Is this typical?

denguegopher

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I work with a woman whose son just started on the freshmen football team at Bishop Gorman HS in Las Vegas. He has never played in a varsity game and the person who starts at his position was a soph last fall. For spring break she and her son are going to Florida and she is trying to get unofficial visits with coaches at Florida State, and Central and South Florida. Yes, Bishop Gorman is a powerhouse, but this seems crazy to me. Please tell me that this is not what college football and overly involved parents have come to.
 

Wow! My guess is delusional. Parents don't realize it's easier to get some sort of academic scholarship than an athletic one.
 

Wow! My guess is delusional. Parents don't realize it's easier to get some sort of academic scholarship than an athletic one.

Delusional.
Parents always think their kids are better than they are, and sometimes chase that athletic scholarship to hell and back.
 

I work with a woman whose son just started on the freshmen football team at Bishop Gorman HS in Las Vegas. He has never played in a varsity game and the person who starts at his position was a soph last fall. For spring break she and her son are going to Florida and she is trying to get unofficial visits with coaches at Florida State, and Central and South Florida. Yes, Bishop Gorman is a powerhouse, but this seems crazy to me. Please tell me that this is not what college football and overly involved parents have come to.

doesn't seem normal but who knows. What position is the kid? Its one thing if this is some 5'9" 160lb safety and another if he's some 6'4" DE
 

Point of clarification - are they going to Florida for spring break anyway and hoping to add these as side trips while they're there, or are they going specifically for that purpose?
 


Point of clarification - are they going to Florida for spring break anyway and hoping to add these as side trips while they're there, or are they going specifically for that purpose?

Good point, I'm not sure. She used to work in Tallahasse, so she may be going to see friends, etc. But she did not say that, it sounded like her main purpose was to get her son to meet with D1 coaches. I believe that a part of her thinking is based on one of her cousin's experiences, former Viking Corey Chavous. I think that she she does not understand the long odds of becoming an NFL player, and if her cousin can do it, her son can do it.
 

Point of clarification - are they going to Florida for spring break anyway and hoping to add these as side trips while they're there, or are they going specifically for that purpose?

Oh, to answer the other part of your question. He's a 6'0" QB. Based on another of his mother's comments she might be thinking that he is gong to beat out the current Gorman QB, who by the way led the team to the state championship last fall (the school's 6th in a row?). She said that the current QB is shorter than me. I'm a solid 6 footer, and not a 5'10" who claiming to be taller. I was not meaning to rain on her parade, but said, "Russell Wilson is also shorter than me." I just think its crazy to be hauling a 9th grader around the country trying to meet D1 coaches.
 

He has played freshman football? And you are sure she is driving this? It would be one thing to take him on several campus visits another to expect coaches to take any time with them. It is not typical.
 

I'm taking my two sons, who are 10 and 12 on an "unofficial" visit to the University of Minnesota this weekend, and they hope to (again) meet coach Kill.
 



If they're already going to be in the area and it all lines up, it's not that abnormal. A lot of getting recruiting interest is marketing yourself and who you know. Doesn't hurt to get some kind of visit. I would definitely say it's excessive if they're actually making the trip just for the visit though.
 

The Bishop Gorman sophomore QB who started on varsity last year is listed as 5-foot-10 and has offers from USC, Arizona State, Washington, and Texas Tech.

There are currently four players in the Rivals database from Bishop Gorman who are Class of 2018. Maybe her kid is one of them. He might be on the radar already.
 

The Bishop Gorman sophomore QB who started on varsity last year is listed as 5-foot-10 and has offers from USC, Arizona State, Washington, and Texas Tech.

There are currently four players in the Rivals database from Bishop Gorman who are Class of 2018. Maybe her kid is one of them. He might be on the radar already.

Playing at a place like Bishop Gorman the kid will get noticed if he can play. No harm in trying to make the rounds if you were already going to be in the area anyway but if the trip is just for that purpose then she is wasting her time. The coaching staffs are unlikely to go out of their way to meet with a kid that hasn't even played a Varsity game yet and who I am pretty sure they can't officially recruit yet anyway.

