Hype and high hopes plague Signing Day

If football is the game, then recruiting is the game outside the game. And National Signing Day is its Super Bowl, the first day high school seniors begin signing official letters of intent.

Not long ago, universities recruited high school athletes in a relatively quiet process.

Those days are gone. The stunning success of prep-to-pro athletes in other sports — Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and LeBron James come to mind — has radically increased the exposure of high school athletics on a national stage. Every “expert” suddenly began to offer his own projections, prognostications and proclamations on the next big men on campus — before they’re even enrolled.

And the internet has only encouraged this rapidly growing industry. In recent years, websites such as rivals.com and

scout.com have flourished by offering obsessive college football fans with up-to-the-minute information on scholarship offers and campus visits, along with detailed scouting reports and position-by-position rankings.

A bizarre consequence of this deluge of information is that fans often care less about the actual results on the field. If your team isn’t projected to finish at the top of your conference, then the only thing that matters is recruiting well for next season.

Consider head coach Nick Saban of Alabama. In his first season with the Crimson Tide, Saban compiled a mediocre 7-6 record. Some might say that his first meaningful victory at Alabama came on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2008 — the day he signed the top high school football player in the country, six-foot, four-inch wide receiver Julio Jones.

The most closely watched recruiting saga of the year, however, may be the story of Terrelle Pryor. At 6’6” and 235 pounds, Pryor runs the 40-yard dash in about 4.40 seconds. In other words, he is a bigger, faster version of Vince Young. You may remember Young, last spotted on the college scene embarrassing USC’s defense to the tune of 200 yards rushing and over 250 yards passing in Texas’ 41-38 victory in the 2005 national title game.

Experts have long thought Ohio State was the favorite to sign Pryor. But then Michigan hired former West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez to run the show. Rodriguez just happens to employ a spread offense that is perfect for a player with Pryor’s skill set, and the Wolverines just happen to have lost the last four games in their storied rivalry with the Buckeyes.

Think the most awe-inspiring quarterback since Michael Vick might assuage the paranoia of those who bleed maize and blue? As for OSU, two consecutive defeats in the national title game have the Buckeyes looking for a universally coveted prospect to prove that the school can still attract world-class athletic talent.

Pryor’s national profile has risen to the point where dozens of reporters from ESPN, Sports Illustrated and other news outlets attended his signing-day press conference — only to hear Pryor announce that he wasn’t making a decision just yet. Meanwhile, Michigan and OSU fans released a collective groan at the non-news.

Unfortunately for his suitors, acquiring Pryor carries a pretty significant caveat. Believe it or not, the kid actually has to play some football games before he gets his hands on a championship trophy.

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Just one year ago, Charlie Weis and Notre Dame landed the best — that is to say, most touted — high school quarterback, Jimmy Clausen. Clausen had it all, including the cannon arm and confident demeanor that led him to declare his intention to win four national titles with the Irish. But Clausen is old news after winning only one of his first six starts and leading Notre Dame to an all-time worst 3-9 record. Presumably, the young man has reduced his goals to more realistic levels — only three titles left to win now.

Of course, people will always be excited by potential, enough so to grant a tremendous amount of exposure to fortunate 18-year-olds blessed with extraordinary football talent. Considering all the hoopla attached to modern-day recruiting, there is little surprise that Kevin Hart happened.

For those who don’t recognize the name, here’s a quick recap. Roughly two weeks ago, Fernley High School had an assembly at which senior offensive lineman Kevin Hart posed before two caps — one for Oregon, one for Cal — before dramatically resting his hand on the latter and declaring his intent to play for Jeff Tedford at Cal. Hart was Fernley’s pride and joy, the tiny town’s first player to go on to play in the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly known as Division 1-A).

The only problem: Hart was lying, carrying out an elaborate hoax on his parents, coaches, classmates and community. Tedford didn’t even know who he was. Yet it is hard to blame Hart after seeing how much attention is lavished on kids like Pryor. For a marginally talented player who loves the game, it must hurt to see others crowned as national champions or Hall of Famers before their senior prom.

Without absolving Hart of his personal responsibility in the matter, we should confess to our own part in this mess. A sort of collective insanity has taken over as top schools engage in games of brinksmanship and mutually assured disappointment over blue-chip prospects.

In a strange way, we should be thankful that Princeton’s days as a pigskin powerhouse ended decades ago. Tiger fans don’t start crowing about the four consecutive Ivy championships we’re about to win after recruiting a top-notch talent like incoming linebacker Jonathan Meyers. Lacking the win-now-and-don’t-stop mentality that plagues big-time programs and turns their coaches’ hair gray, we can actually sit back and enjoy the game, from the elation of a crisp early-winter bonfire to the despair of multiple goal-line fumbles.

In the meantime, the national media is happy to ignore us while they seek out the next big story to assuage an insatiable appetite. Their latest scoop? USC has already secured a commitment from the nation’s top junior quarterback, Matt Barkley of Mater Dei. Personally, I project a poor career for Barkley. After all, the next four years’ championships have already been promised to players like Pryor and Clausen.