"Blind Side" is about Michael Oher, the former University of Mississippi football star who grew up homeless in Memphis, Tennessee, and was a first-round pick in the NFL draft. In the current issue of "Sports Illustrated," NFL writer Peter King rates Oher, a dominating offensive lineman, on his All-NFL team for 2009.

In his book, Lewis devotes a chapter to me, about how I evaluate high school players, my relationship with college coaches and how I helped to discover Oher and how coaches such as Nick Saban, Phil Fulmer and Lou Holtz became aware of the 310-pounder.

Originally, I had five minutes of exposure in the film, which stars Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw and Ray McKinnon. But it was cut to about a minute. My big scene, in which I was talking to McGraw and McKinnon about Oher, will end up on DVD. In the film, I'm in my office receiving the tape that tipped me off about Oher's potential and ability.

I have a union card as a member of the Screen Actors Guild. I spent two days in April and two days in June on the movie set in Atlanta, Georgia. It took 12 hours to shoot one scene.

But it was great time. I was very inquisitive because I've never been on a movie set before. I did a lot of observing and talking to McGraw, who is the son of former major league pitcher Tug McGraw, and McKinnon about sports and movies. McGraw isn't just a great country singer but also a good actor.

The movie, I am told, has been well received. A lot of football geeks who said "Blind Side" is their favorite football book noted that the movie focuses mainly on Oher's personal history rather than how his left tackle position was elevated to the second-highest paid position in the NFL.

There are several big-time football coaches in the movie--Saban, Holtz, Fulmer, Tommy Tuberville, Houston Nutt and Ed Orgeron. Ironically, none of the six still have the jobs that they had at the time they were actively recruiting Oher.

One of the primary producers of the film is Molly Smith, daughter of Fed Ex owner Fred Smith. She persuaded a lot of the coaches to participate in the film, which shows how a homeless kid from Memphis develops into a college football star and becomes a first-round draft choice in the NFL with a multi-million dollar contract, then becomes a starter as an NFL rookie...and now an All-Pro performer.

The toughest thing to do, said publicist Chip Namias, was to cast Oher himself. He is 6-4 and weighs 310 pounds. How many actors fit that description? Certainly not Denzel Washington.

Enter Quinton Aaron, a young actor who grew up in New York. He lost weight to play the part. But he got his body in condition and learned the nuances of offensive line play. It was very challenging to find someone who had acting experience and the physical presence and athleticism to play the role.

The movie also tries to appeal to a wide cross-section--Bullock fans, McGraw fans and sports fans who go to sports movies. If people haven't read the book and aren't familiar with Oher's inspirational story, they will be amazed. This isn't a spinoff of "Pride of the Yankees."

And don't go to the popcorn counter or you'll miss my minute of fame.

But several other quarterbacks stood out, including Hinsdale Central's John Whitelaw, Lake Forest's Tommy Rees, Rolling Meadows' Jimmy Garoppolo, Downers Grove South's Chandler Whitmer, Marist's Mike Perish, Maine South's Tyler Benz, Morgan Park's DaRon Brown, Montini's Brandon Pechloff and Glenbard West's Tyler Warden.

One who is never mentioned is Glenbrook South's Mike Pullano.

Pullano certainly doesn't lack for production. On the high school level, he can match up with Osei or Whitelaw or Whitmer or Rees or Garoppolo.

Going into Saturday's rematch with top-ranked Maine South, Pullano has completed 80 of 120 passes for 1,379 yards and 24 touchdowns in 11 games--and he hasn't thrown a single interception.

He leaped on the radar screen in Glenbrook South's first meeting with Maine South a few weeks ago. He threw three touchdown passes and ran for one as the Titans built a 34-24 lead with 2:18 to play in the third quarter. But Matt Perez broke loose in the fourth quarter and Maine South rallied to win 45-34.

Mike Noll, Glenbrook South's veteran coach, also is impressed with Pullano.

"He executes our offense as well as anyone. He makes great decisions and he takes care of the ball," Noll said. "When a play breaks down he has the ability to scramble and turn nothing into something. He makes plays outside the offense when he has to."

"Not only is he widely respected as one of the nation's best defensive coordinators, he also is an awesome recruiter and developer of athletes into great defensive football players," the reader e-mailed.

