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Canton Rep
1/31
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Recruiting calls that never came
Tuesday, January 31, 2006 By Joe Frollo Jr. Repository assistant sports editor
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Repository Bob Rossiter Stark County High School Football Player of the Year Drew Kuhn of Louisville has not received a scholarship offer from a Division I college as national signing day approaches Wednesday. But he is not alone, as other Stark standouts (left, from top) Scott Weber and John Bertsch of Northwest, James Craven and Lambert Budzinski of Jackson and Austin Power, also of Louisville, find themselves in the same situations.
</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> Drew Kuhn is going to college for free.
An All-Ohioan, Kuhn did as much as anyone could ask during his Louisville High School football career.
With 4.4 speed and big-play ability, the wide receiver-turned-quarterback accounted for 60 touchdowns and more than 5,000 yards during his final two seasons. He wowed coaches with his athletic ability and stood out at every camp.
But unless a Division I head coach changes his mind soon and offers Kuhn a scholarship, the reigning Stark County Player of the Year’s full ride will come at Mount Union College, where his mom works.
It’s not how he envisioned it.
“It’s frustrating,” said Kuhn, who was contacted in the past year by Ohio State, Minnesota, Vanderbilt and most Mid-American Conference schools. At 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, he doesn’t possess what is considered a Division I football body.
“I can’t let it bother me. When people say you can’t do something because you are too small, you want to prove them wrong.
“I like Mount Union. If nothing comes through, I’ll go there and be happy.”
FIRST IMPRESSION
Kuhn’s story is unfortunate but not uncommon for players judged 2 inches too short, 20 pounds too light or a step too slow. Most coaches can tell in five seconds whether a player is Division I material. That’s how long it takes for a quick once-over and a 40-yard dash.
“It’s called an eyeball test,” Northwest head coach Vic Whiting said. “The things they are looking for is size and speed. A lot of coaches believe that they can develop skills if a player already brings the size and speed they want.”
Even if a player passes that test, however, timing comes into play. A program only recruits so many players at each position, and with more and more teams turning to spread offenses, the need for fullbacks and tight ends may be heavy one year and sparse the next.
Players can’t choose what recruiting class they join, McKinley head coach Brian Cross said. Being No. 2 on a list one year may mean something different the next season.
“Some schools may be recruiting one for a position this year and three the next year,” Cross said. “You have to be very realistic with kids from the start. I try to give them the knowledge I have from the recruiting process. You never want to destroy a young man’s dream, but you know where they fit in from year to year.”
WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME
Whiting said that scenario is part of what’s happening to two of his seniors, Scott Weber and John Bertsch.
Weber is a two-time All-Ohio tailback, who at 6-2, 225 pounds is projected as a fullback in college. Bertsch is a 6-2, 235-pound All-Ohio tight end. Weber landed at Division II Ashland University, while Bertsch likely will turn down an offer from Air Force to walk on at a different Division I program, possibly Houston.
Whiting doesn’t blame coaches. He has been around long enough to know the ins and outs of recruiting.
“This is a business,” Whiting said. “These coaches only have so many scholarships. If they make mistakes, they lose their jobs.
“These guys are putting their jobs on the line with a bunch of 18-year-old kids. You can’t get upset with them. If you are good enough, somebody is going to take you.”
And with the MAC’s recent success of producing NFL-ready players, those coaches are working overtime to find every player.
“Division I guys don’t make a lot of mistakes,” Mount Union Coach Larry Kehres said. “Some go through the cracks, but those lists are pretty accurate.”
EARLY DETECTION
Lowell Klinefelter has been head coach at Central Catholic for 32 years. His teams are known for tough, undersized kids who get everything out of their abilities.
In other words, the Perry Township campus is not exactly a stomping ground for recruiters. Klinefelter has sent 11players to Division I-A programs on scholarship.
“If you’re going to be undersized, you’d better jump off the film at them,” Klinefelter said. “Even that is no guarantee.”
