Commission told of big changes in recruiting

USA TODAY, January, 2007 by Jack Carey

WASHINGTON -- With high school football recruits ready to sign letters of intent with colleges starting Feb.7, the reform-minded Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics convened Monday to hear a panel discussion concerning outside influences and pressures on the recruiting process. With the popularity of Internet recruiting sites growing each year along with fans' thirst for knowledge about who their school is recruiting and why, the commission heard from former North Carolina football coach John Bunting and current Maryland offensive lineman Andrew Crummey, among others.

Those two painted a clear picture on how much the recruiting process has changed. Bunting, who played at North Carolina from 1969-71 and had a 14-year pro career, said that when he arrived at UNC as a player, he had little idea who else was in his recruiting class, how many players at various positions had been brought in or how good they were. But as ...