Size, speed lead to scholarship

By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
Cardinal Mooney senior Nate Burney did pretty much everything possible as a high school football player the past two years.
Dazzling stats? Check. Game-changing plays? Check. Long runs? Defensive stops? State title?
Check, check, check.
There's just one problem. Burney is 5-foot-9, 180 pounds. And in the eyes of big-time college recruiters, that's simply not big enough.
"I've heard a lot of people say, if only you were two inches taller," said Burney, Ohio's offensive co-player of the year in Div. IV. "I feel like I can do just as much as people bigger than me."
Burney's used to it by now -- people have been telling him he's too short his entire life. But until this winter, it never really stopped him.
But after gaining more than 4,000 yards the past two years, Burney has learned that while high school performance means something, it's no match for old-fashioned genetics.
Canfield star to I-AA
"It's all a game," said Canfield's 5-9 senior Angelo Babbaro, who will sign with Villanova Wednesday as part of national signing day. "A giant game. Some people will throw away your highlight tape after seeing you're 5-9. And some guys are highly recruited even if they don't deserve it."
Babbaro might sound bitter. He's not. He's just learned the rules of the game. And the rules state, if you don't have the requisite size or speed, you're not going to get big-time offers.
"In the end, everyone ends up where they're supposed to be," said Babbaro, who also had an offer from YSU. "I feel lucky. I get to play football in college and I get my education paid for.
"Most people can't say that."
College recruiting will always be subjective, but the big-time schools have inched closer to making it a science. More than 25,000 high school seniors play football each fall. Less than one percent earn Division I scholarships. Most college recruiters follow a size chart for each position and if you don't fit their criteria, you won't get offered.
College recruiters
"There are guys out there who sit in a film room every day watching tapes of players from across the country," said Canfield coach Mike Pavlansky. "They make their living finding the best players for their schools."
And, as former Poland coach Paul Hulea was found of saying, "These guys don't make mistakes."
What coaches like Pavlansky try to do is make sure each player puts himself in position to get recruited. That means attending summer camps, hitting the weight room, getting his grades in order and performing on Friday nights.
"The one thing I try to stress to my guys is, recruiting is out of their hands," said Pavlansky. "You've just got to make sure you have the best senior year you can have and look back on all the great memories.
"The recruiting process will take care of itself."
Pavlansky knows about this firsthand. His linebacker, Kyle Banna, did everything asked of him on the field, helping the Cardinals to a state final appearance. Most people who saw Canfield play this season probably saw Banna and thought, "That's a surefire Division I player."
Partial offers
But Banna (6-0, 230), a first team All-Ohioan at linebacker, only received partial offers from YSU and Villanova.
"They told us he didn't have good enough lateral speed," said Pavlansky said. "I thought, 'Hey, all I know is, this kid makes plays.'
"But speed has become such a big thing in college football. A couple coaches even talked about moving him down to defensive end just to get more speed on the field. It's the new wave of recruiting."
Babbaro's one of the lucky ones in that regard. He has elite speed. Burney isn't quite as fast but he's as quick as any high school football player in the state. But because of his size, most of his interest has come from Division I-AA and II schools.
"It's kind of hard to hear at first," Burney said. "But that just motivates me to work harder."
The Valley has always been known as a strong football area and this year was no exception. Most had stellar careers, but production is just one thing recruiters look at. Ursuline senior tight end Jerome Jones, for instance, missed football season because of academic problems but still got an offer from Toledo because of his exceptional size (6-7, 220) and athletic ability.
More than a dozen area players are expected to sign with Div. I and I-AA schools on Wednesday. But what makes this year interesting is the lack of players receiving nationwide attention.
In fact, arguably the most-high profile recruit from the area is Salem kicker Bryan Wright, who is headed to Michigan.
"For the most part, we produce Div. II and III players," said Salem coach Doug Phillips, "and our kids usually have to bust their tails to get that. But we try to use that in a positive way. Because we know they're not going there just on playing ability, but also because they have brains on top of their shoulders."
The key is being realistic, Phillips said. Just because you're not going to Ohio State or USC doesn't mean you're not a good football player.
"Sometimes where you want to go and where you end up are two different things," said Pavlansky. "But the thing I've always found is, most guys are real happy where they end up."
scalzo@vindy.com