ESPN Bruce Feldman Blog

Nick Saban is unhappy with the media. This past weekend, The Birmingham News reported the Alabama head football coach said that some reporters working for recruiting Web sites have told recruits incorrect and damaging information about the impact of NCAA sanctions on the Crimson Tide program.

"That should be addressed by somebody and should be brought to bear," Saban said. "If people are just covering recruiting with honesty and integrity, [there's no problem]. But all those guys that work out there for [recruiting sites] are for the school. Everybody roots for a team. And they get information for a team."

This is a subject about which many coaches have groused quite a bit throughout the years in one fashion or another. Back when former Florida State defensive back Myron Rolle was a high school junior, we did a big feature at ESPN The Magazine about some of the issues that blue-chip prospects face as college football settles into the Internet age. Many college coaches were pretty vocal about the problems they have been dealing with when the media speaks to recruits. Rolle also wasn't shy in the story:

"Tom Lemming is a huge Notre Dame guy," Myron says. "He kept saying to me, 'You know they have a great coaching staff. You know Charlie Weis is Mr. NFL. You're an academic guy. That place is for you.' Then he killed Florida State. He said, You're stupid if you go there.' Um, OK. Thanks."

Other comments also were brought up. Some I'd categorize as more clumsy than malicious, but there is a slippery slope regardless.

In 2000, I spoke with Saban about how delicate the interview process can be when a coach speaks with recruits. I had been working on a story about Saban's making the transition from Michigan State to LSU as he tried to put together his first recruiting class. I spoke to some recruits he reportedly was chasing. The first one, a running back, had told me how rival recruiters told him he shouldn't consider the Tigers because Saban wouldn't still be there when he would graduate. They said Saban would be there three years, then bolt for the NFL.

The next recruit I spoke to said he had heard the same thing. The third recruit I called was an offensive lineman. We chatted for a few minutes, then I asked whether he had worried that Saban might leave for the NFL. I honestly don't recall his exact words, but because he ended up signing with LSU, it was apparent that he did not. Maybe two days later, I had the chance to speak with Saban. We spoke for a while, and then when I had finished with my list of questions, he asked: "Are you the guy who has been telling my recruits that I'm leaving for the NFL?"

I was honest. I did ask that question. I figured it had become a reasonable question given what the first two recruits had said, although after I got off the phone with him, I could see why he would be bothered by my query. I have no doubts that it could influence some kids. That conversation has stayed with me, and I think it makes interviewing recruits and their families much more challenging.

To Saban's point about the notion back then that he might bolt for the NFL, are you not supposed to ask that question? (As it turns out, he didn't stay at LSU for very long and did leave for the NFL.) And where, if anywhere, should you draw the line as a reporter? Coaches and fans probably have a much different answer than most media members do.

"Are you worried about playing for Coach So-and-so because he has a reputation for really yelling at his players?"

I've taken the approach that you have to be careful about how you interview recruits, an approach that could lead to flat interviews rather than free-flowing conversations. I've come to believe that it would not be hard to become part of the process if you're not very careful.

For example, a recruit or his parent could say how much he likes Coach So-and-so. You hear his answer, then move on. If I'm writing a story about Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford, and he talks about why he likes Sooners coach Bob Stoops and about how, say, the media doesn't get to see the real Bob Stoops, I might then echo that by bringing up how much Texas Tech coach Mike Leach (a former Stoops assistant) loved working for him and use an anecdote that could prompt Bradford to further illustrate his relationship with Stoops. If Bradford is a high school recruit, I feel as though I'm not supposed to introduce any of that supporting detail. I've thought about this subject a lot, perhaps too much. But I really don't think it's as black-and-white as many people think.

I've talked about this with some colleagues who are on the national beat in the mainstream media. Their reactions tend to be the same: This is why I hate covering recruiting.

RANDOM STUFF

• Blue-chip running back recruit Eduardo Clements is channeling his inner Yogi Berra, it seems. According to Matt Shodell of CaneSport.com, Clements "had Georgia and Michigan as his top two just a couple of weeks ago. But then an unofficial visit to Miami propelled UM back into his picture. 'It's now 50-50 where I'll go between all three,' Clements says. 'Everyone's even.'"

Shouldn't that be 33 1/3 …? Um, never mind. Clements is a member of the ESPNU 150 watch list.

• Curtis Drake may not have been the most celebrated recruit, but the Penn State freshman sure did give PSU fans reason to be excited with his performance in the Big 33 Classic this past weekend, as Joseph Santoliquito reports:

Drake was selected as the Pennsylvania MVP after amassing a Big 33-record 284 offensive yards (breaking Steve Breaston's mark of 281 in 2002), scoring two touchdowns and rushing for a game-high 88 yards. Kettering Alter's Austin Boucher, who's headed to Miami of Ohio, was Ohio's MVP, tossing two touchdowns and throwing for 255 yards in completing 18 of 24 passes.

Colleague Adam Rittenberg has more about other Big Ten players who shined in the Big 33.

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