"The fact that he is an African American coach in the SEC plays to Illinois' favor. He has been a legitimate candidate for multiple head coaching positions in the SEC and time and time again he has either not been interviewed or passed over for less proven or resume impressive candidates who were white."

I think Charlie Strong has been ready to be a head coach for several years. But there are reasons why he hasn't been hired, all pertinent to racial feelings in the SEC. They wouldn't be a factor in the Midwest, it says here.

Strong is more than qualified. He should have had a head coaching position at least three years ago, when he was defensive coordinator for Florida's first national championship team.

Would he be a candidate at Florida State or Miami? He knows Florida very well. He worked under Lou Holtz at Notre Dame. This is his second tour of duty at Florida. His name pops up, maybe only in a token manner, but he never is taken seriously when a big-time job opens up.

For example, Strong's name surfaced at Mississippi State but the offensive coordinator at Florida was hired. And his name was mentioned at Auburn.

"(Illinois coach) Ron Zook has been so worried about tapping into other states for talent that he hasn't locked up his own," the reader said. "With an African American like Charlie Strong recruiting in Chicago, he could lock up athletes. And the state's top players would start going to Illinois instead of Notre Dame or Ohio State or USC or Arizona."

I've said it before and I'll say it again: The Big 10 should be recruiting quarterbacks Miles Osei of Prospect and Jimmy Garoppolo of Rolling Meadows. I think Hinsdale Central's John Whitelaw is a big-time prospect, too, but he apparently got frustrated by the process and opted to commit to Yale. So who can argue that he didn't make a good decision?

Both Osei and Garoppolo have had good senior seasons. They have been very productive. They have major college arm strength, speed and athleticism. In my view, there is no good reason why they shouldn't be offered.

Remember, Kurt Warner was a walkon at Northern Iowa and became a Super Bowl MVP. Drew Brees came out of Austin, Texas, and was turned down by everybody. But Jim Chaney, then the offensive coordinator at Purdue and now an assistant at Tennessee, took him mainly because they had lost other prospects on their priority list.

Brett Favre had no offers except for Southern Mississippi. They took him because he was running an option offense for his father, a high school coach.

What all of this says is recruiting isn't an exact science, particularly at quarterback. When you only bring in one quarterback a year, a lot of mistakes are made.

J.D. Barchard, Crystal Lake South's 6-3, 230-pound linebacker, is another overlooked and unappreciated senior. He should get a full ride somewhere. He has good size and makes a lot of plays. People just don't know about him. I've seen him on film and he stops everything up the middle. He has been credited with more than 100 tackles.

At Providence, the Plantz brothers, Tyler and Zac, sons of former Gordon Tech and Notre Dame star Ron Plantz, deserve some serious consideration. Tyler, a 5-11, 210-pound senior linebacker who gets lost playing with conference MVP Peter Houlihan, is headed for Army or the Ivy League. Zac, a 6-1, 205-pound junior linebacker, is bigger than is brother and likely will be a Division I recruit.

At Niles Notre Dame, the Burgos brothers, Julian and Jeremy, also deserve some recognition. Juian, a 5-9, 180-pound senior running back with 4.5 speed, is a MAC-type runner with power, speed and vision. Jeremy, a 6-1, 210-pound junior linebacker, will be among the top 30 players in the Chicago area in the class of 2011. If he works hard and gets bigger, stronger and faster over the summer, he figures to make it at the next level.

Leach brings an exciting, innovative offense to college football. He is quirky but intelligent and seems to be one step ahead of everyone else offensively. He has proven to be a good recruiter but hasn't been able to beat Texas head-to-head, although he has begun to land blue-chippers because of the high-profile games he has won.

Here is a man who has a reputation as a players' coach, a good recruiter and a good evaluator of talent but, most of all, a good teacher of the offense he has invented.

I haven't seen anyone like him in all my 30 years of evaluating high school players. He could stay in the Big 12. His rising popularity probably would allow him to recruit well in Texas, where there is enough talent to go around. But the Big 10 would be another world to conquer and he might be ready for the challenge.

