Survey: 79% of Ala. HS coaches believe recruiting is ‘widespread’

The website polled 356 high school coaches about recruiting, efforts to minimize it and whether the coaches themselves have ever recruited an athlete away from another school. Though 93% said they’ve never recruited another athlete, 52% believed recruiting was “somewhat widespread” while another 27% said it’s “extremely widespread.”

AL.com also interviewed more than a dozen coaches individually who agreed there’s a perception that recruiting has become widespread and many lamented that this public perception tarnishes the reputation of coaches and contributes to a “win at all costs” mentality.

“I think there’s coaches that go, ‘I’m not guilty until I get caught and if I’m not caught, I’m not guilty,’” Fultondale athletic director and wrestling coach Billy Hughes said. “That’s morally and ethically wrong for a coach.”

Others voiced concerns that suspicions surrounding high school recruiting simply aren’t substantiated.

“If a player changes schools, the perception is, ‘He must be recruited,’” Briarwood Christian football coach Fred Yancey said “I don’t buy that. Maybe I’m naïve. The coaches I know, they don’t recruit.”

Last summer, Coach & Athletic Director polled readers asking whether enough was done to prevent illegal recruiting at the high school level — 89% said no. Some blamed open enrollment in their respective states, and others pointed fingers at club/travel teams.

In AL.com’s poll, 53% said private schools recruit more. Only 7% said public school recruited more, while 36% said both recruit equally.

Click here to see the results from the entire 11-question survey at AL.com.

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