Recruiting Fair Looks to Match Overlooked Talent With Schools in Need
By Jim Henry
Senior College Sports Writer
National Signing Day is one of the most anticipated days on the sports calendar.
The country's top prep football players enjoyed their day in the spotlight a week ago, many making dramatic announcements on national television or in front of excited family and friends. Programs such as national champion Auburn, Alabama, Florida State and Texas were applauded by analysts for landing some of the nation's best players.
Scott Anderson, however, realizes there are plenty of skilled players who soar under big schools' radars and might be a better fit on a smaller stage. And the veteran high school coach is determined to help match those players with schools that are anxious to fill out rosters with talent overlooked from last Wednesday's National Signing Day.
"There's an awful lot of kids who work just as hard as the named signees who go to the major schools that don't even get looked at," said Anderson, coach at Escambia High School in Pensacola, Fla.
"I just think we have an obligation, as educators and coaches, to help these young people move on and have the opportunity to reach their academic and athletic goals, just as much as the five-star, blue-chip recruits everyone reads about on the Internet."
That's why Anderson is busy preparing for Friday's First Annual Panhandle Football College Recruiting Fair in Pensacola.
Anderson, who held similar recruiting fairs the past two years near Tallahassee that placed more than 100 players in college, is again hopeful that interest is generated and connections made.
Last year, more than 30 prep head coaches from across north Florida and south Georgia showed with highlight tapes, laptops, transcripts, good words and anything else they could find to bolster their players' chances.
Twelve colleges, representing NCAA Division III, NAIA and junior colleges -- and traveling from as far away as Wisconsin and Massachusetts -- showed for the meet-and-greet that attracted around 300 players, many of whom were accompanied by their parents or other family members.
Recruiting fairs are not new in Florida or the south.
For example, Dave Eavenson, associate head coach and offensive coordinator at Division III Methodist College in Fayetteville, N.C., has attended recruiting fairs in Florida for 10 years. The fairs give Eavenson and staff a chance to view numerous players over a two-week period rather than having to do so individually over a longer span of time. Eavenson's 2011 spring roster features 28 Floridians.
Following Pensacola, recruiting fairs continue into next week and include stops in Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, Polk County, Ft. Myers, West Palm Beach and Broward and Dade counties in Miami. Other southern states such as Georgia and Alabama also hold similar recruiting fairs over a three-month span from December to February.
Anderson understands the importance -- and challenges -- of recruiting. The son of a high school football coach, Anderson has held 14 different high school and college coaching positions in 31 years.
Anderson led Escambia to a 5-5 record in his first season in 2010, arriving just seven days before the Gators' season opener. He's looking to rebuild a proud program that was home to Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith and Alabama running back Trent Richardson.
While Escambia did not have an acclaimed recruit who attracted the lights, camera and action of National Signing Day, Anderson remains committed and motivated to help place his players and others in college. They also are chasing a dream of playing college football.
"It's even more rewarding at times because we understand as coaches that many times the guys who might not get all the attention, the teams guys, they've have had to work harder to get where they are," Anderson said.
By Jim Henry
Senior College Sports Writer
National Signing Day is one of the most anticipated days on the sports calendar.
The country's top prep football players enjoyed their day in the spotlight a week ago, many making dramatic announcements on national television or in front of excited family and friends. Programs such as national champion Auburn, Alabama, Florida State and Texas were applauded by analysts for landing some of the nation's best players.
Scott Anderson, however, realizes there are plenty of skilled players who soar under big schools' radars and might be a better fit on a smaller stage. And the veteran high school coach is determined to help match those players with schools that are anxious to fill out rosters with talent overlooked from last Wednesday's National Signing Day.
"There's an awful lot of kids who work just as hard as the named signees who go to the major schools that don't even get looked at," said Anderson, coach at Escambia High School in Pensacola, Fla.
"I just think we have an obligation, as educators and coaches, to help these young people move on and have the opportunity to reach their academic and athletic goals, just as much as the five-star, blue-chip recruits everyone reads about on the Internet."
That's why Anderson is busy preparing for Friday's First Annual Panhandle Football College Recruiting Fair in Pensacola.
Anderson, who held similar recruiting fairs the past two years near Tallahassee that placed more than 100 players in college, is again hopeful that interest is generated and connections made.
Last year, more than 30 prep head coaches from across north Florida and south Georgia showed with highlight tapes, laptops, transcripts, good words and anything else they could find to bolster their players' chances.
Twelve colleges, representing NCAA Division III, NAIA and junior colleges -- and traveling from as far away as Wisconsin and Massachusetts -- showed for the meet-and-greet that attracted around 300 players, many of whom were accompanied by their parents or other family members.
Recruiting fairs are not new in Florida or the south.
For example, Dave Eavenson, associate head coach and offensive coordinator at Division III Methodist College in Fayetteville, N.C., has attended recruiting fairs in Florida for 10 years. The fairs give Eavenson and staff a chance to view numerous players over a two-week period rather than having to do so individually over a longer span of time. Eavenson's 2011 spring roster features 28 Floridians.
Following Pensacola, recruiting fairs continue into next week and include stops in Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, Polk County, Ft. Myers, West Palm Beach and Broward and Dade counties in Miami. Other southern states such as Georgia and Alabama also hold similar recruiting fairs over a three-month span from December to February.
Anderson understands the importance -- and challenges -- of recruiting. The son of a high school football coach, Anderson has held 14 different high school and college coaching positions in 31 years.
Anderson led Escambia to a 5-5 record in his first season in 2010, arriving just seven days before the Gators' season opener. He's looking to rebuild a proud program that was home to Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith and Alabama running back Trent Richardson.
While Escambia did not have an acclaimed recruit who attracted the lights, camera and action of National Signing Day, Anderson remains committed and motivated to help place his players and others in college. They also are chasing a dream of playing college football.
"It's even more rewarding at times because we understand as coaches that many times the guys who might not get all the attention, the teams guys, they've have had to work harder to get where they are," Anderson said.