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After leading Wheaton North to a resounding 34-14 victory over Mount Carmel and the Class 5A championship in 1986 and being named the Chicago Sun-Times' Player of the Year, Kent Graham emerged as one of the most widely recruited players in the country.
He admits he got caught up in the hoopla and glamour of the recruiting process and committed to Notre Dame. But he soon realized the offense didn't fit his talents and abilities so he transferred to Ohio State, which was running a pro-style offense instead of an option. It prepared him for an 11-year career in the NFL.
Today, as he goes through the process with his son Taylor, a highly recruited quarterback at Wheaton North, Kent shakes his head at what he sees. He is amazed at how recruiting has changed in the last 20 years.
"I can't even fathom what is going on right now," Kent said. "Rex (then Wheaton North coach Jim Rexilius) didn't let anyone talk to me as a senior. He protected us and made us focus on the season.
"There was no Internet, no recruiting services. Tom Lemming was the guy. It is so different now. Now you can get everything on the Internet. It is a totally different environment. Things happen so fast. To make an educated decision, you feel like you have to see the campus and know the coaches. But the speed of the process makes you question if you have time to do it."
Graham, who wants his son to make his own decision (Taylor is leaning to making a commitment before the season begins) but is closely monitoring the process, is making sure his son gets a thorough education about recruiting. He doesn't want him to make a decision for the wrong reasons, as he did.
"If Taylor gets an offer (he has been offered by Iowa, Arkansas and Duke and expects an offer from UCLA and others), we want to set up a time to meet the coaches and go to the campus for an unofficial visit," Kent said.
"I'm still a rookie in all of this. But I feel I'm better prepared to help my son than I was in 1986. I feel I have a mch better ability to look at offensive systems, to be a judge of them. A pro-style system fits Taylor's talents and abilities, not a spread. A school that is committed to a pro-style offense is best for him."
Understandably, the process began slowly for the 6-4, 215-pound Graham. He got off to a good start as a senior, then suffered a broken ankle in his fifth game and sat out the rest of the season. So college recruiters didn't get a good look at him. But Kent and Wheaton North coach Joe Wardynski sent film to 30 schools that emphasize a pro-style offense and the response has been flattering to say the least.
"The process has changed major league. The rules of the game are so different," Kent said. "We're trying to adjust. I don't have all the answers. With Taylor's injury, it is understandable how the process has gone. I'm a bit taken with the speed of this. It is surprising how fast the colleges are coming in now. I guess that's the nature of the game."
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Good informative piece. Having graduated in 1967, before electricity and indoor plumbing, it is amazing. Athletes today play for the same reason, I hope, competition and love of the game. The recruiting, I couldn't even begin to understand. I played with two high school all-americans in high school and never heard a word about their recruit. One went to Michigan State, the other went to Illinois. I went to Indiana and another friend went to Ohio State and I don't remember any discussion at any time about the process. We all went on full football scholarships but nothing was ever discussed.
Another friend, went to Northwestern on a basketball scholarship. His counselor called him to the office in the spring of his senior year. Why? The counselor said she was concerned my friend had not made any college decisions. This was after the sholarship had been offered, signed and delivered, and it was in the paper!
My how times have changed.
BACK IN THE DAY, SHOE COMPANIES WEREN'T AS POWERFUL AS
THEY ARE NOW, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS WALK IN A GYM, AND
LOOK AT THE SHOES A TEAM IS WEARING, AND THEN YOU WILL
KNOW WHO IS BACKING WHOM!
THIS IS THE SAME WAY ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD AS WELL, NOW
BEFORE YOU JUMP ON ME, I WANT TO SAY THANK-YOU TO THE
SHOE COMPANIES FOR ALL THEY DO TO HELP ATHLETIC PROGRAMS,
BUT THE INDIVIDUAL'S WHO ARE HOLDING PLAYER'S HOSTAGE,
THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO AREN'T LOOKING OUT FOR BEST
INTEREST OF THE PLAYER!
FINALLY TO PLAYER'S WHO ARE GRADUATING FROM HIGH SCHOOL
AND CAN BARELY READ OR WRITE, SHAME ON YOU, YOU SHOULD
BE GIVING THE SAME EFFORT IN THE CLASSROOM, THAT YOU ARE
GIVING ON THE PLAYING FIELD, BECAUSE ONE DAY AND THAT
DAY IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER, THE BALL WILL STOP
BOUNCING, AND ALL THE SHOE COMPANIES IN THE WORLD WON'T
HELP YOU GET A JOB, SO GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER, BEFORE YOU
ARE A MEMORY ON A FACEBOOK PAGE SOMEWHERE, WAKE UP BEFORE
IT IS TOO LATE!
I KNOW THE TRUTH HURTS, BUT IT WILL SET YOU FREE!