Hance Was a Little Late but Still Committed Early

Brandon Hance of Taft High had made up his mind.

Michigan State. That’s where he saw himself throwing touchdown passes and becoming the next Earl Morrall or Tony Banks, former Spartan quarterbacks who went on to NFL careers.

Hance planned to call Michigan State coaches as soon as he returned home last month from visiting the East Lansing campus and several other schools on unofficial trips, meaning he paid his own way.

He wanted to accept the Spartans’ scholarship offer.

Unfortunately for Hance, so did Jeff Smoker, who beat him to the phone.

Smoker, a Pennsylvanian and the No. 2-rated quarterback prospect in the nation according to SuperPrep Magazine, committed to Michigan State the day before Hance returned from his trips.

The situation explains why athletes, especially football players, are committing to universities earlier than ever.

“It’s sort of like first come, first served,” Hance said.

Gary Bernardi, assistant coach in charge of recruiting at UCLA, said the recruiting process has changed dramatically in recent years.

Better-informed coaches and players have made the recruiting process more competitive than ever.

Hance, who committed to Purdue this week, is one of five football players in the region who have made commitments without the benefit of an official campus visit.

Quarterback Matt Cassel of Chatsworth is headed to USC; fullback Patrick Norton of Hart and linebacker Ray Cassaday of Valencia have committed to UCLA, and quarterback Zac Wasserman of Westlake is going to Penn State.

Quarterback Casey Clausen of Alemany, ranked No. 4 in the nation at his position by SuperPrep, is expected to commit soon. Clausen reportedly is leaning toward Tennessee.

These are the type of talented players Bernardi hunts down in early in the spring because they have convinced college coaches they can play Division I football before their senior seasons in high school.

UCLA extends early offers to about 15% of its recruits, Bernardi said.

“It used to be that you rarely offered a scholarship in the spring,” Bernardi said.

Cassel accepted an offer from USC early in March, nearly a year before he could sign a letter of intent.

For Cassell, the decision was a no-brainer.

“SC has always been the place I wanted to go,” Cassel said. “If 10 other coaches offered me the same scholarship, it would still be SC.”

By committing early, players won’t be treated to the same perks as other recruits. They’ll miss out on the customary five expenses-paid recruiting trips.

There’ll be no mock introduction in the football stadium, where the bright-eyed recruit is surprised to hear his name and position announced over the public-address system. No jersey with his name on the back. No cool parties. No hard sale.

Players who want the VIP treatment don’t commit early.

Cassel isn’t one of those players.

“It would probably be great for some players to go there and be treated like the top dog with their face up on the [stadium screen] and all the cheerleaders, but for me it was more to just get it out of the way,” Cassel said.

“I didn’t want coaches calling my house and disrupting my family with phone calls at 10:30 at night.”

Cassaday’s reasons for committing early are similar.

“I didn’t want to have a lot of pressure going into my senior year,” he said. “I don’t want to worry about anything except school and football.”

Norton thought he might miss the fanfare of an official recruiting trip until he talked to former Hart teammates Ted Iacenda, who signed with USC, and Cody Joyce, who signed with UCLA.

“They all said it was great for the first two [trips], but on the third, it all started looking alike,” Norton said. “The girls look the same, the coaches all talked the same.”

Wasserman heard similar tales from friend Sirr Parker, a former Locke High star who played at Texas A&M.;

“He told me [about] getting called everyday by coaches who would talk for like two hours,” Wasserman said. “It just got ridiculous after awhile, and annoying.

“When I got to thinking about it, I realized that I want time for myself and time for my team and time for my girlfriend. . . And I didn’t want [any other quarterback] to go [to Penn State].”

Getting aced out of your first choice by another recruit is not uncommon and is a growing concern among players.

Norton faced a fate similar to Hance’s by waiting 4 1/2 weeks before committing to UCLA.

Norton said UCLA coaches told him they were taking only one fullback, but indicated the spot would be filled by the first of several prospects to give a commitment.

Excited by the offer, Norton nearly committed on the spot. But he held off, wanting to weigh all of his options and talk with his parents.

Hance, Cassel, Norton, Cassaday and Wasserman each took at least two unofficial trips before committing.

Each acknowledged it wasn’t an ideal way to pick a college, considering most campuses are nearly empty during the summer.

“But that’s what everyone is leaning toward,” Hance said of the early-commitment trend.

Still, all of the players who have committed are happy to have the recruiting process behind them.

“If you’re really comfortable with a school, there’s really no point in waiting,” Hance said.

Take it from a guy who waited a day too long.