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Scouting still has Porter on the road
By Greg Gulas
BEAVER TOWNSHIP
The high school football season has officially reached its midway point with Canfield’s Mark Porter already logging over 6,000 miles, scouring the state and analyzing scholastic talent for his highly acclaimed collegiate recruitment service.
The founder and chief executive officer of ScoutingOhio.com, Porter has seen a steady increase each year in membership as colleges nationwide gather information on prospective recruits.
Now in its 12th year of operation, Porter told the Curbstone Coaches during their weekly Monday season at Avion Banquet Center that he expects to log another 15,000 miles through the play-offs as he gathers much needed information for distribution to his subscribers.
“We have over 90 colleges and universities subscribing to our recruiting service and over half are Division I programs,” Porter said.
“The other schools are on the Division II, III and FBS levels yet the charge remains the same and that is to supply them with any and all information about potential recruits. They want to know everything from their talent level, to their grades and their off-field habits. They want to know everything and we try to provide that information.”
Porter calls his wife Stephanie the family’s “air traffic controller” as she helps coordinate everything from baby sitters to their weekly game schedules, which sometimes includes viewing as many as six games on a given night.
“Stephanie is definitely the boss when it comes to making sure that we are both heading to the right place and scouting the right players,” Porter said. “She, too, is very knowledgeable when it comes to evaluating talent and contributes quite a bit to our overall reports.”
Porter noted that brains are just as important as brawn when it comes to his service.
“Coaches don’t want to police their players when it comes to classroom and study habits, so they are recruiting athletes with a proven academic track record,” he said. “With the NCAA minimum grade-point average having been raised, coaches want the solid 3.0 student or better instead of flirting with those that are on the bubble. They feel that students on the fringe are too much of a risk in the classroom who could eventually become academic casualties. Coaches want their scholarship investment to be taken seriously.”
While the Mahoning Valley remains a hotbed for scholastic talent, it’s the Cincinnati area that is producing this year’s recruiting bumper crop.
“There are so many Division I schools in Cincinnati like Moeller, Elder, Colerain and St. Xavier and they have a bevy of Division I players,” Porter said. “There’s a huge difference between great high school football players and those that have compiled great statistics and a variety of honors. The last few Mr. Football winners in our state were ranked as low as No. 30 or No. 40 on our list at their respective positions.”
Huge offensive and defensive linemen are the players that tend to receive the most scrutiny by Porter.
“Coaches want pass protectors and rushers, so the 6-foot-7 left tackle built like a 747 airplane is the first one off the board. Successful programs have those pass protectors while the struggling programs do not,” he said. “Those bigger and faster athletes go to the top schools while the 6-3 and 6-4 players head elsewhere.”
According to Porter, Warren Harding quarterback Lynn Bowden tops the local recruiting list with a half-dozen other area athletes also receiving Division I interest.
“Lynn Bowden is the area’s toast of the town and the player who is receiving the most interest right now. Michigan State is arguably the hottest in pursuit,” Porter said. “Others to keep an eye on locally during the recruiting process are tight end Travis Koontz of Boardman, quarterback-defensive back A.J. Musolino of Struthers, Jordan Murphy, a defensive end from Crestview, Cardinal Mooney linebacker Ray Anderson, wide receiver Tariq Drake of LaBrae and Victor Williams, a defensive back-linebacker from Howland.”
According to Porter, the Mid-American Conference has verbal commitments from Musolino (Kent State), Murphy (Bowling Green), Drake (Ohio) and Williams (Toledo), Anderson just committed to the United States Naval Academy while Koontz recently de-committed from Bowling Green.