COLORADO SPRINGS — Palmer Ridge's Kaden Dudley and Pine Creek's Beau Freyler are two of Colorado's top high school football prospects.
The duo took time the week to share what the college football recruiting process is like during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Taking calls 24/7, doing these virtual visits, it's tiring," Dudley said.
With athletic departments unable to bring recruits in for the big sell, every pitch is done virtually.
"They're giving you the best of the best, they're not going to show you anything you didn't want to see," Dudley said.
"I was able to do a lot of zoom calls and virtual tours, talking to everyone you can talk to, professors, other players," Freyler said.
The pandemic has created a ripple effect in the process, juniors can't attend college summer camps or 7-on-7 tournaments which often increase their chances of being recruited nationally. The dip in attention has caused many prospects to commit earlier with so much uncertainly in college athletics.
"It's about double, 2021 vs. 2020, recruits that have committed," senior writer and recruiting analyst for Rivals, Alex Gleitman said. "Kids are saying let me lock in a spot right now, the future is uncertain, these are the best opportunities and I'm going to pick the best one."
It's a thought process which continues to gain moment for talents like Freyler, who committed to Iowa State's football program last week.
"It's kind of a relief now, to be done with it and feel accomplished with it," Freyler said. "They've done everything they could to recruit me so I really feel good about things."
On the other end, for players like Dudley, who are still weighing their options, with spring practices canceled and a lack of traveling, coaches having more time to review a player's film and keep them up to date with what is happening at their school.
"Definitely think having trust in that person is a huge thing," Dudley said. "I've been through it once so I understand the process."
Two huge decisions for a pair of local state champions, handling this situation as it develops like any other Friday night under the lights.
"Trust your gut more than anything, if a school really wants you, you'll know and it'll feel like home," Freyler said.
