Hartline admits it’s football first - Canton Repository
Hartline admits it’s football first
Friday, March 11, 2005
By TODD PORTER Repository sports writer
PLAIN TWP. — You’re not going to like what Mike Hartline has to say.
This much he knows.
“Well, I hate to say this, but football is the No. 1 factor in the decision,” said Hartline, the GlenOak High School star who is one of the top junior quarterbacks in the nation. “That’s the truth.”
What Hartline doesn’t know is where he’ll play football in 2006.
The 6-foot-6 QB has no shortage of college suitors following a junior season in which he completed 185 of 331 passes for 2,355 yards and 16 touchdowns. Kent State offered him a full ride as a sophomore, and recently Michigan State phoned with an offer.
But there’s a problem. Only one QB gets on the field at once, and coaches are loath to unseat an established starter. Major Division I schools recruit one, maybe two, quarterbacks a year.
If Ohio State is looking for just one quarterback in its recruiting class of 2006, the first one who accepts gets the financial package. The second gets left out.
That’s what makes Hartline’s decision-making process so important.
“You don’t want to go to a place that doesn’t take academics seriously, but you’re going there on a football scholarship,” Hartline said. “You’re going there to play football. It’s like that. I know people don’t want to hear that, but it’s just the reality, the honestly of it.
“People will probably think I’m a stupid kid because of that. ... I like the school work as much as any kid my age does.”
Hartline isn’t a stupid kid. A 3.3 grade-point average indicates he does just fine in the classroom. What he may be more than anything is a teen-ager with his eyes wide open.
Things are already getting hectic. He is running track and juggling the recruiting process with school. In his bedroom sits piles of clothes and piles of letters from interested schools.
It takes an organized person to plan a future at 16.
“If you saw my room, you wouldn’t think I’m very organized,” he said. “It’s funny because I need to sit down and concentrate and figure out my future in the next couple of months. I’m only 16 and I have to plan out the next four or five years, and that will have a bearing on what the rest of my life will be like. I’m not used to planning four or five days down the road, and now I have to plan four or five years?”
It is becoming a trend to commit before one’s senior high school season. Hartline’s older brother, Brian, did it in accepting an offer from Ohio State before taking his official visit.
That decision wasn’t quite as risky. The Hartlines are well acquainted with Ohio State and Brian already had met many players and got a feel for the campus during a summer camp.
But what if Notre Dame called tomorrow with an offer for Mike? He’s been to South Bend twice, only paying close attention to his surroundings during a junior day visit recently.
“That would be a hard thing,” Hartline said. “I’d have to sit down with my parents and really talk. Since I can’t wait too long because of my position, I’d probably go back for another unofficial visit, hang out with the coaches, sit in on a team meeting and get a feel for what they do.”
Official visits, which are a 48-hour visit paid for by the school, aren’t taken until November, December and January. Technically, Hartline could verbally commit to one school, take an official visit to another school and fall in love. A verbal commitment isn’t official. It can be changed.
“You only truly know if you like the place and fit in after an official visit,” Hartline said.
Academics aren’t completely discarded in this decision-making process. Hartline is paying attention to schools’ graduation rates.
“They all want to portray themselves in the best light,” Hartline said. “Some school might say they have the best graduation rate in the Big Ten in the last five years. Another might say the same thing, but it’s over the last two years. You have to read everything closely and make a determination.
“Right now, for me, the one thing that is important is tradition. What have they done (wins and losses) over the last couple of years? Who have they made? What players did well there and had success in the NFL. ... I’m like every kid being recruited by schools. I want to move on to the next level and reach my highest potential.”
Hartline said his top three choices are, in no order, Ohio State, Michigan and Notre Dame. Many assume that if OSU offers, he will join his brother there.
Maybe.
“I would say I would hold out pretty long for (an Ohio State offer),” Hartline said. “I want to see how high I am on their list. ... I have a good feeling and I hope something comes soon. ... I would hold out for Ohio State, Notre Dame and Michigan for a long time. How could you go wrong with any of those three?”