Look around you, Big 10 fans. There is no prolific offense in the conference. Ohio State and Terrelle Pryor aren't what they were supposed to be, not yet. Zook arrived at Illinois with much fanfare and struck gold in one Rose Bowl appearance--but he has faded quickly and badly. Kirk Ferentz seems to have regained some magic at Iowa. But how long will it last? Will Rich Rodriguez turn Michigan around?

Leach doesn't have super talent at Texas Tech--Michael Crabtrees come along only once in a decade--but if he was able to recruit where he doesn't have to compete with Texas or Oklahoma, there could be no stopping him.

And wouldn't you love to see his offense in the Big 10?

Surely, it takes more than statistics...passing yardage, rushing yardage, receptions, receiving yardage, touchdowns, tackles, interceptions, sacks.

In my view, the key item in separating one player from another should be production, the guys who have the best years statistically. But competition counts for something. It means you are playing against better teams. Wins and losses shouldn't be of paramount importance but helping a team to have a successful season counts for something, too.

In the end, the easiest way to determine an all-star is if he is a dominant player.

Dominance is the key word. If you are a high school all-star, you should be a dominating player. You have presence on the field. If you are an all-star, you have to play like one. Great players play with chips on their shoulders. They have an ego, cockiness, a nasty streak, a fear of not succeeding, athletic ability and confidence. A combination of all of those things makes a great player.

A lot of overachievers, kids who are 5-8 and 175 pounds, make All-Area or All-State through determination and perseverance.

The better you play in big games, the conference championship or the state playoffs, the more likely you will be an all-star because those are the games that people remember. And if you want to be remembered, you must rise to the occasion and play like an All-Stater in those games.

"He is still being recruited by several schools," Dean Barchard's e-mail stated. "Some of the schools that have shown recent interest are Arizona, Colorado, South Dakota State, Illinois State, Northern Illinois and Buffalo University. But no offers yet. Many schools are asking: 'Who do you have offers form so far?' as though they would offer if someone else had offered. Just haven't gotten that first one yet."

This is a familiar story.

What this case tells you that the college coach doesn't have confidence in his own evaluating ability. At least half of the college programs don't have enough confidence in their own evaluating skills to offer a kid who doesn't have any offers. They want to play it safe mainly because of the pressure the head coach puts on his assistants to bring in bonafide players. He figures if other colleges haven't offered, there must be a reason.

But there are so many examples of big-time players who were overlooked in high school, emerged in college once they got an opportunity and now are standouts in the NFL. Jim Leonard, from Wausau, Wis., was a walkon at Wisconsin, became an All-Big 10 selection and now plays for the Baltimore Ravens.

We've mentioned Barry Sanders, Kurt Warner and Drew Brees in the past. Sanders was rejected by Northwestern. Oklahoma State finally took him only because they lost every other prospect on their list.

What should Barchard and other seniors who believe they have been overlooked do to attract some interest?

Put together a highlight film. The parent should work with the high school coach. Have your high school coach send the film with a letter of recommendation to college coaches and ask them for their opinion and evaluation. Can he play for them? Where can he play? Ask the college coach to call the high school coach back. A college coach will always return a call to a high school coach because he may have players they want in the next year or two. They wouldn't risk closing a door to a high school.

And send me a copy of the film. I annually evaluate hundreds of highlight films of blue-chip players and kids who end up playing in Division II or III. If a kid is good enough to play in Division I, I'll recommend him to coaches. I've been doing it for 30 years, free of charge. It's what I do.

I saw Carter as a sophomore and was so impressed that I put him down as the best sophomore prospect in the state. Before his junior year, I selected him to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio. He had so much size and potential.

Then I saw him three times as a junior. I was disappointed. I saw no aggressiveness. He didn't excel in pursuit and didn't demonstrate great change in direction and movementthat you see in great defensive linemen.

He was No. 1 as a sophomore when I saw him play but he hasn't come on. He peaked too soon. Maybe he spent too much time playing basketball and is still learning to play football. But the colleges that were so impressed by him at one time lost interest because they felt he hadn't progressed enough.

Carter went to Notre Dame for a workout in June prior to his junior year and was offered a scholarship. But Illinois didn't offer. He also got offers from Wisconsin, Stanford, Indiana and Purdue. At one time, he said Notre Dame, Stanford and Wisconsin were the three finalists on his list.