The reason so few programs take chances on those players is recruiters are identifying and ranking prospects so early in their high school careers.
“People know by their junior year if they are going to be Division I,” Klinefelter said. “It’s very rare someone pops up their senior year. By September, most players already have all the offers they’ll get.
“A lot of kids go Division III, and that’s great football. Division I is for a rare group of kids who have the physical attributes to even be looked at.”
LOOKING FOR a little MORE
The danger of targeting raw ability, though, is missing out on that one player whose work ethic can bring a team together.
Lee Owens was head coach at Massillon before joining Ohio State as an assistant. He then became head coach at Akron before taking over at Ashland, so he has seen recruiting at nearly every level.
The key for him is looking at everything Division I coaches pass on.
“You have to believe what you see on film,” Owens said. “Sometimes there are players that don’t pass the infamous eye test. ... Bobby Hendry of Hoover was like that. Jay Rohr from Jackson was another.
“You look at them standing there, and you can’t believe they can help. Then you look at them with pads on, and you see how effective they are.”
Hendry, a 5-10 tailback, was 1,000-yard rusher at Akron, while Rohr led the Zips in tackles this season.
“I really can’t express how hard it was to have just one school interested in me, so I went after it as hard as I could,” said Rohr, a 5-11 linebacker who was a four-year starter at Jackson and Akron. He led the Zips to their first bowl game.
“If you have a dream and people try to put it down, it’s still there. You have to believe anything can happen at any time.”
THE BAR KEEPS RISING
Phil Mauro was “stunned” by the lack of interest in Rohr. This year, the Jackson head coach has two linebackers who mirror Rohr but also are not drawing any interest from the NCAA’s highest level.
James Craven (6-0, 195) and Lambert Budzinski (6-2, 210) have room to grow and solid quickness, but neither possess the explosive speed sought by recruiters, which likely means a future in Division II.
“You try to explain off the bat that this is one of the more frustrating processes,” Mauro said. “There’s no science to it. A kid a lot of times is playing euchre with 9s, 10s and no trump. Schools have all the trump. They make all the decisions.”
Louisville head coach Paul Farrah said recruiters need to find a way to measure heart and effort along with height, weight and speed. Like Kuhn, teammate Austin Power is a two-time all-state selection. At 5-10, though, Power must look to Division II or the NAIA for scholarship money.
“Stark County has some great high school football players,” Farrah said. “Some schools who take these local kids often end up cashing in.
“Drew is the most athletic player I’ve ever coached. It’s a shame the kid doesn’t get a chance to play in the MAC or somewhere else. If they want him, they’ll take him. If not, he’ll go on with his life.”
Reach Repository Assistant Sports Editor Joe Frollo Jr. at (330) 580-8564 or e-mail:
joe.frollo@cantonrep.com
ON THE DOTTED LINE
The following are the Division I or Division II football players who are expected to sign national letters of intent Wednesday, the first day allowed by the NCAA:
Name, high school Pos. Ht. Wt. College
Bobby Coates, GlenOak OL 6-4 265 Youngstown St.
Dirk Dickerhoof, Massillon DL 6-4 250 Ashland
Brian Hartline, GlenOak QB 6-6 190 Kentucky
Brett Huffman, Massillon TE 6-4 240 Duke
Mark Jackson, McKinley DB 6-0 195 Toledo
Antonio James, Massillon DL 6-5 250 Illinois
Neil James, Massillon CB 6-0 170 Indiana (Pa.)
Harriel Moore, McKinley DB 6-2 200 Toledo
Joe Morgan, McKinley WR 6-2 175 Illinois
Troy Paiscley, Alliance WR 6-3 195 Louisville
Ryan Palmer, GlenOak OL 6-7 285 Illinois
Scott Weber, Northwest FB 6-1 225 Ashland
Brian Williams, McKinley DB 5-9 155 Findlay
