College football’s recruiting process fascinating to follow
Then again, von Bismark probably never uttered that quote, and he definitely never converted on third-and-short with the game on the line. That makes it an odd combination. As Abraham Lincoln said in 1864, “The problem with Internet quotes is that you can’t always depend on their accuracy.”
Still, the general thought holds true about college football: It’s probably best that fans don’t see all the elements that go into making a program. It’s enough of a stretch of logic for them to know that the two highest-paid Washington state employees are Washington State University coach Mike Leach ($2.75 million) and University of Washington coach Chris Peterson ($2.686 million). Or that when college football instituted its playoff system more than a year ago, ESPN paid $7.3 billion for the rights to broadcast bowl games and the national championship game for 12 years.
It’s hard to keep nine-figure deals and eight- and nine-figure paydays quiet, and it’s impossible to not see the effect of such paydays on the individual landscape of your favorite team.
It’s just hard to square those huge paydays to the program with NCAA rules that can sometimes feel draconian. Walk-on players are not allowed to eat at the team training table. They could have an apple or a bagel, the rules said, but if the team offers cream cheese for the bagel it would be considered a meal, and the walk-on couldn’t eat it without causing an NCAA violation.
Thankfully such rule interpretations were modified once they were brought to light. But just barely.
Washington State made huge improvements to its football infrastructure as a direct result of the advent of the Pac-12 Network. Not only can players have the bagel with schmear, they have nutritionists to help them create the best possible diet for their body type and chefs to prepare the necessary food.
It used to be that football teams provided weights to lift, tutors to help study and blocking sleds to get ready for the season. Now it’s a complete package deal.
And in recent years, college football has begun lifting the veil and allowing the public to watch one of its annual rites: the recruiting process.
Coaches still can’t talk about recruits during the process, but there are plenty of outlets willing to speculate on who wants whom to play where.
There has always been some level of interest in the recruiting process. Local newspapers follow which of the area’s best players end up going where. And beat writers keep track of the incoming recruiting class.
And then, awhile back, someone discovered that there is a segment of the fan base that is actively interested in the minutiae of recruiting. And thus was born a cottage industry that tracks recruiting on a national level and ranks potential recruits by position. It creates national databases full of information like 40-yard-dash times and bench presses.
And thus, the college football season is extended. To the list of major events that already includes the opening of training camps in August, the season starting in September, the bowl game season in late November and December, and the national championship game in January, you can add National Letter of Intent signing day in February as a bridge to the start of spring football.
Honestly, recruiting has become a fascinating process to follow even if you never watch a game in the fall. It has it all: human drama, competition among programs, surprise endings and political intrigue as coaches attempt to steal each other’s recruits before they can actually sign on the dotted line.
This year’s Washington State recruiting class is ranked No. 49 in the country – ahead of Oklahoma State and just behind Virginia Tech.
For Cougar football fans, it’s just like a whole new Christmas Day.
Let the fun begin!
Steve Christilaw can be reached at steve. christilaw@gmail.com.