Yeah, I think Rivals.com and Scout.com should definitely be paranoid about ESPN.com’s foray into recruiting information. While it remains unclear as to whether ESPN.com will be dealing in reports about where recruits could be heading, they have set themselves up to provide information on recruits.
Now Scouts, Inc. will take its expertise and apply it to college football recruiting. It will do everything its college counterparts do, but instead of internalizing this information, it will provide it exclusively for ESPN Insider. Scouts, Inc. is dedicated to serving the hard-core high school and college football fan with thoughtful, in-depth analysis.
Scouts, Inc. will be the authority in recruiting. Unlike other recruiting services, Scouts. Inc. employs football scouts and coaches with many years of professional experience and expertise. It will evaluate talent in games on the football field rather than relying solely on combine numbers. The student athletes will be evaluated in person and on video and not by word of mouth. Every top recruit will be compared to players across the entire United States rather than only players within his region. This will allow Scouts, Inc. to judge college recruits and recruiting classes more thoroughly.
This is an expansion of what Scouts, Inc. was. The information will be put behind the Insider Subscription firewall. Obviously, this only increases the value of an ESPN.com Insider subscription, and undercuts the price of the recruiting sites by a huge amount.
Scouts, Inc./ESPN.com tries to give this the most professional appearance. They have a grading system:
8.0-9.0: Rare Prospect
Player demonstrates rare abilities and can create mismatches that have an obvious impact on the game. Is a player that has all the skills to take over a game and could be an impact player as a true freshman.7.0-7.9: Outstanding Prospect
Player has the ability to create mismatches against most opponents. He is a player that could be a contributor as a true freshman.6.0-6.9: Good Prospect
Player does not dominate in every game, especially when matched up against the top players in the country. Could become a good starter at the Division I level.5.0-5.9: Solid Prospect
This player is overmatched against the better players in the nation. His weaknesses will be exposed against top competition. Has the ability to develop into a solid contributor at the Division I level.4.0-4.9: Prospect
Player has some redeeming qualities, but is not projected to contribute at the Division I level.
They are planning to release their full grades on their “ESPN 150” recruits on August 8. Likely, that will happen to coincide with ESPN The Magazine’s college football preview.
In advance of that they have some of the recruits grades available as sneak peaks. This includes Pitt commit, Dorin Dickerson. Dickerson was graded at a 7.2.
Strengths: Dickerson is a big, physical galloper that can really cover some ground. He has such a long stride that you don’t realize just how fast he is moving, but he will show a sneaky second gear.
He has excellent size and good speed for his size. He can out-muscle smaller defenders. Has no trouble getting off the line of scrimmage. He has long arms, excellent leaping ability and will win many jump ball competitions. He uses his frame to shield defenders. He is a huge threat in the red zone.
Shows good sideline awareness and body control. He can make the acrobatic catch. He is a long-strider after the catch. Will build speed as he goes and is difficult to bring down because of his size and strength. He has very quick hands, can pluck the ball and get up field in a hurry for his size.
Shows good concentration and focus on the ball and rarely drops passes he should catch. Is a fairly precise route runner and will only improve in this area. he is not very sudden in his movements, but the more you watch him, you realize just how elusive he is in the open field and he will show a nice little burst.
Overall: He is best suited as a wide receiver at the college level, but he has experience as a running back and also a linebacker. He is a rangy, smooth athlete with explosive potential as an outside receiver.
The thing that recruiting sites will have to be wary of, is not just the capitalistic pressures. It is the stuff from the NCAA and legislators. There will be lots of talk in the coming year about how recruiting sites work, gather information, talk to kids and pressure them. I will not be surprised by some nanny-state-esque proposal to “protect” the kids from “predators” amongst the recruiting sites. After all, it’s for the children.
