A day after National Signing Day the dust has settled, but that doesn’t mean life has come to a screeching halt for recruiting gurus. That job is a 24 hour a day, 365 days a year job. You are constantly watching film, calling prospects, and calling high school coaches hoping to get the latest scoop. But do you ever wonder exactly how these people get jobs at Scout.com or Rivals.com?

The Washington Post did a piece recently on Bob Lichtenfels. For those who don’t know Bob is a evaluator for Scout.com, mainly for players in the Northeast. Bob isn’t a former coach but he is a guy who gained credibility on a message board. Bob would routinely post detailed analyses of players on the Scout.com message boards and it ended up getting him a job with the company. You see everyone; there is still hope for us after all.

The next point this article brings up is how much power these guys have over 17 and 18 year olds. Kids come up to Lichtenfels and practically beg to be 4 or 5 stars. They understand that schools read these sites for update, and every extra star helps. It’s no wonder there are kids that fall through the cracks because how can you possibly evaluate every single player out there and even if you do how do you know he would fit in to a particular school’s system? Lichtenfels seems to do his evaluating in the first few moments of meeting the recruit.

That’s why I love recruiting so much because of the pure crapshoot it can be at times and how everyone seems to be in the know. It is funny to read message boards which have posters that have “inside info” and claimed to talk to ’s neighbor and he said that he will commit to . People eat this stuff up; there is no wonder that Rivals.com and Scout.com are making money hand over fist with their service. They sell their premium articles but they also sell a “premium” forum to discuss it.

You have fans that are 20 to 70 years old fawning over 17 and 18 year olds. Hanging on their every word, even dissecting what the kid wears to an announcement to get a jump on what school they might choose. In the outside world you’d get thrown in jail for this, but this is how the recruiting world operates.

Now we can get to my biggest pet peeve of the recruiting process, the aftermath. In the months, weeks, and seconds before a big time recruit announces his intentions message boards are full of praise and optimism for the recruit. Some posters go as far as writing an “Open Letter” and posting it on the message board hoping that the recruit might read it and it will some how change his mind to come to that school. Then after the recruit says he isn’t going to that particular school, that same guy who posted all the praise will have a new post saying how that recruit “wasn’t material. We never really wanted him anyway.” And don’t give me that garbage about how your school’s fans are too classy to do that stuff. This happens at all the fan bases.

So sit back and take a deep breath. Life will go on for you even though the In The Bleachers 5-star running back recruit didn’t choose your school. See, I am a recruiting guru.

Today, as you know, is letter of intent day. The day when you are supposed to make a decision on where you, as a highly sought after player, must chose where you would like to make a name for yourself. It’s a big day, with the decision that has been made will be part of you the rest of your life.

That is of course, you aren’t recruited to play elsewhere. Huh?

The Washington Post’s Alan Goldenbach has more.

But committing early rarely halts the badgering. Not only do other programs continue to recruit players who have already “verbaled” to a school, but players and coaches say the dynamic between recruit and school changes after the oral commitment is made, and communication that once was warm and glowing can get downright nasty.

“I thought I’d make my decision and that would be it,” said Arrelious Benn, who announced his commitment to Illinois on ESPNU on Nov. 9 before graduating from Dunbar in December and enrolling in Champaign last month. After the commitment? “That’s when it got worse. These are grown men. Why can’t they live with the decision I made?”

Truly an eye-opening story.

Continuing with my recruiting addiction I will be posting who the following players chose as their school of choice. Hopefully I can keep up during the day but if I forgot anyone please don’t hesitate to lambaste me in the comment section.

There is a rumor going around that the USC coaches sent a message to Marvin Austin saying that he should come to USC to play with Joe McKnight. Did McKnight commit to the Trojans? UPDATE - Looks like Carrol wasn’t lying.

Noel Devine is being mentored by Deion Sanders and Sanders told him to wait a little before signing. Seems to me Neon Deion wants Noel to visit (go to) Florida State.

Athlete Noel Devine - Will not sign a LOI today. Rethinking decision.
DB Jerimy Finch - Florida
WR Terrance Toliver - LSU
RB Lee Chambers - Miami (Fla)
RB Robert Elliott - Mississippi State (Was verballed to Ole Miss)
RB Joe McKnight - USC
DT Marvin Austin - North Carolina (per Rivals Radio)
Athlete Chad Jones - LSU
WR Dwight Jones - North Carolina
WR Deonte Thompson - Florida
Athlete Gerald Jones - Tennessee
WR Brandon Gibson - Alabama
WR Ahmad Paige - Tennessee
Athlete Brandon Paul - Florida State
RB Broderick Green - Southern California
LB Josh Bynes - Auburn
DE Kourtnei Brown - Clemson
OLB Travis Lewis - Oklahoma (decomitted from Nebraska)
DE Patrick Grant - Louisville
WR, RB Greg Little - North Carolina (decommit from Notre Dame)

