Recruiting, Nate & Joey, and You

How ya'll doin?!

We're real excited to be here, Joey and I are, and hope to chronicle Georgia Tech recruiting for you as best we can. Hopefully we'll work out some kind of regular output format (especially once the offseason kicks into high gear) but for now during finals time we're just going to post sporadically. For my first post as an author, I'd like to discuss the entire concept of recruiting and how it got to the point where you need two guys to cover it for one (relatively) small engineering school.

Rivals.com is the earliest example of a recruiting-focused site, starting back in '96 before most folks knew what an "internet" was. It was created so bored computer nerds who were also bored sports nerds could obsess over their teams even further in the offseason. As college football mania grew and grabbed hold of the nation, so did such sites. Scout went big-time in '05, with SECSPN starting their 150 list shortly after in '06. The expansion of CFB is responsible for the majority of the problems we experience in it today, but its also a blessing as its responsible for the extent of coverage we get on it. Now, in an age where we can get twips and tweets about what every Joe with an internet connection had for a mid-morning snack, it gets even more intense as recruits seem to revel in the obsession over what seems to them just another fork in the road. What 16/17/18-year-old wouldn't, really? Its much easier to snag a lady if you've been in the paper! With all the focus put on these young men, it makes their decision much harder, but very important to a lot of people. Forums explode at the thought of a new recruit (such as this little feller), much less his actual commitment. And why not? He could be the future! He could put the team on his back and carry us to a national championship! This has been going on for years with all the build-up surrounding the NFL draft, we've just expanded it to the younger ranks now. Sometimes it seems to me that all the flame and all the fervor surrounding these kids is bad. It puts the rushees on a pedestal, it makes the rookie king before he's even a rookie. Much like the NBA, it puts a boy in a man's spotlight. But then you remember that its college football, and philosophical implications be damned. Besides, if the kid has an attitude problem, the team will correct it as would any organization that's got a rookie who's convinced he's all that and two bags of chips. So here's to recruiting, and here's to the fan, may they both be blessed with long and happy lives.