One of the hardest parts about recruiting, is understanding the process. Ask Jackie Hargreaves, the mother of five star Vernon Hargreaves or Robert Davis Sr. the father of CDS running back, Robert Davis, how complicated and confusing the process is. How much parents should know about recruiting and don’t.

We have watched Clearwater Central Catholic 2014 LB, Ethan Thompson improve year by year. Watching him run around and make solid, but average football plays. Watched him perform well, but not great at showcases. However, we have seen him progress. Observed him start to blossom at spring and summer events. Perform extremely well at BCP showcases and 7 on 7 sessions.

What has been the best part about Ethan Thompson’s improvement is the way he and his family has soaked up every piece of information we have provided. They have been receptive to when and where they should do what. At the beginning of the summer, we sat down with Ethan and his family and gave them an honest opinion of the level of play we felt he could perform “at that point”. Everyone wants to be a D1 BCS prospect and it’s hard for kids and parents to hear that they may not be a top level player. At least not at the present time.

The response was encouraging, “What should we do and how should we do it?” From that day forth, Thompson has thrived and his play has picked up to where he is starting to make plays like a D1 player. Not just average plays, but disrupting plays, plays where he is coming out of nowhere and making tackles and sacks behind the line of scrimmage instead of 5 yards past the line.

This season, Thompson has 29 solo tackles, 49 total tackles, 1 fumble recovery and 2 sacks. No longer is his film a “well….” film. But it is starting to look like a “Hmmm, I like him” film.