Big time college recruits are faced with a myriad of options in terms of choosing their future home. America’s colleges and Universities have a lot of weapons they and their boosters and hometowns unleash on the annual crop of D1- dandies. It is all a sort of mating-dance if you will in which the school flaunts their feathers and bright and shiny parts to land the next big “game-changer”.

Myles Jack out of Bellevue High made a perfect selection focused on position and player development and ended up at UCLA where he flourished and became a top football prospect in the NFL!

Many people will influence the recruit along the way from parents and friends to Alumni and the boosters of the prospective programs. Maybe the athlete wants the best training facility, the nicest locker room with gaming systems, and a quality education. And don’t think for a moment that certain little “extras” are not offered because we regularly talk to recruits about many off balance sheet percs that come their way.

Do these same recruits dream of the day they walk onto an NFL field and drive that first sports car? You bet. They all do.

That is what begs the question as to why more recruits, especially those that can play on Sunday, are not choosing their College based on the offense and defense the schools run.

Last week the Bald Faced Truth author John Canzano ran a short but very timely story on former Oregon Duck offensive linemen Jeff Schwartz. In that interview the NFL linemen stated that;

“I just think that if had I gone somewhere where there was a pro-style offense it would be a little different from my draft status at least”-

Catch the whole story here.

Oregon’s offense is so fast paced that Schwartz and most Oregon linemen never put 3 fingers in the ground. Nowhere in the NFL is that true. He was not prepared for his future and has more or less been playing catch up.

Same thing for QB’s. Why are more and more top QB’s going to schools with spread offenses with empty backfields and yet no-one, not event he great Chip Kelly, has proven it is a viable alternative in the NFL.

Recruits I am speaking to you. Same thing for you supporters and High School Coaches. If you really have a guy that is “the guy” and believe he can play on Sunday have the discussion with them. I know I do.

Never will I influence a kid but I will point that out to them. Guys like Myles Jack got this one down. They understood playing for a former NFL great like Jim Mora and being in his Pro-Style system is and was a huge factor to their development and marketability as a player..

What we learned in 2016 was that the top schools for placing guys in the NFL are almost all traditional programs running a traditional Pro Set offense as a base to work from.

This article What The 2016 NFL Draft Says About College Football Recruiting does a great job of showing that the most recruits and most money per contract are coming out of several key schools.

College	Players Drafted
Ohio State	12
Clemson	9
UCLA	8
Alabama	7
Florida	7
Notre Dame	7

And the list goes on. Not only are these great teams every year and run by great staffs, they also run that traditional brand of Sunday football.

No doubt this discussion is focused heavily on QB’s , RB’s, and Linemen. But even defensive players can be influenced by the style of play they learn in college. In the Pac 12 the discussion is dominated by USC and despite not dominating these days like they used to they are still #1 for putting players into the NFL.

Oregon is one of many schools doing a great job of putting players into the NFL with a non-traditional offense. Having said that Schwartz makes a great point. If you are a big time O-linemen better have a look at this.

The most NFL linemen from any one school is Notre Dame followed closely by USC, Penn State, Michigan, Boston College, Oklahoma, and Ohio State.

Quarterbacks? USC is #1 followed by Florida State, Stanford, Washington, LSU, MIchigan, and Notre Dame.

A closer look shows that success beyond College is linked to mostly traditional football programs. If the school you are going to does not reflect what is happening in the NFL and you really think you can make it all the way we suggest you add finding a good fit and an NFL proven college to your list of factors to check!

Best of luck to all of you recruits as you move ahead and we believe the best fit for college starts with academics and coaches and this is just one more factor to consider.

Editors Note: Most All State and All Region High School football prospects will not play in College; that is a fact. Most college players will not play in the NFL- this article and position is really one I reserve for only a handful of you athletes. If you have good people around you makes sure this comes up in the discussion. Too many other people will influence you- make sure you look after yourselves.