re: 2013 Alabama Football Recruiting Thread - DH Decommited from UGA

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Yahoo's Rivals.com, Fox's Scout.com, and the independent 247Sports are the industry leaders in providing recruiting information for monthly subscribers. Without factoring in various discount deals that are occasionally offered, the networks charge approximately $9.99 a month to the most diehard of college sports fans.

Those networks are known for their strong coverage of recruiting throughout the year, but it is on National Signing Day that they seem to get the most attention. Rivals and Scout are the old stalwarts and have plenty of resources at their hands through their parent companies, but it is what 247Sports is doing that is changing the market.

Behind CEO Shannon Terry, who at one point founded Rivals.com, 247Sports has put a heavy emphasis on the mobile capabilities of the entire network. The company, which has been around for just a little over a year, wants its users to be able to easily access all of the articles and information on the message board from their smartphones. The idea behind the strategy is that it allows fans to stay connected to the community that 247Sports has built, even if they are on the road.

That community connection is why those within 247Sports feel that their coverage of events such as National Signing Day doesn't directly compete with what ESPNU or CBS was trying to accomplish.

"Our users are going to watch ESPNU or CBS on signing day, but they are going to come to our message boards to talk about it," 247Sports national recruiting director J.C. Shurburtt said. "They come and ask our analysts to offer more in-depth analysis than maybe what they can hear from a sound bite on television."

"I have a lot of respect for the guys at ESPN and I think Tom Luginbill is a rising star on television and he knows his stuff," he added. "But I don't know that National Signing Day necessarily lends itself to television other than they do a good job with it and do a good job of promoting it."

ESPNU would obviously disagree, but it appears the hectic day is big enough for two somewhat connected ecosystems to survive. ESPNU can provide the visuals of announcements and direct access to college coaches, while networks like 247Sports can provide that in-depth analysis within a community.

That personal attention to users is why 247Sports, Rivals and others can continually attract people to pay $9.99 a month for the latest update on where the nation's No. 1 quarterback might be headed. Paying money to get insider information on the thoughts of a 17-year-old might be absurd to some, but it is the perfect showcase of the dedication of college football fans.

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