But Carter didn't pull the trigger. He delayed his decision. And delayed and delayed. Loyola coach John Holecek, who went through the recruiting process when he was an All-Stater at Marian Catholic, urged him to make a decision, pointing out that every recruit has a window of opportunity. But Carter waited and waited and the colleges gave his scholarship to other recruits.

A few weeks ago, Carter admitted he had no offers, just interest from Northwestern and Nebraska. He also revealed that he had played last season with a broken wrist, an injury he had opted to play with rather than heal. In fact, he didn't think it was serious until he finally had it examined long after the season. Obviously, it had an effect on his play but nobody knew he was injured.

He should have revealed the injury right away. It would have helped in his recruiting. A kid playing with a broken wrist for a whole year? He was courageous for playing with an injury like that but he couldn't have an impact on the field. People were questioning his work ethic early. He would have had more offers if colleges knew he had played with a broken wrist.

Fortunately, Northwestern made an offer a few days ago and Carter didn't wait. He accepted. He hasn't developed and hasn't progressed as many people thought he would after showing greatness as a sophomore. But he still is a Division I player. It was only a matter of time before somebody, like Northwestern, made an offer.

Hopefully, he will realize the great potential he has and will work hard toward being the player everyone thought he could be. He dropped basketball to focus on football. Now he must work to get bigger and stronger. Northwestern has given him an opportunity to do that. It is up to him to take advantage of that opportunity.

At Carmel, he was an outstanding and dominating defensive lineman, a blue-collar and aggressive player who was as tough as nails. But Notre Dame and Michigan didn't think he was good enough for their programs. I always felt more schools should have recruited him but few big-time schools thought he was a big-timer.

He was recruited by then Illinois assistant coach Bill Kollar along with Hersey's Frank Kmet, King's Payton Minter and Fremd's Jim Schwantz. But when the NCAA began to investigate Illini head coach Mike White, the recruiting became unglued. White was fired. I called Purdue coach Freddy Akers to recommend Kollar. Akers hired Kollar, who took Zgonina and the others with him.

But who would have thought Zgonina, who had to put on a lot of weight to play in college and the NFL, would have persevered with eight teams for 17 years and 208 games in the NFL? To stay that long in the NFL means you have to possess an enormous amount of desire and persistence.

Zgonina, by any account, isn't a great player. He never has been an All-Pro selection and won't see his bust in Canton. But he has been good enough to never be cut for all of those years. He reminds of former De La Salle and Notre Dame player Renaldo Wynn, another longtime journeyman in the NFL who recently was cut by the Washington Redskins.

The Nittany Lions have landed Khairi Fortt of Stamford, Conn., the best outside linebacker in the nation; DaKota Royer of Manheim, Pa., and Mike Hull of Canonsburg, Pa.

This is USC Week at Notre Dame and the Irish have accumulated a distinguished list of visitors, including offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson of St. Paul, Minn., the nation's No. 1 player; safety Corey Cooper of Proviso East, who earlier committed to Illinois; defensive back Dietrich Riley of LaCanada, Calif.; wide receiver T.J. Jones of Atlanta, who earlier committed to Stanford but whose father played at Notre Dame; free safety Devon Carrington of Phoenix, who earlier committed to Stanford; and running back Jordan James of Corona, Calif., who has been offered by USC and UCLA, is averaging 10 yards per carry and is my choice as the most underrated player in the nation.

USC is countering Notre Dame's recruiting effort on Henderson by pushing hip-hop. Rap artist Snoopy Dogg is trying to woo the 6-7, 325-pound lineman from Minnesota to the West Coast.

Fremd's Evan Wright, a running back with 4.5 speed who runs behind Notre Dame-bound Christian Lombard, is being overlooked. I've seen him play in three games and he runs with speed and power. He also has vision and balance. A tough kid, he should play safety on defense. It would give him a better chance to get offers.

Wright's teammate, 6-3, 260-pound junior center Brian Bobek, is rated a future big-time prospect by Fremd coach Mike Donatucci.

Keep an eye on 6-7, 235-pound junior offensive lineman Pat Flavin of Benet. He is very athletic and blocks out on the second level on almost every play. However, he must gain at least 35 pounds in the next two years to be a major player. He has the lower body of a tight end, not an offensive lineman.

