3 Reason Why Recruiting Has Changed in Illinois

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The recruiting game has changed since I started in this business.&nbsp; After being around college coaches in June and July I wanted to give a little insight into what is different about the recruiting process</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Transfer Portal Changed Everything</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The single biggest change to high school recruiting is the transfer portal.&nbsp; Now in college players can transfer from school to school on a yearly basis without having to set out a year an unlimited number of times.&nbsp; College coaches across the board have embraced the idea and would rather do it this way.&nbsp; It used to be where you would recruit a player for two to three years and hope they pick you.&nbsp; Then that player would develop in the program throughout their career.&nbsp; Now it is a week or two weeks, negotiations with an agent on money, and its done.&nbsp; Schools get a ready made college basketball player with experience, strength, and fits exactly what they are looking for to contribute right away.&nbsp; The days of signing four and five man high school recruiting classes for colleges are over.&nbsp; Now it is one or two in a lot of cases then bank as many as they can for the portal.&nbsp; With how the portal works colleges realize if that player can't contribute in year one in a significant way they would rather have a transfer who can.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When you look at prospects freshman years it can go three ways.&nbsp; First they get exactly what they want playing a lot and having a role and excelling.&nbsp; Second they are in way over their head at that level and are not going to play.&nbsp; The third is they are a developmental player that the school didn't expect much from as a freshman and play little to none.&nbsp; Then all three kids in each scenario transfer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's look at the class of 2023 in Illinois for example.&nbsp; The #3, #4, #5, #6, #8, #10, #11, #14, #15, #17, #18, #20, #22, and #24 all in the top 25 have transferred already.&nbsp; That is 14 of the top 25.&nbsp; It is a similar trend in other classes.&nbsp; What I consistently hear from coaches is “we will be the second or third school to take him.”&nbsp; Meaning we will let them succeed or fail at another school then get them on the bounce back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Not Much Recruiting for 2027s and 2028s</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Unless you were [player_tooltip player_id='2531981' first='Cole' last='Kelly'], [player_tooltip player_id='2531973' first='Brady' last='Pettigrew'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2323571' first='Jaxson' last='Davis'] who are all high-major players there weren't many coaches in the stands for 2027s and 2028s during the high school live periods.&nbsp; Same can be said of grassroots games to a certain extent.&nbsp; Underclassmen recruiting is not what it used to be.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I remember when I first started covering recruiting interviewing prospects on offers and visits before they had even played a high school game.&nbsp; There were quite a few games I was at where top 5 prospects in those classes were playing and there wasn't a single coach at the court.&nbsp; I had one assistant coach tell me that his head coach doesn't want to hear anything about those classes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We recently talked to quite a few prospects in the 2027 class for a recruiting notebook and the recruiting interest isn't really there overall.&nbsp; Unless you are a no doubt high-major guy colleges aren't really looking at them yet.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>State is Down</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's just be brutally honest.&nbsp; The state is down.&nbsp; It has been for a while and continues to be.&nbsp; Top players are transferring out of state.&nbsp; That is definitely part of it.&nbsp; Overall though the numbers just aren't there.&nbsp; Looking back at classes in the 2010s it is insane how there would be double digit high-major guys in some of those early groups.&nbsp; The overall depth at the mid-major and low-major levels are just not there either.&nbsp; That's not just my thought it is what college coaches are saying.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->