Highlight videos are essential to recruiting

Columbia County might not have had a monster season in football, but we do have several solid college prospects on the gridiron.

College recruiting has changed greatly over the past few years, so I'll try to assist some of our athletes in their desire to play on the next level.

No longer can you sit back and wait on the schools to come find you. Coaches, parents and players are now participants in the marketing game.

If you sit around and wait on that phone call from Georgia or Florida State, then do not be surprised when other players of similar abilities get the offers and you are forced to scramble and find some place to play in July.

To help these players get noticed, the Augusta area has been blessed to have guys such as Michael Carvell and Todd Stanford.

Carvell, the founder of Move Mountains Inc., has been responsible for a large number of area athletes getting their shot at big-time college football.

Carvell began putting together tapes of athletes and mailing them to any school he could think of. Stanford was one of the first players in the area to use the videotape method to earn a scholarship.

The former Lakeside star earned a full ride to Texas Christian. Now the two work together with Move Mountains Inc.

Carvell has refined his process over the years, but it is pretty simple. He puts together about 30 in-game highlights, makes a list of schools, and mails the tapes out.

And it is hard to argue with the results.

Corey Chavous: Before the tapes - Had few, if any, offers as an undersize defensive back; After the Tapes - Signed with Vanderbilt, was an instant standout, and now is an NFL Pro Bowler with the Minnesota Vikings

David Rivers: Before the Tapes - Had some schools interested, but no big programs were making offers; After the Tapes - Signed a full ride with Virginia and has played in the Canadian Football League, NFL Europe, and has been on the Atlanta Falcons Practice Squad.

Rashad Dunn: Before the Tapes - Presbyterian told Dunn they had no room for him; After the Tapes - Big-time programs such as Louisville and Iowa were basically fighting to get him (he chose Iowa)

These are only three of the dozens of players who have followed the video plan to pay dirt in the form of a college scholarship.

Seniors such as Reggie Porter, Eugene Rogers and Cheng Ho should get busy putting tapes together. While they each might be getting interest from some small schools, that list could include some big programs - especially for Rogers and Porter.

Juniors Reggie Rice and Eric Smith (Greenbrier) and Chris Drayton (Lakeside) could all be terrific college players.

I think Drayton could play at the highest level of college football, but they need to get busy putting out the tapes.

For them, now is the perfect time to do so.

Players who already have played their junior season and are not hearing from the programs they'd like to hear from shouldn't think those schools will be beating their doors down this time next season.

With all the recruiting restrictions, players have to make sure the schools see them play.

So the players must do whatever they can to get those tapes out. Trust me; it will pay off.

If they don't take the time to do this now, they might regret it for the rest of their lives.