruiting a full-time endeavor on just about every Division I football staff, but it's something that is thought to be the very definition of success and/or futility for any given program.
So, the best thing a coach can hope to do is land the best of the best. There isn't a coach worth his millions that doesn't want to be the envy of every other Division I program in America come signing day when he trots out his Top 10 class and it is for this very reason that an 18-year old kid can hold a team, it's fanbase, and it's coaches in the balance.
If he chooses to go to school 'X', then the media, publicity, and leftover spotlight given to schools 'Y' and 'Z' could be enough to bring other big-time recruits their way—particularly if the school is not on the same level, exposure wise, as school 'X'.
The same holds true of the prospect himself. The greater his flamboyance, the larger his legend, the more scrutinized he will become once he hits the field.
Just look at the fate of former University of Miami linebacker, Willie Williams. His path to destruction started with something very innocent—a blog. He was given the unfortunate opportunity to share with the college football world exactly the kinds of perks a blue-chip recruit is awarded.
He relayed experiences of expensive lobster dinners and campus co-eds. The items seemed funny at the time. However, after he signed on the dotted line, he was found to be less a comedian than a comedy of errors.
He bounced around to five different schools before landing in the NAIA—a far cry from the powerhouse of the then, Larry Coker-led, Miami Hurricanes. Needless to say, he never lived up to what his premature coronation promised.
The only thing he ever accomplished in Division I football happened as a result of his recruiting tales. The NCAA enacted new laws to keep such pandering from ever happening again—at least where the public could see it.
Another such example is Ryan Perriloux. The Bayou Boy Wonder with the all-world talent and game-changing athletic ability. The day he de-committed from the Texas Longhorns, it seemed the UT faithful saw their dreams of a national championship float away.
However, all Perriloux ended up doing at LSU was squandering his opportunities. He was eventually kicked off the team and left many wondering what might have been if he had just been able to handle the expectations of the next level.
Talent evaluation isn't always an exact science. Some kids might be athletically gifted, but mentally incapable of handling the pressure of being touted as a blue-chip talent. That is why for every success story you can find, there is another story with less of an positive outcome.
Somewhere along the way, we have forgotten that these are teenage boys, not men. The elevation of the high school game via televised game broadcasts, prep magazines, and national rankings has made it possible to start scrutinizing kids at 14 and 15-years of age.
Can you imagine being barely out of middle-school and someone is already asking for your allegiances? Your autograph?
Better still, you are 18-years old and involved in the social networking scene afforded us all by the presence of such sites as Facebook and Twitter, and your friend numbers go from a couple hundred to a couple thousand within a week of your name hitting a college team's message board.
It's an unusual position to put an adolescent in when he's barely able to understand the rules, much less the risks.
Most of us will never know the glitz and glamour that a blue-chip recruit feels when all eyes are on him. We won't be able to understand what it feels like to stand in front of a crowd of a thousand or more people—knowing that they are hanging on our every word—and make a decision that will impact us for the rest of our career.
Think about that, just for a moment, how many times have you seen a kid immortalized for choosing the home team but crucified for spurning the others? How does it feel to know a whole state now hates you because you did what was best for you?
Granted, the prospects milk the spotlight too. Many of them take full advantage of this, likely, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. They play the hat game, send the mixed messages, and play it coy with the media. Many of them love the attention and make the most of it.
That said, when does it become too much? Where does the hype train stop? Who should be held accountable for the Willie Williams' and Ryan Perriloux's of the world? Someone has to be, right?
Where does the buck actually stop? When is enough truly enough?
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