T
he high school class of
2021. That’s how far
back major recruiting
profiles go online today:
2021. To clear up the
math, those would be
prospects currently competing in their
first year of junior high football. And
there is even recruiting information
about children who would be in
the high school classes of 2022 and
2023. Somewhere in between getting
their braces tightened and the Sadie
Hawkins Dance, there are kids across
this country being anointed as the next
great ones.
The craziest part about all of this is it’s
not even considered that crazy at all. In
fact, it has become the norm: national
notoriety before they can drive,
magazine covers before their senior
yearbook photos and ESPN cameras
filling their living room on National
4,000 people, Brandon Feamster—now
a Division I college football player—
wasn’t always a star athlete.
Even for those who may be lesser
known, the recruitment process is still
pretty standard: high school success
leads to recruitment, which leads to
college commitment and dreams of
stardom. From there, what happens
depends on a number of factors,
but the journey itself has become