In past years, college football teams have used the prestige of their programs as the main tool to recruit high school players. Now, teams are attempting to attract the modern teenage athlete by looking “fresh”.

Schools like Oregon and Maryland are sponsored by athletic equipment giants Nike and Under Armor respectively and have the sickest and most up-to-date equipment.  All Whitman athletes look forward to getting new jerseys every two to four years; imagine playing for Oregon, where the players get new jerseys for every game and each one is better than the last.

This is a major pull factor for high school athletes.  They now want to go to the school that looks the best.  “Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good” is a motto used by many of today’s teams.

The Oregon Ducks are the prime example of this new type of recruiting, with their 3.2 million dollar, two-story locker room complete with plasma televisions and wood finished lockers.

Is it over the top? Of course, but this is what high school athletes are looking for in college programs. They want to be treated like royalty, and schools like Oregon can make all their wildest dreams come true.