No summer camps, no 7 on 7s, no problem; How extended dead period could help Fresno State

Campus is closed at least until August due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, the Fresno State football program, which had no spring practices and no spring recruiting evaluation period, also will not hold any prospect camps or 7-on-7 tournaments this summer.

Prospective student-athletes who might in June get a chance to get on campus and in front of coach Kalen DeBoer and the Bulldogs’ coaching staff will not have that opportunity in 2020.

That, though somewhat counterintuitive, could be a boon for the Bulldogs, particularly in a year the Valley and the state are projected to have a fairly deep class of talented prep football recruits.

“When the coaches don’t have the ability to evaluate kids in person in the spring, when the kids aren’t able to go camp at some Power Five schools, it gives a school like Fresno State the chance to really hide some of those diamonds that otherwise would end up playing somewhere in the Pac-12,” said Brian Dohn, a national recruiting analyst with 247Sports.

“You could have a kid, you watch his junior film and he’s a 6-foot-2, 205-pound defensive end and doesn’t fit in the Pac-12, and then he shows up at a camp at 6-4 and 230 and all of a sudden he’s a Pac-12 player. That won’t happen now. So if Fresno has those connections – and there’s a lot of talent within a decent distance of their campus – they could have an advantage with some of those kids that they normally might lose.”

Bulldogs’ three highly-rated commits

The Bulldogs have three confirmed commitments to this point in the Class of 2021 – running back Malik Brooks (6-2, 205) from Desert Pines-Las Vegas, defensive tackle David Gusta (6-4, 270) from Cajon-San Bernardino and defensive tackle Julius Lewis (6-5, 280) from Central Catholic-Modesto.

All could fit into that paradigm.

Brooks is “one that they’re probably happy there is no camp period because his school is so loaded,” said Brandon Huffman, 247Sports national recruiting editor. “He’s one of those kids, he probably sees his stock soar as coaches get a chance to eyeball him.

“I saw Gusta at a camp about a month before the shutdown. I really liked him, and he had some Pac-12 offers. He had a Washington State offer. He had an Arizona offer. He had done some camps and taken some unofficial visits. He was starting to get on that cusp of blowing up.”

Lewis, with his size, definitely could be one of those players.

“His film is awesome,” Huffman said. “With his size, if he goes to some camps, takes some unofficial visits, coaches see him and they really get wowed by him.”

NCAA could extend dead period

The NCAA Division I Council has extended a recruiting dead period through May 31 and could extend it again through June 30, eliminating a number of camps and tournaments at which college football and basketball programs evaluate prospective student-athletes.

It will vote May 13 on a question of extending the dead period.

There is no in-person contact during the dead period, on or off campus, though coaches and recruits still can communicate over the phone, through social media and various video apps.

But if the dead period is extended, that time in front of prospective student-athletes is something college coaches might not be able to get back. The status of high school football across the state and the nation is an open question and once there is a plan to start a college football season, focus will quickly shift to getting a team ready coming off a spring and summer that has been like no other due to the coronavirus pandemic, with players at home, many on their own for school and workouts.

DeBoer, who under NCAA rules cannot discuss prospective student-athletes until they have signed a national letter of intent or financial aid agreement, has stressed building recruiting relationships with California high school and junior college coaches and players. That will come into play while coaches are unable to see recruits in camps.

Fresno State defensive assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Julius Brown described what the Bulldogs are looking for.

“We want competitive football players, and it’s guys that love to compete, that never back down from a challenge. That’s No. 1. Then we want kids who are smart and love to play the game. If a kid has those attributes, I think you can teach him the skills.

“But at the end of the day it’s about having pride in where you’re playing, having a belief that you are the best so you can be the best.”