ESPN: Early official visits could be recruiting game-changer for Big Ten

http://www.espn.com/blog/bigten/pos...ould-be-a-recruiting-game-changer-for-big-ten

The NCAA Division I Council likely will make that a reality this spring. If so, prospects could take paid official visits to schools beginning in April of their junior year of high school and lasting into late June. Right now, recruits can only take official visits beginning in September of their senior year.

"I think it changes everything," Penn State head coach James Franklin told ESPN.com last week. "It changes your camp model, your recruiting model and your spring practice model. You have to factor all those things in."

Earlier official visits have long been viewed as a change that would benefit the Big Ten, perhaps more than any other league. To understand why, one only has to consider geography and timing.

Several Big Ten programs, especially West Division schools Nebraska, Wisconsin and Minnesota, are located far away from the top recruiting hotbeds. Getting a kid on campus obviously is crucial to eventually signing him, but it's not easy for a prospect from, say, Florida or Texas to get to the upper Midwest for an unofficial visit in the spring or summer, considering he and his family would have to foot the cost.

Plus, more and more recruits are committing early, before the current official visit schedule even begins. That puts many Big Ten schools behind the curve and gives even more of an advantage to programs whose campuses are closer to where recruits live.

Then, of course, there's the weather. A recruit visiting a northern Big Ten school in the fall could well encounter the snow, cold and wind that make late-season conference games a challenge for all involved. Earlier official visits allow teams to show off their surroundings in a potentially better light.

"I think that's critical," first-year Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck said. "There are not many better places in the spring and summer than the Twin Cities and the state of Minnesota. It's some of the most beautiful weather you'll find in the entire country. That's what we look forward to showing off."

Gopher07 said:

http://www.espn.com/blog/bigten/pos...ould-be-a-recruiting-game-changer-for-big-ten

The NCAA Division I Council likely will make that a reality this spring. If so, prospects could take paid official visits to schools beginning in April of their junior year of high school and lasting into late June. Right now, recruits can only take official visits beginning in September of their senior year.

"I think it changes everything," Penn State head coach James Franklin told ESPN.com last week. "It changes your camp model, your recruiting model and your spring practice model. You have to factor all those things in."

Earlier official visits have long been viewed as a change that would benefit the Big Ten, perhaps more than any other league. To understand why, one only has to consider geography and timing.

Several Big Ten programs, especially West Division schools Nebraska, Wisconsin and Minnesota, are located far away from the top recruiting hotbeds. Getting a kid on campus obviously is crucial to eventually signing him, but it's not easy for a prospect from, say, Florida or Texas to get to the upper Midwest for an unofficial visit in the spring or summer, considering he and his family would have to foot the cost.

Plus, more and more recruits are committing early, before the current official visit schedule even begins. That puts many Big Ten schools behind the curve and gives even more of an advantage to programs whose campuses are closer to where recruits live.

Then, of course, there's the weather. A recruit visiting a northern Big Ten school in the fall could well encounter the snow, cold and wind that make late-season conference games a challenge for all involved. Earlier official visits allow teams to show off their surroundings in a potentially better light.

"I think that's critical," first-year Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck said. "There are not many better places in the spring and summer than the Twin Cities and the state of Minnesota. It's some of the most beautiful weather you'll find in the entire country. That's what we look forward to showing off."

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PJ getting that recruiting pitch ready. This is a good move. Would also like to see an early signing period added that's guaranteed for the recruit (like a one week period). Feel like it would beneficial for all involved.

I wonder what the SEC coaches think of this??

PJ is correct...we have some of the best weather in the spring, summer and fall here in Minnesota.

I think the cold weather factor is a little overrated. As they always say, you need to be able to play in the cold weather if you want to play in the NFL. It's going to be cold at times in Big Ten cities such as Minneapolis, Madison, Evanston, Lincoln, Iowa City, Ann Arbor, East Lansing, Columbus and Happy Valley.

A.B.S......Fleck gets it.

It would be big for any non-blueblood northern school.

I'm so glad we have Fleck as coach.
National attention.

SEC coaches hate it because it takes away an advantage. The weather thing for us is huge. Its not so much that we get guys here in perfect weather, its that there is a real perception by some that have never been to the upper midwest and even some in the central part of the country that its always cold here. In addition, its much much easier to sell Minneapolis as a great city to live in when you can show it off in the Spring/Summer months. The difference between MPLS in the winter vs the Spring is huge, especially for college aged kids

Doesn't level the playing field, but it definitely helps!

When you think of all the recruits nationally who have regularly footed the cost of their own unofficial trips to campus, it still strikes me as funny that a number of people on this board were wracked with anguish at the thought of Gopher players having to buy a couple polo shirts to wear to class.

One wonders what Minnesota's recruiting cost is compared to schools like Florida, Miami, Alabama LSU and other schools in the recruiting hotbed.

I would not be surprised if Minnesota's is up there especially with the piggy bank opened up for PJ Fleck.