Posted on Sun, May. 28, 2006
Serious recruit gets early pursuit
Universities -- small and large -- try to win over high school athletes with phone calls, interest letters, campus visits. For Copley's David Arnold, it's about the scholarship
By Gary Estwick
Beacon Journal sportswriter
A recruiting diary: David Arnold's thoughts
Coach Dan Boarman walked into the weight room at Copley High School and handed two letters to junior David Arnold, who had just finished a preseason workout session.
As David reached for the letters, he noticed familiar color schemes in the return addresses. Ohio State. Michigan.
Thuh-thump. Thuh-thump.
David's eyes bulged and his heart, already elevated from lifting weights, started to pump even faster.
Thuh-thump. Thuh-thump. Thuh-thump.
David had just become one of an estimated 150,000 high schoolers that Division I football programs recruit each year. Yet at that point -- nearly one year ago -- the process of earning a scholarship was as much a conundrum to him and his parents as a crossword puzzle with missing clues.
Most football families never figure it out. More than three-fourths of these teenagers never earn Division I scholarships, according to Dion Wheeler, author of Sports Scholarships Insider's Guide.
David, 16, isn't a blue-chip recruit, an elite high school athlete who can pick from any college in the nation. Still, as a 6-foot, 188-pound hard-hitting safety, he shouldn't have to beg for a scholarship either.
Now that he's running track for the first time in high school, his speed -- and his stock -- are accelerating. He already has scholarship offers from Illinois, Syracuse and the University of Akron, and he is hoping to earn more before National Signing Day on Feb.1.
Football in his blood
For the moment, his favorite college is whichever is most interested in him. His mom and stepfather, Shannon and Frank Pangas, joke that they want to keep him on a seven-hour leash. His biological father, Dave Arnold, wants him to play at Michigan, where he starred from 1985-89.
It took more than genetics to earn three offers.
David's parents have spent about $2,600 to pay for speed training and to cover the costs of 17 unofficial visits, which included football and basketball games, practices and campus tours at 11 colleges. The schools provided game tickets, but unlike official visits, which only seniors are allowed to take, expenses from lodging and gas to hot dogs and souvenirs are the family's responsibility.
No wonder David's parents postponed their 10th anniversary trip to the Grand Cayman Islands. Frank, the family's lone breadwinner, is prepared to apply for a second mortgage to finance David's upcoming recruiting trips.
All this, and David is still three months away from his senior season at Copley.
Most families, like the Pangases, aren't prepared when the first recruiting letter arrives.
``It's a process in which only the college coaches are armed with information,'' Wheeler said.
Deceit, espionage and late-night phone calls are all part of the game in big-time college recruiting. Life-altering scholarship decisions are made based on summer camp workouts, standardized test scores and gut feelings. During official visits, many teenagers will travel with minimal adult supervision for the first time in their lives. In preparation for their biggest decisions, recruits will meet hundreds of people who hope to persuade them to commit to their school.
Even a scholarship offer isn't guaranteed. It's common for colleges to extend more offers than they can cover as they anticipate that several recruits will change their minds -- an action called decommitting -- on the eve of signing day. On that day, neither the college nor the player wants to be caught without something concrete in hand.
David Arnold has discovered he would enjoy playing for a number of colleges, but Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith told him the decision is about more than picking a football jersey. An athlete could meet his future wife in college. He also could earn his first job because of contacts made at his alma mater, and later he could settle in the area.
``We try to engrain upon them that they need to know the people they're going to visit,'' said Copley's Boarman, who in 16 years at Copley has sent 10 lettermen to Division I colleges.
Visiting Michigan
David's first letter from the University of Michigan, dated June 7, 2005, invited him to Junior Day in Ann Arbor.
When David's mother, Shannon, called the football office about the letter, she was told it was an opportunity for high school students to tour the campus and meet the coaching staff. The trip sounded like fun. Four years earlier, the family lived about five miles from Michigan Stadium.
During the tour, David and his parents sat in a lecture hall and listened to Ted Spencer, Michigan's director of admissions, address the crowd of 30 teenagers and their families.
``Every one of you are here because we're seriously recruiting you,'' Spencer said.
Thuh-thump. Thuh-thump. Thuh-thump.
Moisture formed in Shannon's eyes.
``You need to have a great junior year; you need to go 100 percent,'' longtime Wolverines coach Lloyd Carr said. ``Because when we watch film, we watch the whole game film, and we will watch the plays that you're not involved in to see what you look like on tape.''
Carr told them to take standardized tests at least three times and to enroll in challenging courses. Michigan, he said, wants more than a great football player; the Wolverines want someone who stands out from his peers.
Frank stood silently as he watched recruits and their families chat with the coaching staff.
``How did Michigan find out about David?'' pondered the athlete's stepfather. ``Was it because of Dave Arnold? Was Michigan going to offer David a scholarship, or do they do this for thousands of high school football players? What does all this mean?''
Shannon reminded Carr that he met David when his father played at Michigan, and that Carr once told the toddler that one day he'd have a locker at the stadium. It seemed that David soon would fulfill a dream for any boy born in the Wolverine state.
During Michigan's 2005 season opener against Northern Illinois, Shannon listened to the mother of recruit Dionte Allen explain the importance of unofficial visits. They give coaching staffs an opportunity to start building relationships with recruits and their families, Monica Allen said.
