ARE RIVALS AND ESPN SNUBBING RECRUITS OVER ALL-STAR GAMES?

It’s always been rumored that certain schools get preferential treatment from the college scouting services. And after reading the humorous Tennessee blog Loser with Socks, it seems that Vols recruit and Scout.com #1 quarterback recruit Jake Heaps, is learning that first hand. LWS received an email from someone close to the Heaps family:The two main guys from Rivals that rank the kids are based on the east coast. They saw Jake one time at the Army All American combine in San Antonio where Jake got off to a slow start having not picked up a ball since his state championship a about month previous. That performance and his size are the contributing factors for their ranking strangely NOT his body of work... Rivals own west coast affiliates are crying foul on the ranking with their east coast partners…The West Coast Rivals guys have contacted the Heaps apologizing for their companies unfair rating and have emailed their disgust and frustration to their home office. But in their own words they have very little pull as Rivals is a east coast based company...Jake is not expected to be on ESPN’s top 150 list either as that has become a showcase for the kids that are attending their Under Armour game in Florida. ESPN/Under Armour was unsuccessful in getting the Heaps to date to switch to their game as he had already committed to the Army All American Game back in September of last year. Through channels ESPN let the Heaps know that they could expect Jake not to be in their top 50 due to his refusal to switch games. The Heaps are standing their ground refusing to be bullied…None of this is exactly earth-shattering news, especially with ESPN getting into the recruiting game after purchasing websites like BuckNuts and WeAreSC.com, and taking a huge economic stake in the Under Armor All-American game in Florida.But it’s just another example of the shenanigans and politics that go into these supposedly objective recruiting websites, and a big reason why some kids refuse to take part in it.