The transfer portal has not only made it more difficult for the majority of high school athletes to secure their college futures, it’s fractured what used to be one of the most important relationships in football.
“In the ‘old days’ we could always count on the college guys stopping by at some point in the season; it was just part of the job,” said Northwest Whitfield High School’s Josh Robinson, who has been at the school for 21 years, the last 11 as head coach.
“We built relationships with those guys and I knew if I had a player I thought could play at a certain school I could pick up the phone and at least get a response. Most of the time they already knew about the kid because they had seen him in person.
“Now, with the portal taking precedence, it’s hit or miss if they even get back to you and we rarely see them in person.”
Robinson and other area coaches understand why the recruiting landscape has become less personal. College coaching staffs, even at lower levels, can spend much less time and money sifting through the thousands of players in the portal who, in most cases, are more developed and ready to hit the field than prep seniors.