I’m sure my #8ManRotation partners have read this story, but you might not have.  Bleacher Report had an article this week about a stud high school quarterback, Easton Bruere, out of New Mexico, who threw for 4500 yards, 49 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions this year alone and won the state title for his team.  He’s 6’3″, 200 lbs, strong athletic kid.  3.75 GPA and no legal trouble. He has zero college scholarship offers at the D1 level.

Let me give you a personal angle on this story.  Easton’s Dad and Aunt, both attended the University of Wyoming, when I did.  Both his Dad and Aunt were D1 athletes, Dad, Carl, in Football, Aunt, Ginger, in Volleyball and his sister plays college volleyball.  So, this kid also has a D1 pedigree. He comes from a very athletic family.  My wife and Ginger played together at UW for years.

There is great learning from this for all of my recruiting brother and sisters out there!  I can think of two things specifically:

1. As soon as you believe there are no more ‘recruits’, talent, people, left to hire, you’re dead wrong. This kid is in the middle of New Mexico.  Very few D1 football players come out of New Mexico, so most schools just fly over it on their way to Texas or California.  It’s forgotten about, in terms of football talent.

We do this all the time in recruiting talent for our organizations. “We tried that before, didn’t work.” Have you heard that? Okay, try it again. It didn’t work one time, doesn’t mean it’s never going to work.  “We went to that school three years ago and didn’t recruit anyone, so we didn’t go back.” “I tried calling into that company once, but couldn’t get through.”

 2. On the flip side, college coaches will go to the end of earth to find talent.  Was this kid missed? Or, is there something else we just aren’t getting from this article?  You see what we do.  We assume.  We assume if no one wants the kid, there must be something wrong with him. So, we just take it as fact and don’t do our own evaluation.

This is a problem with corporate recruiting as well.  How many resumes have you passed on because the person was unemployed for six months? “Well, if there weren’t hired by someone, there must be something wrong with them.”  Or, maybe you should bring them in and make that determination for yourself. But, you don’t.  You assume.

In recruiting, more than almost any other field, we give ourselves self-fulling prophecies.

I don’t know if this kid deserves a shot. Sure seems like it from the data I see. Because I know the family, I’m rooting for him.  His dad and aunt were highly competitive.  He has the skills, the experience and the genetics.

Remember this story the next time you go to pass on a candidate without a real reason.  Remember this story the next time you decide to pass on a source because previously it was a bust.  We’re all in the talent game. The funny thing about talent is, it can come from anywhere.

Check out Easton’s recruitment on twitter at #EastonBruere.