The lost boys: Hurricane Katrina destroyed homes and schools but not the dreams of some displaced recruits. Their cry: don't forget about us

It finally was Tyler Unsworth's turn.

Unsworth, a 6-8, 280-pound offensive tackle from Northshore High School in Slidell, La., had worked hard throughout his career to turn himself into one of the top players in Louisiana. He was receiving serious attention from LSU and Alabama. In addition, Mississippi State, Southern Mississippi, Louisiana Tech and Texas A&M had talked to him. But everything changed when Hurricane Katrina struck.

It ripped his school's scoreboard in half and flooded most of his teammates' homes, forcing several to move in with him. It also clouded Unsworth's hopes of playing Division I football.

"I was getting a lot of letters and calls before Katrina," Unsworth says. "But since then, I've not heard from any of them or even gotten any mail from the schools. It's been about two weeks since I've gotten anything from anybody or talked to a coach."

Unsworth's story isn't much different from other players' across Louisiana and Mississippi. It's estimated 20 of the top 40 players in Louisiana were affected in some way by the storm. Many prospects changed high schools or moved to states such as Alabama, Florida and Texas. Because home and cell phones no longer were operating, the lines of communication between recruits and colleges were cut.

"I don't know if anybody knows where we're at," says former New Orleans John F. Kennedy receiver Courtney Smith, who moved to Prattville, Ala., after his house and school were wiped out. "My coach back in New Orleans said I was close to landing my first offer, but with the storm and having to move, I'm afraid nobody knows where I'm at."

Even the lucky ones who didn't have to move aren't set because a good chunk of their senior seasons was canceled.

"Who I think is hurt the most is the type of prospects who would have earned an offer if they played well their senior season," Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron says. "We have not seen that as much because we know where our guys are. But it's going to happen to somebody because a lot of teams are still not playing games."

But time is on their side: Signing day isn't until February 1.

For more analysis from Jeremy Crabtree and in-depth recruiting coverage, visit rivals.com.

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