The "Street Agent" often appears as a good guy or friend but usually behind closed doors is negotiating fees and trying to manipulate the outcome of a Prospective Student Athletes decision in regards to college choice. This practice of offering fees to these people needs to be banned 100% by the NCAA and State High School Associations.

 

One of the biggest challenges going on in college recruiting is the emergence of what are called Street Agents.   Often times this person is a private coach, trainer,  or a so called longtime friend of the family.  That person takes on an advisory/father figure type role in helping to decide where the Prospective Student Athlete (PSA) is going to go to college.  They often end up lining their pockets with fees and money paid by the Colleges, the Family, or Both.   Some call these guys “Chicken-Hawks” or “Scum of the Earth” but they are commonly known as “Street Agents”.

Here is a portion of the story printed here:  http://content.usatoday.com/communities/campusrivalry/post/2011/07/oregon-will-lyles-ncaa-investigation-yahoo-sports/1  about Street Agent Will Lyles.

———————-

Will Lyles, who is at the center of the NCAA investigation of Oregon’s football program, said in an interview to Yahoo! Sports that he was paid by the school for more than scouting reports.

 Oregon has admitted paying Lyles $25,000 in connection with his company Complete Scouting Services.

Documents released by the school last month show it received outdated recruiting information from Lyles, who said Oregon coach Chip Kelly said “scrambled” in late February and asked Lyles to submit retroactive player profiles to justify payment.

“They said they just needed anything,” Lyles told Yahoo! Sports. “They asked for last-minute [stuff]. So I gave them last-minute [stuff] … I gave them, like, old stuff that I still had on my computer because I never thought that stuff would see the light of day.”

Lyles said he spoke to the NCAA for six hours in May.

“I look back at it now and they paid for what they saw as my access and influence with recruits,” Lyles told Yahoo! Sports. “The service I provided went beyond what a scouting service should … I made a mistake and I’m big enough of a man to admit I was wrong.”

About a month before Oregon’s payment to Lyles, running back Lache Seastrunk signed with the Ducks. Lyles has been described as having a mentoring relationship with Seastrunk. Lyles also attended an awards banquet last December as a guest of Oregon running back and Heisman Trophy candidate LaMichael James.

Lyles spoke in detail to Yahoo! Sports about working with Oregon to have Seastrunk’s grandmother sign his letter of intent because his mother did not want him to attend school there.

Lyles also said he advised James to transfer to an Arkansas high school as a senior so that he would avoid taking a standardized test required to graduate in Texas.

(Much more at the link above)

—————————————————

Football Northwest is going to find these people and list them for our members.

While we are 100% opposed to these people in general there are some Recruiting Services that do not offer a “cash for offers” approach and who charge such a low fee that almost anyone could afford them.

In any case we will seek to get all of them to sign standard ethical agreements and commit to publishing their rates as well as filing an annual Agency business license in the State of Oregon and or Washington.  Someone has to provide oversight.  And it has to start very very soon.