Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Under the Dome Five Questions With … Core 6 Athletes Founder Paul Szczesny Paul Szczesny started Core 6 Athletes in 2009 to help high school football players improve and get noticed by colleges. He played linebacker at Indiana and Arizona State. He hired a group of former Big Ten players to help athletes in the Chicagoland area prepare for the next level of football. He sat down with Blue & Gold Illustrated to talk about the current state of the recruiting world. same kind of corruption and unscrupulous recruiting tactics that developed in the AAU? Szczesny: "In any business, you're going to have guys that do the right thing and others that are in it for the wrong reasons. … You'll never see the same kind of effect it had in basketball as in football because, one, at the end of the day you could play all the sevenon-seven you want, but the kid still has to play for his high school, play Blue & Gold Illustrated: What's the in pads. main goal you have when working Szczesny, who played "For basketball, they say the AAU with high school prospects? circuit is bigger than the high school linebacker at Indiana and Szczesny: "For us it's always been Arizona State, started season." about helping the kid. The scholar- his company in 2009 to ship part, the recruiting part, is great, help high school athletes Blue & Gold Illustrated: What are but the real reason we really have the improve and get noticed by your thoughts on the NCAA lifting year-round football is to make sure colleges. its limit on how often coaches can photo courtesy Core 6 Athletes contact recruits? that when these guys get the opportunity to play at the next level, when they come in as Szczesny: "Every college coach agrees the state of a freshman, they're in a great position." recruiting — I don't think it's going where a lot of people want it to go. It's a good move by the NCAA Blue & Gold Illustrated: Can programs like yours because some coaches weren't really following the help other areas of the country catch up with the rules anyway, so it's a good way to make a fair playtalent being produced in Southern states? ing field for anybody, making sure everyone is doing Szczesny: "I think it's going to continue to grow. the right thing. They are going to get better. They have an opportu"For the kids, obviously, I don't know how that's nity to play football year round. That's the biggest going to go." thing in the South. They're doing football movements year round, and it makes a difference. Blue & Gold Illustrated: Do some of your elite "You're seeing a lot more skill guys in the Midwest recruits already get overwhelmed with the attention making the top rankings, and I think that number is they get during the process? going to continue to grow. Kids are going to continue Szczesny: "Of course. Now you have guys that are to get better coaching. They're going to get faster just going to start their own blog and you don't know now that there's year-round speed and agility." what they're writing. "You don't know what their motive is, so the kids Blue & Gold Illustrated: In many ways, those are are getting bombarded not only with coaching stuff, the same benefits of year-round basketball on the but also with the different media networks." — Dan Murphy AAU level. Is there concern that it will bring the