Recruiting Confidential: A Father, a Son, and Big Time College Football

by David Claerbaut

Overview

What is it like to be a heavily recruited high school football star? James and step-dad Dave learn the ins and outs of the college courting process and share their inside story in Recruiting Confidential. With all the controversy surrounding NCAA compliance breakdowns, booster bribes and big time pressure in coaches and athletic staffs to bring the best of the best to their institution, how do this father/son duo navigate the murky waters of big promises and big expectations? Claerbaut reveals in honest reflection how the schools go about bringing star players to their team, what impressed them and what turned them off to various coaches and campuses. As the journey to a college decision nears, father and son discover a bond that has developed and hopefully will grow as James announces to the world where he will spend his college days—on and off the field.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781589790254
Publisher:	Taylor Trade Publishing
Publication date:	09/23/2003
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.34(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.73(d)

About the Author

David Claerbaut is the author of 10 books, including two Taylor titles:The NBA Abstract andDurocher's Cubs. He resides in Chicago, IL.

Editorial Reviews

Claerbaut weaves a suspenseful yarn about Velissaris weighing his various scholorship options. In the process, Claerbaut has opportunities to expose the absurd nature of big-time recruiting, which features grown men who happened to be college football coaches calling Velissaris at home and solicitously inquiring, "Hello is James there?"

The Instrumentalist - Sean Callahan

...an interesting read. Velissaris emerges as an honest, if tactiturn, soul in a somewhat dishonest world.

Chicago Tribune - Barry Temkin

Recruiting Confidential is an intriguing look at the world of college recruiting, but most interesting is the personal story of James and his stepdad as they slowly negoiate the proces of deciding which college is best for James.

The Dallas Morning News - Steve Powers

High school athletes and their parents, high school and college coaches and anyone else interested in the world of recruiting should make Recruiting Confidential a must read...

Iron Mountain Daily News - Burt Angeli

Recruiting Confidential is the book to help prepare you and your sports phenom for the wicked ride of college recruiting.

Chicago Parent - Brad Spencer

Insider politics, personal grudges and dishonesty can all be factors that make college recruits feel confused. David Claerbaut's new book informs and empowers families of would-be recruits in his story of how his stepson James is pursued through his junior and senior years of high school. It takes you behind the scenes of the Midwest college football recruiting machine and shows how the top programs really select their talent.

New York Post - Nick Parish

It offers the story we don't get to see very often unless we personally know someone who is being recruited by the 'big boys.' In short, Recruiting Confidential is just that—an inside look at something we read about, hear about and wonder about.

Oxford Eagle. - Don Whitten

Claerbaut takes readers inside the process and its absurdities through the experiences of his stepson, James. Claerbaut names names and points fingers, all the while attempting to point out what's wrong with the recruiting world today. The story will be of interest to any athlete, parent, or fan who wants to know more about getting from here to "there".

Erie Times-News

Velissaris' recruiting tale has many twists and turns, and every athlete dealing with big-time recruiting can probably learn something from his story.

Chicago Sun-Times - Steve Tucker

Claerbaut weaves a suspenseful yarn about Velissaris weighing his various scholorship options. In the process, Claerbaut has opportunities to expose the absurd nature of big-time recruiting, which features grown men who happened to be college football coaches calling Velissaris at home and solicitously inquiring, "Hello is James there?
— Sean Callahan

Washington Post Book World

High school athletes and their parents, high school and college coaches and anyone else interested in the world of recruiting should make Recruiting Confidential a must read...
— Burt Angeli

Iron Mountain Daily News

Insider politics, personal grudges and dishonesty can all be factors that make college recruits feel confused. David Claerbaut's new book informs and empowers families of would-be recruits in his story of how his stepson James is pursued through his junior and senior years of high school. It takes you behind the scenes of the Midwest college football recruiting machine and shows how the top programs really select their talent.
— Nick Parish

New York Post

...an interesting read. Velissaris emerges as an honest, if tactiturn, soul in a somewhat dishonest world.
— Barry Temkin

Chicago Tribune

Velissaris' recruiting tale has many twists and turns, and every athlete dealing with big-time recruiting can probably learn something from his story.
— Steve Tucker

Chicago Sun-Times

It offers the story we don't get to see very often unless we personally know someone who is being recruited by the 'big boys.' In short, Recruiting Confidential is just that—an inside look at something we read about, hear about and wonder about.
— Don Whitten

Oxford Eagle

Followers of college sports are familiar with the regular occurrence of university athletic programs being penalized for recruiting violations. What is not so well known is how murky the world of recruiting is, even when done according to the regulations. Claerbaut (Durocher's Cubs; The NBA Analyst) relates what he and his stepson, a star high school running back, experienced in the process of being recruited by some major university programs. He was inundated by mailings from schools that never physically contacted them, received nonbinding scholarship offers that evaporated at decision time, and was invited for a school visit and then ignored by the coaching staff. At the schools, they sometimes found suffering coaches, high-pressure sales techniques, and coaches leaving for a better opportunity at other schools. The author shows how this can be a tough world for inexperienced parents, let alone an 18-year-old, to understand and negotiate. At times the secondary story of the author building an enduring relationship with his introverted stepson gets in the way of the bigger tale, but overall it is a well-written account. Recommended for public libraries.-John Maxymuk, Rutgers Univ. Lib., Camden, NJ Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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