Alstott sees recruiting shift

When Mike Alstott was going through the recruiting process, things were different.

Recruiting services didn't exist, the Internet wasn't around, and as he notes, "the phones were connected to the wall." In other words, a high school prospect's recruiting process received minimal exposure.

"I can't recall ever having to talk to the media during that part of the process," he said. "(College) coaches would call, set up official visits and then you committed. It was truly a situation where there was no kind of persuasion whatsoever from the media saying this and that. It was very clear cut."

Today, he finds himself as a first-time head coach at St. Petersburg (Fla.) Northside Christian, a position he's held since the 2012 season. He's now helping to guide his players through the recruiting process and acknowledges how the process has evolved since he went through it.

"Now it's branding, marketing, combines, showcases, relationships and this and that," Alstott said. "In my time relationships were important too, but not to the extent they are now. (The process) is very scrutinized now with all the new marketing. I get that at the end of the day your play on the field will help you, but there's a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff that needs to be done to help the kid get the overall exposure to these colleges.

"It's very competitive."

Alstott's recruitment from high school was very straightforward.

"(Purdue) called me and asked me to take a visit," he said. "And when I was on the visit, they wanted me to make a decision. It was that simple."

As it would turn out, Alstott -- then a fullback for perennial state power Joliet (Ill.) Catholic -- committed to Purdue on the spot despite interest from other Big Ten schools, including Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois. He initially intended to take other official visits, but canceled those after committing to the Boilermakers.

Alstott would go on to have a storied career for Purdue from 1992-95, leaving as the career rushing leader in yards (3,635), rushing touchdowns (39), total touchdowns (42), all-purpose yards and 100-yard rushing games while becoming the first Boilermaker to win team MVP three years in a row. He would parlay his collegiate success into a 11-year career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which included six Pro Bowl selections and a Super Bowl title the 2002-03 season.

Alstott is now coaching D-I prospects, most notably Dillan Gibbons -- a class of 2017 offensive tackle who holds offers six offers including Ohio State, West Virginia and South Carolina. Alstott's son, Griffin Alstott, is another '17 prospect and quarterbacks the team. In all, Northside has 20 sophomores returning off an 8-3 season, two years removed from an 0-10 season.

Northside and its coaching staff are hoping the turnaround helps lead to more exposure for the team's prospects.

"It's our goal to get as many coaches as possible to see our kids," said Shannon Gibbons, father of Dillan and Northside offensive line coach. "We realize not all of our players are D-I athletes, but there are still a lot of opportunities with other, smaller schools."

Shannon Gibbons is also in charge of Northside's recruiting and has plenty of experience to fall back on, having gone through the process with Dillan's older brother, Reilly Gibbons. Reilly was a class of 2014 four-star offensive tackle that held nearly 50 offers and committed to Stanford. Reilly eventually transferred to USF.

"With Reilly, we learned a lot," Shannon said. "I was able to build relationships with so many schools going through the process with him. I've been able to keep growing those relationships."

Both Alstott and Shannon Gibbons point to relationships with schools as one of the biggest keys to recruiting, and Gibbons believes the staff's contacts will improve the chances of its players being recruited.

For Dillan Gibbons, there's a good chance his recruitment will pick up just as much as Reilly's did. The good news for him is he seems prepared for the exposure.

"I was with Reilly every step of the way," said Dillan, who stands at 6-foot-5, 290 pounds. "I went with him on every single visit and I always ended up having fun. It was a great experience. And any school that recruited my brother already knows me."

Dillan -- who considers his recruiting "wide open" and who doesn't have a favorite -- will spend the offseason participating in various camps and combines and touring colleges. He'll travel with a handful of Northside prospects with D-I potential, including Griffin Alstott. Shannon Gibbons said the hope is to have Dillan and Griffin playing alongside each other at the next level.

"That's something we'd like to accomplish," Shannon said. "They've been best friends for a long time."

Shannon notes that Griffin is in a different situation than Dillan because he's a quarterback.

"Their process starts so much earlier," Shannon said. "Going into their junior year is when they start really building their relationships with coaches, deciding which (college) camps to attend. In my opinion, the quarterback is the face of the program, so schools want to develop a relationship early on to make sure that (prospect) is the right fit.

"That's a lot different than getting looks for a kid who's 6-foot-5, 290 pounds who's only a sophomore. You can't coach size, so as long as they have good footwork and are willing to learn, they're going to get a lot of offers."

Griffin, who was primarily a baseball player until a few years ago, has taken a liking to being quarterback. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound sophomore finished the season with 3,200 passing yards and 19 total touchdowns -- 15 passing, 4 rushing. Though he doesn't have any offers, Shannon said a number of the schools inquiring about Dillan are also taking notice of Griffin.

"I'm working toward the opportunity to play ball at the next level," Griffin said. "And I know it all goes by fast. From what I'm told, most all of the quarterback spots are taken by junior year. That's pretty much when you know where you'll be going."

In the time between now and his junior season, Griffin will be working on gaining necessary exposure, starting with his participation in the U.S. Army National Combine at the beginning of January.

As the recruiting process picks up for the Northside program, the coaching staff will work to make their players as marketable as possible. Shannon believes this starts off the field.

"First we want to make sure we've got the classroom locked down," he said. "Making sure their grades are up and that they're taking their ACT and SAT tests. Then we've got to make sure they're committed to the weight room. In practice and in everything, make sure they're working hard. All of that will show up on the field, and that will make them a marketable package."

Shannon believes once that's accomplished, then the real challenges begin.

"It gets complicated," he said. "You can be the right package, but then a school might not be recruiting that position, so now you're in the position of going to different (college) camps, getting noticed, getting some press. But the bottom line is you have to perform. You can have everything going on, but if you don't perform, it will pass you buy. You can blow up at camps and become that guy, but that doesn't guarantee anything."

Another focus Northside's staff emphasizes is the power of social media. While Shannon deals mostly with the recruiting aspect, Mike Alstott deals with how the players portray themselves online.

"I'm as old school as old school gets," Alstott said. "As of today, I don't have a Twitter, Facebook or anything when it comes to social media. But if one of my kids is saying or posting something I don't like, I'll text them the screenshot. I feel sorry for today's generation when it comes to exposure. The immaturity of some kids who speak on emotion through social media can haunt them. It really can. I try to help them with that process and we talk about it all the time. I'm always reiterating it to the team.

"It's part of today's age and the recruiting process, but don't use it to your advantage or disadvantage."

So with the expectations of Northside's recruiting taking off in correlation to on-field success, the staff will continue pursuing maximum exposure for its prospects. To do this, they want to instill the hard-working, team-oriented mentality that made Alstott a fixture for the Buccaneers.

"I'm a simple guy," Alstott said. "Keep it simple. Keep it within the family -- the football family and personal family -- and everything will work out."

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