Jan 21, 2013; Fairhope AL, USA; Alabama head coach Nick Saban signs autographs for local fans following the Senior Bowl south squad practice at Fairhope municipal stadium. Saban was in town to watch his former players perform for NFL coaches and scouts. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Andrew Williams is one of the top Defensive End prospects in the nation. His recruitment is and will be one of the most hotly contested recruiting battles in the nation. Coaches will be bending over backwards to sign a player like him.

Maybe it is more realistic to say that coaches will be getting hand cramps to sign him.

The most recent trend in college recruiting is personal letters. With the USPS struggling to stay afloat, college coaches are doing to do their best to help their postal carriers out.

Maybe, that is not quite what they are doing but it is strange that this form of outdated communication has become a new recruiting tool in the arsenal of major college coaches.

This new trend gained notoriety when 2013 recruit Alvin Kamara received 105 letters from Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban. 2014 recruit Andrew Williams received 150 letters from Tennessee recently. College recruiting has always been about pushing the boundaries but with the excessive amount of letters, what is the point?

What can be said in 105 or 150 personal letters that cannot be said in 5? At first, the recruit definitely feels like he is being shown the “love”. But, after he gets to #99 does it just get repetitive? Do the recruits even read them all or do they become like comic books for recruits? One recruit can brag that he has 76 of the Ole Miss edition.

Recruiting is about personal relationships. The majority of the time, the recruit goes to where he feels most comfortable. A relationship cannot be built through stamps. It has to be built with personal touch. This just does not feel very personal. It feels like junk mail.

What do you think? Comment below and give us your thoughts.

Jan 7, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Louis Nix III (9) reacts during the second half of the 2013 BCS Championship game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Message boards were alive today with rumor about where Vanderdoes would be attending college in the fall of 2013. Vanderdoes had declared before this weekend that he would not be doing any interviews with the media until National Signing Day. Therefore, truly knowing what Vanderdoes is feeling at this point about his decision is speculation.

For those who are unaware, Vanderdoes is a 5-star Defensive Line prospect from Placer, California. He starred in the US Army All-American Bowl. Despite being told that he would play at Defensive End, Notre Dame fans hope that he can replace Nose Guard Louis Nix.

Vanderdoes has reportedly narrowed his decision to Notre Dame and Alabama. Furthermore, Notre Dame is his likely destination with his mother in favor of Notre Dame. This report would have had to come from a source inside the Notre Dame Athletic Department.

This seems extremely unlikely however. Vanderdoes had always had a Top 5 of USC, UCLA, Washington, Notre Dame and Alabama. The Tide and Irish were relative newcomers to his recruitment. Vanderdoes was committed to the Trojans until the week of the US Army All-American Bowl. It is not surprising that USC would be the final destination. But, to completely drop the other two West Coast programs just nine days before National Signing Day seems odd.

If it is true, the visit to Tuscaloosa would be critical for Alabama in landing the 5-star Defensive Linemen. Obviously, if he would not make the trip to Alabama, that would mean he has most likely selected the Irish as his final destination. But, Vanderdoes reopened his recruitment for a reason. He wanted to see what was out there. Only visiting Notre Dame does not seem to follow with that line of thinking.

Most likely, Vanderdoes is still considering USC, UCLA, Notre Dame and Alabama. Notre Dame definitely made a good impression this weekend. The parents are typically in the corner of the Fighting Irish because of what they can offer off of the field to the potential student athlete. Notre Dame, along with everyone else, will have to wait until February 6th to know if they did enough.

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