Blue White Illustrated

WHO OPENED THE DOOR Former defensive coordinator Ted Roof first found out about Gaines when he visited Grayson to evaluate Robert Nkemdiche, the No. 1 recruit in the country as rated by Rivals. After seeing Gaines��� speed and ball instincts, Roof invited him to summer camp. Gaines accepted the invitation and performed so well at camp that the Nittany Lions extended a scholarship offer. QUOTABLE Gaines: ���People are saying it���s a rebuilding process [at Penn State], and I feel honored that they want me to be a part of it and that they would chose me.��� PHIL���S TAKE Even though he���s listed at 5-10, 160 pounds, it is not unreasonable to think Gaines will play free safety at Penn State. In high school, he played the position like a 190-pound player. He has excellent tackling form and great anticipation once the ball is in the air. The key for Gaines will be to add size. He should be able to add at least 20 pounds in college without losing speed. He played in the toughest conference in suburban Atlanta, so he has a lot of potential if he can add the weight. CHRISTIAN HACKENBERG QB, 6-3, 215 Palmyra, Va. Fork Union Military Academy WHAT HE DID It might seem over the top to assert that Hackenberg���s signing may have changed the course of Penn State football history. But after everything that���s happened at the university since November 2011, the decision by one of the nation���s top prospects to sign with Penn State sends a signal that will surely help the program regain its stride as it moves forward. While Hackenberg posed impressive career numbers at Fork Union ��� 5,509 yards and 56 touchdowns ��� his firm resolve throughout the recruiting process was just as noteworthy, helping prompt other key commitments and restoring high hopes for the program���s future. WHAT HE WON As the coup d���grace to Hackenberg���s remarkable run of suc- NCAA puts new burden on prospects T he NCAA Board of Directors proposed 25 new Division I football recruiting rules in January, and none have caused more of a stir than proposal 13-3, which ���eliminate[s] restrictions on methods and modes of communication during recruiting, meaning no texting barriers, quiet periods or dead periods.��� The NCAA���s decision to ease up on texting restrictions might seem like a significant departure, but it���s important to note that coaches everywhere have long been bending the rules to communicate with prospects 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Both Facebook and Twitter feature direct messaging. When texting was ruled illegal in 2007, it didn���t take coaches long to figure out that social media gave them a way to contact prospects whenever they wanted. Now that texting is legal again, there will be more contact between coaches and prospects. But many of the most coveted prospects won���t notice a major difference because they are already being bombarded with messages. Where this new rule will make a difference is with the elimination of all dead periods and quiet periods, which are specific weeks throughout the year in which coaches are not allowed to make contact or are permitted only limited contact. Basically, dead periods and quiet periods give everyone ��� players and coaches alike ��� a much-needed respite from the recruiting process. Under the new rule, for instance, Charles London, Ron Vanderlinden, Larry Johnson and every other Division I coach will be able to personally call you up and wish you Merry Christmas. That���s fine and dandy if you want to hear from the school to which you committed, but there will still be thousands of prospects who haven���t made a decision by that point, and they may not want to receive a deluge of phone calls on a holiday. The rule change basically turns a rare day off from the recruiting grind into another day filled with annoying calls and messages. ���Before I committed, I was already receiving either a few calls about me or a few messages on Facebook throughout the day, basically every day,��� four-star defensive end Garrett Sickels said. ���That was extremely early in the process. I committed early because I knew Penn State was where I wanted to go, but I���m not going to lie, it was nice not calling back all these coaches every day. ���You can choose to stay away from Facebook and Twitter, but to just go without your phone in 2013 doesn���t really happen for most 18year-olds.��� One thing that could help reduce the pressure on recruits and make the process more bearable would be an early signing period. Basketball and most other sports already have one, but football players can���t make their decision official until after their senior year. With almost no legitimate Division I prospect going unnoticed these days, the NCAA should give these guys the option to end their recruitment early if they so choose. Had an early signing period been in place this past August, Sickels and classmates Adam Breneman, Brendan Mahon and Christian Hackenberg could have signed their letters of intent months before beginning their senior seasons, thus putting an end to all the annoying phone calls, messages, letters and other nuisances. I think it���s pretty sad. For all the talk about the need for ���culture change,��� the NCAA���s anything-goes approach to recruiting isn���t going to help prospects focus on their grades.

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