For the most part teams are pretty sure which top recruits are going where, but there are still a few top guys that haven’t announced yet. Since tomorrow is National Letter of Intent Day I will make a few predictions. Marvin Austin has been rumored to be heading to North Carolina. That would be a huge get for the new Tar Heel coach Butch Davis. I also think that Joe McKnight will head to LSU. The best guy on the list Noel Devine will announce his choice but will most likely end up in Prep School due to his grades. Broderick Green initially verballed to USC but he has taken visits to Ohio State and Penn State in the past month and is said to be wide open. I think he’ll examine the depth charts and realize that the place to be for him is Happy Valley. A full list of the top recruits yet to verbally commit is listed below.

The head coach of the Mississippi Rebels Ed Orgeron, just signed a contract extension through the 2010 season. The Rebels have gone 7-16 under Orgeron, but the Athletic Director said he feels progress in being made. Oregeron has an unique voice, if you heard him in a crowd you would be able to pick it out anywhere. So you can only imagine how your head turns when he is telling people on TV “I’ve got a Hummer, now you need to get a Hummer.” I think the NCAA should check into some illegal recruiting “practices” going on in Oxford, Mississippi.

Before Scout.com, Rivals.com, Scouts Inc., and all of the other professional and amateur public recruiting services became widely known, most casual fans learned about the top high school football talent from Parade Magazine–the same insert most of us receive every Sunday with our morning paper. The 44th Annual Parade All-America Team was announced on Sunday, with California quarterback Jimmy Clausen and Louisiana running back Joe McKnight named the team’s co-captains. Clausen has given a verbal commitment to join Charlie Weis at Notre Dame, while McKnight is expected to wait until National Letter of Intent Signing Day (Wednesday, February 7th) to choose from among LSU, Ole Miss, and USC.

Some of the other names on the list, that you can expect to hear of soon, are Clemson-bound quarterback Willy Korn, Clausen’s high school teammate, running back Marc Tyler (USC), New Jersey wide receiver Duval Kamara (Notre Dame), Ohio linebacker Ben Martin (Tennessee), and Virginia athlete Tyrod Taylor (Virginia Tech).

Quarterbacks:
Jimmy Clausen Oaks Christian Westlake Village, Calif. Quarterback Notre Dame
Ryan Mallett Texas Texarkana, Tex. Quarterback Michigan
Willy Korn James F. Byrnes Duncan, S.C. Quarterback Clemson
Keith Nichol Lowell Lowell, Mich. Quarterback Oklahoma
Robert Marve Plant Tampa, Fla. Quarterback Miami
Aaron Corp Orange Lutheran Orange, Calif. Quarterback Southern Cal
John Brantley Trinity Catholic Ocala, Fla. Quarterback Florida

Running Backs:
Marc Tyler Oaks Christian Westlake Village, Calif. Running Back Southern Cal
Brandon Saine Piqua Piqua, Ohio Running Back Ohio State
Jonathan Dwyer Kell Marietta, Ga. Running Back Georgia Tech
Enrique Davis Mosley Lynn Haven, Fla. Running Back Auburn
Broderick Green Pulaski Academy Little Rock, Ark. Running Back Southern Cal
Darren Evans Warren Central Indianapolis , Ind. Running Back Virginia
Jahvid Best Salesian Richmond, Calif. Running Back Cal-Berkeley
Bradley Stephens McAllen Memorial McAllen, Tex. Running Back Texas A&M

Receivers:
Arrelious Benn Dunbar Washington, D.C. Receiver Illinois
Terrance Toliver Hempstead Hempstead, Tex. Receiver Undecided
Dwight Jones Jr. Cummings Burlington, N.C. Receiver North Carolina
Dez Bryant Lufkin Lufkin, Tex. Receiver Oklahoma State
DeAngelo Benton Bastrop Bastrop, La. Receiver LSU
Duval Kamara Hoboken Hoboken, N.J. Receiver Notre Dame
Aaron Hernandez Bristol Central Bristol, Conn. Receiver Florida
Niles Paul Omaha North Omaha, Neb. Receiver Nebraska

