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DTH Sport Saturday By James Giza Assistant Sport Saturday Editor Ah, the life of a football recruit. Must be nice. All that attention. College coaches from all over practically knocking your door down to get you to sign that piece of paper that says you’ll bless them with your presence. Traveling around the country on official visits to schools that treat you like royalty when you get there. National television exposure and big time attention from pro scouts soon to come your way. Must be nice. “It’s fun at first, and it’s a situation that a lot of people would love to be in,” North Carolina freshman tailback Brandon Russell said. “But at the same time, it has its negative side.” Russell’s team mate, UNC sophomore wide out Bosley Allen, certainly knows what Russell is talking about. When he first started getting calls from college coaches after his “You get a lot of hometown attention, but as far as getting calls from major colleges ... it’s just amazing. ” Bosley Allen UNC wide receiver junior season, Allen was riding high. “I was feeling like I was important at first because you’re just playing foot ball,” said Allen, who was also recruit ed by Florida State, Florida, Miami, Tennessee, Texas and Michigan. “You get a lot of hometown attention, but as far as getting calls from major colleges - people with national championships under their belts - it’s just amazing. It’s a nice feeling.” But soon Allen realized, as many recruits inevitably do, that his phone was going to be ringing more than a quarterback’s ears after he gets mm f mm" ? mm/mM ' w&f' " \ DTH/SEFTONIPOCK Wide receiver Bosley Allen, a Bradenton, Fla., native, chose to attend North Carolina over Florida, Florida State, Miami, Michigan, Tennessee and Texas. Weighing the Options decked by Julius Peppers. “At times, I had phone calls up to 1:30 at night,” Allen said. “You have three-way and people are on the other line wanting to talk to you, and you tell them you’re on the phone with other coaches, and they’re like, ‘Naw, you don’t need to be on the phone with him.’ It’s funny at times, but it gets frustrating.” “At first it w r as just fun,” said UNC redshirt freshman offensive tackle Jupiter Wilson, who was recruited by all the ACC schools, plus Michigan State, Nebraska, Purdue and Virginia Tech. “All my friends would see the coach es come to school and say, ‘Hey, that’s Coach Torbush’ or ‘That’s Coach Bowden’ or whoever. And then after a while, when you see those guys, and you’re talking to them on a daily basis, it can be a little bit of a bother.” OK, so maybe the late-night phone calls and constant attention can get annoying. But once a recruit narrows his choices down and starts check ing out the schools in person, it’s got to make up for the sleep depri vation, stiff neck and coach-fatigue. Kind of. But it sure doesn’t make the process any easier when every school paints itself as heaven on earth. “You only see the real, real good parts about the school,” Russell said. “When I first went out to Stanford I was like, ‘Man, I could go here.’ And then I came to North Carolina and I was like, ‘Man, I like it here, too.’ And then I went to Notre Dame, and it was the same way. “I only took three official visits, and after coming home from those three Recruiting DTH/MIKE MESSIER UNC tailback Brandon Russell (31) visited three schools North Carolina, Notre Dame and Stanford while choosing between scholarship offers. official visits, I was totally confused. I didn’t know what I wanted to do.” That’s when it can hit a recruit: stress. Something that started off so excit ing has suddenly become a major source of angst. So that’s also when a recruit has to step back, be cool and not worry about it. “It can get overwhelming if you let it,” UNC redshirt freshman safety Dexter Reid said. “But if you keep it all under control and keep your pri orities straight and know what you want to do - don’t be influenced by anybody else, your parents or other coaches, then you’ll be OK.” To make sure he stayed on point, Reid, who received recruiting over tures from Maryland, Michigan, Penn State, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin, narrowed his choices down to three schools and then made a list of pros and cons for each. @ Chapel Hill’s ORIGINAL Irish Pub & Restaurant W B- YEATS Shooter Alley Wednesday - Friday $2 Kamikazi & other shots Free Daily 20 oz. Beer Specials | Ten'S I All UNC Games LIVE! I purchase any I LIVE Music Thursday - Saturday Nights entree | Tuesday - Talent Night - “Show us yours Expires 12.31.00 | and we’ll show you ours” j Homecomlnj H/H Saturday, November 11, 1000 Naturally, there’s a great deal more that goes into a recruit’s school deci sion than the quality of the football program. New Blue Blood The North Carolina football team has received 11 verbal commitments from high school players. The athletes cannot officially sign with the Tar Heels until February. Player Pos. Size High School Hometown Antavis Barrino Dl 6-5,260 Forest Hills MarshviHe Jason Brown 01 6-4,330 Northern Vance Henderson Brian Chacos TE 6-5,255 Darien Darien, Conn. Jason Crawford* RB 6-3,225 Parkdale Forestville, Md. Tommy Davis LB 6-4,225 Southern Wayne Goldsboro Jocques Dumas TE/DE 6-9,230 Asheboro Asheboro Chris Hawkins WR/DB 6-0,175 Kinston Kinston Drew Hunter 0L 6-8,278 Ravenscroft Raleigh Jocque Lewis RB 5-11,185 Northeastern Elizabeth City Jeff Longhany TE/LB 6-3,238 Cape Fear Fayetteville Guy Whimper DE/TE 6-6,215 Havelock Havelock * signed last season, but playing at Fork Union Military Academy this year. 13 Like all college students, recruits often look for a school with a good academic reputation and a comfort able social atmosphere. But sometimes, it’s the little things that can make a difference. Allen points to a chance meeting with UNC offensive guard Cam Holland as a moment that was on his mind when he was making his final choice. “I was coming back from a club one night, and Cam was like, ‘We need you up here. I’ve seen film on you. I think you fit in the program,’” Allen said. “And that just stuck with me.” But in the end, no matter where a recruit finally decides to go, there’s nothing like making that final deci sion, signing a letter of intent and putting an end to the chaos. No more phone calls. No more vis its. No more confusion. “I felt good,” Wilson said. “First, I was going to Carolina, the place I wanted to go to in the beginning when it started. And then just to be over with it and be done - UNC’s happy, I’m happy. And it was all good after that.” Must be nice.
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