'Bible Of Recruiting' Author Tom Lemming Says Sports Will Be Impacted By COVID-19 Crisis
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Many wonder how this pandemic will affect the high school football recruiting process?
CBS 2's Megan Mawicke spoke with Tom Lemming whose reports are called "the bible of recruiting" about how this will affecting recruiting measures.
And whether he thinks players will transfer to other states where football is more likely to be on, like Nazareth star quarterback J.J. McCarthy is doing heading to Florida.
"IMG (Academy in Bradenton, Florida) is a rare school than can do it. Obviously they're going after him," Lemming said. "The majority of ballplayers, I would say, they're not going to have that chance. Especially if they want to go to a public school. Public school has rules where you have to sit out. Different states have different rules.
"Some say you have to sit out for the whole year. I would say they can do whatever they want. But 99% of ballplayers in Illinois are stuck in Illinois."
How will the COVID-19 crisis affect the recruiting process?
"Tennessee has done a great job as Ohio state. They're done about for the 2021 class. They're already at this stage making looking for at 2022," Lemming said. "Half of them are doing well. The other half are scrambling, trying to assign anybody. They're going to sign ballplayers that haven't seen in person, a good number of them. The ones that normally visit in spring and summer are not going to be able to visit."
Lemming has been doing this 41 years. He's hearing the southern states will open up for training this summer. Lemming thinks Illinois and Michigan will be behind. But he's positive there will be playing in the fall.