Don't know this woman but won't shock me if she falls in the class of parents that get way to wrapped up in their kids sports and think they have the next superstar on their hand. Better to give the kid a chance to play a little in high school first before going nuts trying to get him college scholarships but for many parents these days that doesn't register as an option.
 

I've been going out to Gorman the past several summers.. their facilities are impressive. Really, really nice.

Even if the kid isn't on anyone's radar, if they're in Florida anyway and a coach says, 'sure stop on by and say hello' and you do so for even 5 minutes... why not?
 





I work with a woman whose son just started on the freshmen football team at Bishop Gorman HS in Las Vegas. He has never played in a varsity game and the person who starts at his position was a soph last fall. For spring break she and her son are going to Florida and she is trying to get unofficial visits with coaches at Florida State, and Central and South Florida. Yes, Bishop Gorman is a powerhouse, but this seems crazy to me. Please tell me that this is not what college football and overly involved parents have come to.

It may be in certain geographical areas.

Gorman has the Martell kid (the Sophomore) who gave a verbal commitment to Washington prior to his entering 8th grade. He has since de-committed as of January this year. Transfer from California - tutored by Steve Clarkson.

Gorman also had Hong (Columbia), Cunningham II (Track at USC), and Solomon (QB @ Arizona) who were QB's in their program. In this case, the "unofficial" by their QB's may be considered the norm. They are a football factory playing regularly on National TV on Friday nights. As someone mentioned, their facilities are outstanding (better than UNLV's).
 

Very, very typical if

the kid can't play. Mom and dad spend money and send a kid to a one day camp and they are ready to start on varsity.
They send a kid to a weekend camp and now the investment equals a college scholarship. Send a kid to a week long camp and the local coach is an idiot and the kid is ready for the pros...and so is dad by osmosis. Heaven forbid you get to coach the kid who goes to multiple week long camps each year because the parents know the kid deserves a college athletic scholarship. 99% of the time they couldn't play in the MIAC. So, typical? Absolutely! Unless the kid can actually play.
 

Well, I guess that the kid got his first offer Saturday at UNLV's spring game. The mother tells me that the UNLV coaches said that they know that he will be a D1 player and wanted to be the first to offer. Mind you he will be a soph in the fall and has never played in a varsity game. She also said that a coach told them that he is the type of kid who could be so good that they would consider retiring his jersey number (I am not making this up!!! She might be making this up, but I don't think so). Those type of comments sound just like the stuff that Kill apparently refuses do in the recruiting game. As a parent my BS meter would be off the charts.
 

Well, I guess that the kid got his first offer Saturday at UNLV's spring game. The mother tells me that the UNLV coaches said that they know that he will be a D1 player and wanted to be the first to offer. Mind you he will be a soph in the fall and has never played in a varsity game. She also said that a coach told them that he is the type of kid who could be so good that they would consider retiring his jersey number (I am not making this up!!! She might be making this up, but I don't think so). Those type of comments sound just like the stuff that Kill apparently refuses do in the recruiting game. As a parent my BS meter would be off the charts.

Interesting. The thing about the early offers is they are not binding. UNLV will just move on if he is not good enough. It would probably end up being a nightmare but I would love it if kids could commit at any time. Sign a 15 year old, that's fine but he is yours for his college years.

I suspect recruiters learn early which parents like the "so good we will retire his number" crap.
 

Is she the best friend of a former Gopher's mother?
 

Well, I guess that the kid got his first offer Saturday at UNLV's spring game. The mother tells me that the UNLV coaches said that they know that he will be a D1 player and wanted to be the first to offer. Mind you he will be a soph in the fall and has never played in a varsity game. She also said that a coach told them that he is the type of kid who could be so good that they would consider retiring his jersey number (I am not making this up!!! She might be making this up, but I don't think so). Those type of comments sound just like the stuff that Kill apparently refuses do in the recruiting game. As a parent my BS meter would be off the charts.
Mom had to be devastated nobody offered in Florida?
 

UNLV coach is the old Gorman coach he is just trying to get local talent to stay home
 




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