Spring football recruiting feeling the effects of COVID-19

Like so many other high-school students, Glenbard West junior Wes Hoeh looked forward to taking a spring trip.

But the anticipation had nothing to do with faraway beaches or endlessly hanging out with friends.

The standout football player planned a business trip to Dartmouth and Yale to participate in their Junior Day events. A critical part of the football recruiting process, college visits are a rite of passage this time of year.

But because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the stay-at-home order and travel restrictions, the world of spring football recruiting has been turned upside down. High schools and colleges are shut down and on Wednesday the NCAA announced the “dead period” for football recruiting would be extended through the end of May.

Futures are on hold as prep football players wade into uncharted waters.

“It all seemed pretty normal until recently,” said Hoeh, an offensive lineman for the Hilltoppers who holds scholarship offers from Kent State, Central Michigan, Columbia, Fordham and Furman. “But now everything's changed. I really hope it doesn't affect my recruiting.”

Big men on campus

They're difficult to miss walking the hallways, especially when they're wearing swag from the Big Ten or the SEC.

Spring is a traditional time for college coaches to make the rounds at high schools. They visit dozens in a matter of days, sometimes just to put in face time with a high-school coach or watch film on a player or two.

If a particular athlete interests the college coaches, maybe they'll sit in on a workout and meet with the player. It's the face-to-face contact that can make all the difference in recruiting a player.

This spring, however, those hallways will be empty. The spring parade of college coaches is canceled.

“Not being able to visit with the coaches and get my name out there is tough,” said Vernon Hills junior tight end Justin Morris, who's been offered by Ball State, Eastern Illinois and Yale. “I'm definitely worried about this slowing down my recruiting.”

Dealing with the uncertainty hasn't been easy for players like Hoeh and Morris, but having multiple scholarship offers helps. It's other players, the borderline scholarship athletes who desperately need this time to make an impact on college coaches.

“Everyone has their no-brainers that everyone is aware of,” said Barrington coach Joe Sanchez. “But so much of the spring is about the other kids. Now they may not get the opportunity to get in front of as many coaches as they need to.”

Sanchez estimates about 25 to 35 college coaches come through Barrington during a typical spring, more if the Broncos boast a bona fide top recruit. When St. Charles North defensive back Tyler Nubin was being recruited a couple years ago, North Stars coach Rob Pomazak said the number of visiting college coaches hit triple digits.

Nubin wound up at Minnesota, but Pomazak believes the attention trickled down to many of his other players. Not only that year but ever since.

“Anytime you can get the big-name schools in, it benefits your entire program,” Pomazak said. “They learn to like the kind of kids you have. And it's a real exciting experience for the kids.”

Audible

While Hoeh planned an Ivy League sweep for Junior Day events, Morris was going to stick closer to home with spring visits to Purdue, Northwestern and Northern Illinois.

The Junior Day experience is immensely important for recruits. They get a close-up look at the colleges' spring games, sit in on positional meetings, meet with coaches and get an in-depth tour of the facilities.

If you notice a lot of football players committing to colleges in April and May, it's because of those spring visits.

“It was supposed to be a pretty busy week for me,” Morris said. “I understand them canceling everything but it's still scary because you don't know what the future holds.”

As stressful as the recruiting process may be, Hoeh was looking forward to it. Missing a significant chunk of it this spring won't be easy.

“Now all we can do is take it day by day,” Hoeh said.

Like a good quarterback, recruits need to audible.

They'll resend their highlight film. They'll stay active on social media. They'll reach out to all those college coaches they were supposed to meet in April and May.

Until this unique time passes, there's only so much they can do.

“It's frustrating but a lot of us are in the same boat,” Morris said. “We just have to hope that everything will fall into place eventually.”

Twitter: @kevin_schmit