Linemen:
Tray Allen South Grand Prairie Grand Prairie, Tex. Lineman Texas
Marvin Austin Jr. Ballou Washington, D.C. Lineman Undecided
Torrey Davis Armwood Seffner, Fla. Lineman Florida
Ryan Miller Columbine Littleton, Colo. Lineman Colorado
Martez Wilson Simeon Chicago, Ill. Lineman Illinois
Lee Ziemba Rogers Rogers, Ark. Lineman Auburn
James Wilson Nease Ponte Vedra, Fla. Lineman Florida
Everson Griffen Agua Fria Avondale, Ariz. Lineman Southern Cal
Joseph Barksdale Cass Tech Detroit, Mich. Lineman LSU
John Brown Lakeland Lakeland, Fla. Lineman Florida
Carlos Dunlap Jr. Fort Dorchester North Charleston, S.C. Lineman Florida
Andre Jones Andress El Paso, Tex. Lineman Texas
Bryan Bulaga Marian Central Catholic Woodstock, Ill. Lineman Iowa
Anthony Davis Piscataway Piscataway, N.J. Lineman Rutgers
Kristofer O’Dowd Salpointe Catholic Tucson, Ariz. Lineman Southern Cal
Brian Price Crenshaw Los Angeles, Calif. Lineman UCLA
Kerry Murphy Hoover Hoover, Ala. Lineman Alabama
Michael Keck Harrisonville Harrisonville, Mo. Lineman Missouri

Linebackers:
Chris Galippo Servite Anaheim, Calif. Linebacker Southern Cal
Chris Strong South Panola Batesville, Miss. Linebacker Mississippi
Ben Martin La Salle Cincinnati, Ohio Linebacker Tennessee
Chris Donald Huntingdon Huntingdon, Tenn. Linebacker Tennessee
Austin Box Enid Enid, Okla. Linebacker Oklahoma
Rolando McClain Decatur Decatur, Ala. Linebacker Alabama
Keenan Robinson Plano East Plano, Tex. Linebacker Texas
Brandon Hicks Forrest Jacksonville, Fla. Linebacker Undecided

Defensive Backs:
Eric Berry Creekside Fairburn, Ga. Defensive Back Tennessee
Eugene Clifford Colerain Cincinnati, Ohio Defensive Back Ohio State
Jerimy Finch Warren Central Indianapolis, Ind. Defensive Back Indiana
Chad Jones Southern Lab Baton Rouge, La. Defensive Back Undecided

Kickers:
Jimmy Stevens Heritage Hall Oklahoma City, Okla. Kicker Oklahoma

Athletes:
Joe McKnight Curtis Christian River Ridge, La. All-Purpose Undecided
Tyrod Taylor Hampton Hampton, Va. All-Purpose Virginia Tech
Ronald Johnson Muskegon Muskegon, Mich. All-Purpose Undecided
Jordan Bernstine Lincoln Des Moines, Iowa All-Purpose Iowa

If you recall the name, perhaps it is because we have written about Melvin Alaeze a few times before. The former five-star recruit from Baltimore initially gave a verbal commitment to his home-state Maryland Terps, but had his scholarship pulled due to multiple charges stemming from the possession of marijuana. He then landed at the University of Illinois, where he had an impressive camp, but failed to ever play in a game for the Illini because he could not properly meet the qualifications of the NCAA Clearinghouse.

Sadly, it looks like college football is now the least of Melvin Alaeze’s worries, as he has been charged with attempted first-degree murder in Baltimore, Maryland. Alaeze was also charged with first-degree assault, armed robbery, car theft and the use of a hand gun in a violent crime. The charges range from five-years to life imprisonment.

It is tough to sympathize with a man that participates in violent crimes and, personally, I cannot do it. I also recognize that football players, like everyone else, range from saints to criminals (and, in such a large pool of people, there are bound to be plenty of both), but I feel saddened to know that a young man with so much promise and opportunity could not take advantage of it. I also wonder what happens to the many young men, such as Alaeze, who are treated like princes and promised the world in order to play big-time college football and then, suddenly, find themselves unable to satisfy the NCAA Clearinghouse and out of school, back to their hometowns without any direction. Do these coaches, who sit in their folks’ living rooms telling them how they will get them to the NFL and/or a college degree, offer to make some calls to junior colleges (even though the players may not return to their schools when they are done) or D1-AA (or smaller) schools, so that these suddenly directionless 18- or 19-year olds are not left to go back to their same problems without any plans for the future? Perhaps it would not have mattered to Melvin Alaeze…but, then again, maybe getting him into a small, D1-AA or D2 school in the Midwest, rather than back to innercity Baltimore, where trouble was easy for him to find, would have given him a fresh start.

With a little less than a week remaining till National Letter of Intent Day otherwise known as LOI Day. Around this time college coaches are flying all over the country trying to make sure their top verbal commitments are still…commitments. Also they are making their last pitch to a top recruit who has not yet made his decision. These recruits better soak it all up now because once they sign their LOI, they no longer have the upper hand. Between now and LOI day I plan on looking at the Top 10 Recruits according to Rivals.com for 2004. I did a similar piece back in June of 2006 looking at the top 5 recruits from the 2003 recruiting season.