Bishop McNamara's Matt Frazier, a 6-3, 260-pound junior offensive lineman, has good technique. St. Viator's Jack Etchingham, a 6-2, 205-pound senior linebacker, is a great tackler who scored 32 on his ACT and could be headed to the Ivy League. Loyola's Pat Mulroe, a 6-4, 255-pound junior offensive lineman whose older brother is playing at Northwestern, will be a big-time recruit next season if he gains 30 pounds.

St. Rita's Bruce Gaston, a 6-3, 300-pound senior defensive lineman, continues to be one of the leading uncommitted players in the state. In fact, he has gone from a non-prospect to one of the two or three most dominating defensive linemen in the Midwest. He dominated in last week's loss to Providence, which was impressive.

Other juniors to watch are 6-4, 270-pound offensive lineman Jordan Walsh of Glenbard West, who hasn't allowed a sack this season and definitely projects to be a Division I recruit; running back Peter Bonahoom of Prospect, who plays in Miles Osei's shadow; linebacker Jeremy Burgos of Notre Dame, who has cultivated interest from Nebraska; quarterback/safety Dontae McCoy of Shepard, who has stirred interest from Northwestern; 6-6, 275-pound offensive lineman Dan Lembke and linebacker Tyler Plantz of Providence; and quarterback Mark Iannotti of Schaumburg.

What should he do?

Call Tom Lemming.

I'll take care of it. If he is good enough, I'll let the colleges know. In this day and age, with access to the Internet, no one should be overlooked, no matter where he lives or what kind of program he plays for.

If you are a sophomore or junior and your parent or high school coach believes you are a Division I prospect, contact Tom Lemming. Sure, parents and high school coaches often aren't very objective. But film doesn't lie. I only takes a few minutes to determine if a player is a legitimate college prospect.

Contrary to what some people would have you believe, I don't charge a penny. Never have. There is no cost at all. Send me a film and I'll analyze it. If your son is a legitimate prospect, I'll recommend him to college coaches and arrange for him to attend camps and combines. If he isn't a legitimate prospect, in my view, I'll tell you.

In 30 years of evaluating high school players, I've helped hundreds of kids to get to college. I suppose one that I am most proud of was Ben Kotwica of Andrew, who was overlooked as a too-short linebacker coming out of high school. He went to West Point, was a three-year starter and team captain and now is an assistant coach with the New York Jets.

Former Vocational, Notre Dame and Chicago Bears star Chris Zorich was another. He didn't command much attention coming out of high school. I contacted schools for him. He attended one of my events in the city. I didn't know much about him at the time. He was a linebacker in high school, not a defensive lineman. He received a lot of letters but not much serious attention. He had a good senior year but was only average as a sophomore and junior. But he was a tough kid. Finally, he received offers from Illinois, UCLA, Northwestern and Notre Dame.

Remember, recruiting isn't an exact science. Evaluators make mistakes. Not every high school football player who is awarded a college scholarship ends up as a starter or earns a spot in the NFL. But there is no excuse for being overlooked. Every kid with potential and production, with speed and size and strength, should have an opportunity to be evaluated and receive exposure to college recruiters.

This is one way to do it.

Brewster played high school football in New Jersey, junior college football in California and caught a touchdown pass for Mike White's 1983 Illinois team in the Rose Bowl. He learned his trade from Mack Brown, one of college football's all-time best recruiters. It was great preparation, like going to the Harvard of recruiting.

His personality seems to attract everyone, black and white, parents and coaches. In only his third year, he has brought national recruiting to Minnesota.

For example, Brewster is in the final six for 6-7, 325-pound offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson of St. Paul, Minn., the nation's top-rated player. It would be the greatest coup for the school since the Gophers landed Bronko Nagurski, Carl Eller and Bobby Bell decades ago. If anyone can pull it off, it would be Brewster. Henderson also is considering USC, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Florida and Notre Dame.

