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Self-promotion is recruit's tool
Players don't wait to be noticed.
By Keith Pompey
Inquirer Suburban Staff
<!-- begin body-content --> Derrick Morgan is recognized by some as Southeastern Pennsylvania's best recruiting prospect for the Class of 2007.
Rivals.com lists the Coatesville senior third behind Manheim Township's Pat Bostick and Greensburg Central Catholic's Nick Sukay in its Pennsylvania Top 40 rankings.
Scout.com lists him as the state's 10th-best prospect and the nation's 17th-best defensive end. As of late July, Morgan said he had 20 scholarship offers.
"Derrick Morgan is a player," said Scout.com's Bob Litchenfels.
The 6-foot-4, 265-pounder's popularity among recruiters can be attributed in large part to self-promotion. With the help of a family friend, Elliott Lightfoot, Morgan sent out highlight films to 25 Division I colleges after his junior season with the hope of landing a scholarship.
And he wasn't alone.
These days, putting together personal highlight films for college coaches is a popular way to spread the word about yourself.
Recruits are no longer waiting to be spotted by recruiting coordinators or hoping for recommendations from their high school coaches.
"The way I see, you have to do it," said Paul Ostick, a Malvern Prep defensive tackle who sent highlight films to 40 colleges. "You have to sell yourself as a player and person and student as soon as possible."
Ostick so far hasn't received any scholarship offers. But the 6-3, 275-pounder said he is receiving recruiting interest from Penn State, Villanova, Delaware, Princeton and William and Mary.
Upper Perkiomen senior John Fieger also initiated his own recruiting process. As a result, the 6-6, 280-pound offensive and defensive tackle gave an oral commitment to Pittsburgh in July.
"John is a relatively unknown commodity in Pennsylvania right now," Upper Perkiomen coach Keith Leamer said. "He had a good [2005 season], but he didn't get the exposure. I asked the coach [Rick Pennypacker] at Pottsgrove, 'How are you getting these kids D-I exposure?' He said film. So I must have mailed out, between his highlight tape and our game tape, about 150 films to Division I schools and Division I-AA schools."
Pittsburgh was one of the first schools to offer a scholarship.
"It was a great experience for us," Leamer said.
An A student with a 1,480 score on the Scholastic Assessment Test, there was never a question about Morgan's wanting to attend college. He would like a career in television, so he hopes to attend a university with a strong communications program.
Obtaining a scholarship to play college football is an added bonus.
"I thought I was going to put myself on the map my senior season," he said. "I didn't really get any attention. So I had to do my thing my senior year."
Lightfoot, a former high school coach in Wisconsin with college connections, made a highlight film of Morgan after last season and sent the film to 25 colleges.
But it didn't stop there. Using his college connections, Lightfoot contacted as many college coaches as he could by telephone to talk up Morgan.
Penn State offered him a scholarship in March.
"They were first to offer," Morgan said. "Then, after that, everybody just started. It was like a domino effect."
Morgan said his top five choices at this point, in no particular order, are Penn State, Ohio State, North Carolina State, Georgia Tech and Miami. He is also considering Boston College.
Before meeting Lightfoot, Morgan wasn't sure that he would play major college ball. Now, like others who have promoted themselves, he's on the short list of some pretty good programs.
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Contact suburban staff writer Keith Pompey at 610-313-8029 or kpompey@phillynews.com.
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