Certainly they have opinions, they develop the drills and the standards to form those opinions based on practice every day. Not sure how many "top football people" are on here - I am certainly not one of them. I have seen several kids get recruited by colleges and playing time is never mentioned aside from the usual "if you do this and work this hard and gains some weight then you should play yourself into playing time." I would like to get solid verification of the "many reports of coaches seemingly promising them a starting position." This sounds like internet rumor to me. I just don't know any coach at any level that makes promises like that without qualifiers.
Sure a lot of it is internet talk. When I was younger; had personal friends offered cars and misc to accept a scholarship. I also know of alumni being asked to contribute to
" trust funds "; that were to find there way to recruits in some form. Still rumors, so to speak... What was the last public guy; Cam Newton ? Wasn't it 180k or so to someone
( relative ); and it was said he just didn't have knowledge ? I am not here to debate nuances or disparage the fine coaching profession - Just made a comment : but where and why do all the comments and jokes on SEC recruiting come from, me? I was just saying a poster shouldn't be so hard on himself on a player possibly being influenced: or whatever it was. I think things are way better than they ever were; but things make me wonder - didn't Freemans dad pop up as a 200k a year rep for the Republican party in Kansas after his son flipped to KSU? Would have to go back and check the timing; but its internet stuff and I would run from the hint of any such situation.
Why shouldn't you mention it when we have seen coaches that don't get it