Top 10 of the 2004 Recruiting Season

10. Xavier Lee - Lee committed to Florida State and finished his prep career as Florida’s all-time leader in passing yards (9,082), completions (549) and touchdowns (98). He was ranked 78 spots higher than his fellow competitor Drew Weatherford. Lee’s career so far has not been what he has expected. In his two years at Florida State he has thrown for a total of 1300 yards and 10 touchdowns while he has watched his counterpart Weatherford struggle, yet still find a way to keep his job. It is going to be tough for Lee to unseat Weatherford, and even if Lee were to transfer he would have to sit out a year and only have 1 year of eligibility remaining if he were to go to a Division 1-a school.

9. Jeff Schweiger Jr. - This defensive end from San Jose, CA picked USC over a host of other schools. Schweiger had an impressive resume’. In his junior and senior seasons in high school he amassed 280 tackles and 31 sacks. Can’t miss prospect right? Wrong, Schweiger is struggling to see the field at USC. Mostly due to all the talent that Pete Carrol seems to get every February. Schweiger has played 1 game in his two playing seasons at USC. In that one game he had 7 tackles and 2 sacks. He currently sits second on the depth chart behind Kyle Moore, who is a year younger than him.

8. Derrick Harvey - Harvey chose Florida as his choice of schools and he did this during the Ron Zook era. Harvey will be a redshirt junior next season. In the BCS Championship year that the Gators had Harvey started opposite of Jarvis Moss and racked up 25 tackles and 10 sacks. He certainly has the skills to become a top player in the league and look for him to cause even more havok in opposing backfields next season.

7. Brandon Miller - The Georgia native decided to stay in-state with the Bulldogs. There were rumors flying around that Miller might skip his Senior season and turn pro, but as David Ching so eloquently put it; ‘What the heck?’ you might ask yourself, which would be understandable. He started a whopping five games and registered 23 tackles at strongside linebacker this year. That right there about sums up the career of Brandon Miller so far. There still seems a lot to be desired.

6. Willie Williams - Go to a children’s bookstore and get a Where’s Waldo Book. Because you have about as good of a chance of finding Waldo on that page as you will finding where Willie Williams will be playing. He committed to Miami, but the University took a lot of flack for taking in this player who was being tried on numerous criminal acts. Williams played sparingly in 2005, netting 17 tackles. Where he will be next year is one of life’s big mysteries. Dennis Dodd has been saying that Williams will sign with Louisivlle come LOI Day. I guess we will all have to wait anxiously and find out.

5. Keith Rivers - When the ink dried, Rivers made his intentions that he would play for Southern California. The senior to be has been a two year starter for the Trojans and was the leading tackler in the 2006 season. Rivers had 85 tacklers, 7.5 of them for a loss with 3 forced fumbles and 1 recovered. He gave thought to turning pro after this season but decided against it. He will be a key ingredient in the Trojans’ run toward a National Title next season.

4. Rhett Bomar - Bomar had the world by the nuts. He redshirted his first year and in his second season he became the quarterback of the Oklahoma Sooners by the second game of the season. He struggled a bit early in the year but by the Holiday Bowl he hit his stride. 2006 was suppose to be a big year with Bomar at quarterback and Peterson (see #1) at running back. Before the season started Bomar was kicked off the team for receiving $18,000 for a job he worked only 5 hours a week. He is currently enrolled at Sam Houston State and will continue his career there next season. See kids, it doesn’t pay to take money for work you didn’t do.

3. Early Doucet - Early kept his state happy by choosing to play for LSU when LOI day came around. LSU knew that they were getting a big play receiver when Doucet came to campus. As a true freshman he made a spectacular touchdown catch against Arizona State late in the 4th quarter. He has played three years for the Tigers, improving each year. In 2006 he had 59 catches for 772 yards and 8 touchdowns. Doucet also added 2 more scores on the ground. He is a big play receiver and has easily played up to his 5 star rating.

2. Ted Ginn Jr. - Ted Ginn is a big play receiver just like Doucet, but Ginn has a facet of his game that Doucet doesn’t, he can return kicks. The only play Ohio State wants to remember from the BCS title game was his opening kickoff for a touchdown. In his three seasons as a Buckeye Ginn caught 135 passes for 1935 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also had 8 touchdowns on kickoff and punt returns. Ginn has announced he will enter the NFL Draft in April.

1. Adrian Peterson - In his senior season in High School, Peterson rushed for over 3000 yards. He followed that up the following year with a 2000 yard season as a true freshman at Oklahoma. That ended up being Peterson’s best season as a Sooner. In his two following seasons he will still a major force, but injuries hampered a career that could have ended with Peterson being the all time leading rusher in NCAA history and most likely a Heisman Trophy. I don’t think anyone will be shedding any tears for Peterson though. He will be a 1st round draft pick this April, but is he durable enough to withstand the punishment of the NFL. That remains to be seen, but he was well deserving of the #1 recruit in the 2004 class.