COLLEGE FOOTBALL

CAMPING TRIPS

Recruiting rules force coaches to kick it up a notch this summer.

By Bruce Feldman

Head coaches have had it rough on the recruiting trail. First, the NCAA said they couldn't text-message prospects. Then, combing high school hallways each spring became a no-no. So what's a recruiter to do? Get serious about camping.

In the past, holding camp meant eager high school players could get some tips and college coaches could collect some easy pay on the side. Then a few schools began using camps to evaluate the skills and coachability of recruits. Five years ago, Rutgers set up shop way off campus—in Florida—moving the NCAA to forbid schools from holding camps outside of their state lines. So the Scarlet Knights—along with schools like Oklahoma State, Rice and Southern Miss—put together roving seminars in their states. "It works great because with the rising cost of gas, lots of kids and their coaches can't make long drives to campus," says USM coach Tony Hughes.

Another trick: full-pad camps. Many prep governing bodies limit the number of live practices. But coaches noticed that those rules don't address full-contact college camps. Now prep coaches can cram in extra practice time, while recruiters get a good gander at prospects in pads. "It's a tremendous draw," one assistant says.

The NCAA forbids invite-only camps, but some schools stay within the rules by barely advertising certain sessions and relying on word of mouth to attract top talent. Florida stages Friday Night Lights on July 18, an event in which many of the nation's top recruits will compete on UF's field. At USC's Rising Stars Camp in June, Pete Carroll hosted blue-chippers from Arizona, Texas, South Carolina and Tennessee.

And in a copycat industry, that means the stakes have grown to where coaches now have to recruit kids just to come to their camps. Want to bet the NCAA is watching?

COMEBACK ROUTE

By Liam McHugh

Artrell Woods' 4.4 speed was on full display in Oklahoma State's 2007 spring game. That day, the freshman wideout scorched his teammates for 111 yards and two scores. But three short months later, he lost his balance and fell while doing step-ups. Woods doesn't remember anything else until later that day, when he awoke in the hospital. "I couldn't even move my toes," he says. He was a quadriplegic.

Woods had a fracture dislocation of two vertebrae, an injury doctors said did not necessarily mean permanent, full-body paralysis. They thought Woods could regain movement in his arms and, though unlikely, that he might walk. "The initial goal was for him to have normal bladder and bowel control," says OSU head trainer Rob Hunt.

Woods had emergency fusion surgery, then underwent hydrotherapy to restore his motor impulses and prevent muscle atrophy. After 11 days, he stood up on his own. For six grueling months, he worked in the pool and achieved astounding results. By spring practice—less than a year after his injury—Woods wasn't just walking again but running a 4.6 40. And after initially losing 25 pounds, he bulked back up to 197 pounds. On June 30, he was cleared to participate in summer practice, beginning July 31.

And he won't just be a motivational figure on the sideline. With all-conference TE Brandon Pettigrew, sophomore WR Dez Bryant (622 yards as a freshman) and record-setting senior QB Zac Robinson, the Cowboys are counting on Woods to be their deep threat. "I can be that third option," he says. "I can have that same burst."

Who's going to doubt him?

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