She told Shannon that if a college is interested in David, it will invite him to all of its home games. And later, at a college's football camp -- mini-combines for football programs -- it might offer a scholarship.
Monica Allen suggested that Shannon study the NCAA Clearinghouse, regulations that outline academic guidelines for participating in intercollegiate athletics.
By the time Copley was eliminated from the Division II state football playoffs in late November, David had attended games at Michigan, Ohio State and Notre Dame. Soon after, the University of Minnesota and Hope College (Michigan) became the fourth and fifth schools to contact him.
Coaches initiate contact
Minnesota offensive coordinator Mitch Browning left a message for David at the high school. (In December, coaches weren't allowed to contact juniors directly but recruits may call the coaches). David returned the call on his way home from school and finished the conversation in the family driveway.
``I'm going to be at the high school at some point,'' Browning said. ``Good luck in the future and stay in touch.''
Thuh-thump. Thuh-thump. Thuh-thump.
Later, Shannon received a message through Duane Long, a recruiting analyst for Ohio High Magazine and Bucknuts.com. Ohio State receivers coach Darrell Hazell wanted to talk.
``We want to start establishing a relationship,'' Hazell told David later. ``Call as much as you want.''
Over the first eight months of David's recruiting experience, not much changed. Then came the eve of 2006 National Signing Day. His mail increased from three letters a week to about 20 as many of the schools that knew about David made their pitches.
Illinois: It's time to start making plans to come and see us this spring.
Kentucky: We are striving to find young men who will help us compete in the best football conference in the nation, the Southeastern Conference.
Ohio State sent the most intriguing letter: In the coming months, you'll receive lots of letters... I hope you decide to choose The Ohio State University to further your education and play Big Ten Championship football.
Unsure of the letter's meaning, David's family called Duane Long.
``Is it a scholarship offer?'' they asked.
No, Long replied.
``It's like a prelude to a kiss.''
Getting the first offer
By late February, the recruiting process had become confusing. Colleges were calling, but none had offered. Ohio State had offered just one player, safety Nate Oliver of Lakewood St. Edward. The Buckeyes seemed content to wait until their football camp in June to decide between David and C.J. Pete of Trotwood-Madison. Michigan offered defensive back Artis Chambers of Fort Wayne, Ind., and David wondered if he was really part of the Wolverines' plans. The Notre Dame coaching staff stayed in touch, but like Ohio State and Michigan seemed content with pulling back its recruiting efforts.
Still in search of his first offer, David, his mom and teammate Nick Towns made a six-hour drive to Champaign, Ill. Frank stayed at home; it was his turn to baby-sit Frankie, 5.
Before an Illinois basketball game, David sat in the football office with coach Ron Zook.
``Are we allowed to offer him right now?'' Zook asked as he turned to an assistant.
Thuh-thump. Thuh-thump. Thuh-thump.
``OK, this might be worth the trip,'' David thought.
Six days later, after he had been courted by a group of schools, Illinois asked for the first dance. David's scholarship offer came in a large, unfolded manila envelope.
Putting forth the effort
For the first time since he was age 4, David is not playing baseball. He traded his spot in center field for a track jersey in hopes of improving his 4.4 time in the 40-yard dash. He was even more encouraged about track after discovering that the Oakland Raiders inquired about high school track times of former Copley standout Jared Ellerson prior to his senior season at Minnesota.
Several times a week, David drives home after track practice, eats a snack and drives back to school for speed training with Johnny Legrair, who is also an assistant track coach at Copley.
David has run a personal-best 10.7 seconds in the 100 meters and 21.7 (hand-timed) in the 200. He won four titles at the Suburban League meet and qualified for next week's state meet after finishing thirdin the 1,600-meter relay at Austintown on Friday.
The first time he'll debut his newfound quickness will be this summer at Ohio State and Michigan football camps.
He will likely need that speed this fall in a new offensive position: quarterback.
What schools must do
David took the ACT cold in February; he scored 18. He will take it again in June. He also has a cumulative 3.0 grade point average. Those numbers make him eligible to play as a freshman, therefore, more desirable to colleges.
This month alone, 11 new colleges have contacted David, including national powers Florida, Florida State and Boston College. Every school in the Big Ten has contacted him, bringing the total list of schools to 75.
Earlier this month, he left Syracuse with his second offer. The school touted its 76 percent graduation rate for African-Americans. The university already has signed Copley senior running back Delone Carter.
Since offering David his first scholarship, Coach Zook from Illinois has visited Copley during an observance period. The coaching staff sends regular text messages to his cell phone.
Zook hopes that by offering David early, Illinois, a rebuilding program, will win out over perennial Top 25 teams.
Last week, the University of Akron offered David a scholarship. Coach J.D. Brookhart can't promise the television exposure others can provide, but he feels the Zips need just one special player like David to transform them into an elite mid-major program.
David just wants to figure out where he belongs. What he has determined is that the college that wins his signature Feb. 1 probably will be the one with a personal touch.
The school will send handwritten Christmas cards versus computer-generated, generic correspondence. The school will send text messages versus not calling as often.
``The same way that schools look for someone that stands out,'' David said, "we're looking for a school that does the same.''
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Gary Estwick can be reached at 330-996-3826 or
[email protected]