Brewster has an impressive portfolio. He recruited Vince Young to Texas and Julius Peppers to North Carolina. He is ever-present in Florida and Texas. And he is keeping Minnesota players at home, as Barry Alvarez did in Wisconsin and Mack Brown did in North Carolina and Texas. In other years, Minnesota lost homegrown Larry Fitzgerald to Pittsburgh and Chris Wienke to Florida State. Brewster seems intent on not letting that happen again.

Think of some of the troublemakers from the Chicago area...Boo Boo Thompson, Kyle Williams, Phillip Macklin, Yarmo Green, Ryan Hare, to name a few. Just read the sports section daily and you see one example after another of kids who are getting into trouble in college. And some colleges have a long history of troublemakers.

How do you explain it?

Lack of discipline shows in many programs. Kids aren't afraid of the coaches or of being thrown off the team. There is a lack of respect for the coaching staff and the university which creates incidents of disciplinary behavior.

Kids feel they can do anything they want because they have been told that while being recruited. They can indulge in all the fun and partying they can. Rules aren't made for them but for other students. They have carte blanche to do as they please. The worst thing that will happen to them is a slap on the wrist, a day without recess.

What do you expect from kids who are pampered and spoiled, who are exposed to private campus housing that can be compared to the Trump Tower?

Coaches become their best friends. There is no fear as there once was. They are peers instead of having fears, no coach/player relationship, no Mike Ditka or Murney Lazier or Frank Leahy or Bear Bryant.

College coaches have to sell their souls to these kids in order to recruit them and it comes back to haunt them when the kids think they can do as they please on campus. Every program has problems and some programs always will have problems. You don't have to check the rap sheet to know who they are.

When you are a fan-atic, you don't think straight. Everything revolves around your favorite program. It can do no wrong. There is no room for objectivity. You are a cheerleader. If the school is being investigated, you blame it on the investigators or snitches. You watch everything through rose-colored glasses or the school colors.

Fan-atics don't forgive or understand that everyone is human. A good example was the basketball war between Illinois and Indiana over the recruiting of Eric Gordon. Hatred boiled over. Hey, folks, it's a game, not the Middle East conflict.

They are the ones who hang out on their computers all day, eating Cheetos and drinking beer. They are the anonymous ones, the really scary ones.

Fortunately, most football fans take the game and recruiting as it is...sports, fun, homecoming, Dad's Day, not the end of the world.

Unfortunately, the unrealistic 1 percent always think their school should get a kid because it has so much to offer. They fail to understand (or admit to themselves) that other schools have great salesmen and facilities and also have a lot to offer, maybe even more than your school.

One football recruiter once told me that he never lost a prospect, that if he didn't sign the recruit, it was because (1) he didn't want the kid in the first place or (2) the other school cheated. Most fan-atics have the same philosophy.

Evaluating isn't that difficult. It isn't brain surgery or nuclear physics. A coach must fit a model for each position. It includes a size description, quick feet and speed. Then you have to evaluate how a prospect plays the game. If he is a Division I candidate, he must stand out. He must have Division I potential. He must stand out against high school competition. All All-Staters need not apply.

The 1 percent doesn't accept any of this logic. It's a shame because they tend to ruin the fun for many of us who want to enjoy the game and recruiting for what it is, football's second season.

How badly has all of this affected Weis' program?

Up to now, not much. His recruiting class for 2010 is rated among the top 10 to 15 in the nation by every recruiting service. It includes Christian Lombard of Fremd, one of the nation's leading offensive linemen, and quarterback Tommy Rees of Lake Forest.

But there are concerns. While the offense has played well, the defense is hurting.

But the defense...well, safety Kyle McCarthy has been the only standout. No. 28, the one who made the game-saving interceptions against Michigan State. He is an overachiever. He wasn't rated a high school All-American by me or anyone else.

The Irish have All-Americans on defense but they haven't been developed. Sophomore Darius Fleming of St. Rita is starting to look like the All-American he is supposed to be. The defense isn't struggling for lack of talent. Several defenders were recruited by all of the elite programs in the country. The talent is there but the coaching staff hasn't found a way to put them together.

The main problem is there is no punch in the defensive line. Opponents aren't scared by the Irish defensive front. One starting defensive lineman didn't record a single tackle in the first two games.

So Notre Dame's problems start with the defensive line. It is the one position that Weis and his staff haven't recruited an All-American with the exception of Ethan Johnson.