College football recruiting is starting to pick back up at Putnam County High School. Coaches are once more hitting the road after spending the early part of the offseason navigating the NCAA transfer portal.
War Eagles head coach Joel Harvin said he expects more will arrive at Putnam County in the coming days as the evaluation period ramps up.
“This was really the first week coaches were able to get back out,” Harvin told The Eatonton Messenger. “A lot of them had to handle all their needs in the transfer portal first, and now it’s kind of full force ahead.”
The rise of the transfer portal has significantly changed how college coaches recruit high school players. In recent years, dozens of schools have held practices in Eatonton during the offseason. Many coaches are now opting to evaluate prospects remotely before making the trip.
“Before, you might have 30 to 40 schools come through,” Harvin said. “Now it’s probably closer to 15 to 20. The transfer portal has had a big effect. A lot more coaches are calling instead of coming by.”
Despite the shift in recruiting, interest in Putnam County remains strong. Georgia Tech assistant coach Brian Bohannon, a Macon native, stopped by last week for one of the program’s first in-person visits of the cycle.
“It was good to see (Bohannon) and be able to talk about a lot of our guys,” Harvin said. He added that visits like this reflect well on the Putnam County program and reinforce his belief that talent will be found.
“That’s straight from Coach Bohannon’s mouth,” Harvin said. “If you’ve got talent, they’re going to find you. It doesn’t matter where you play or what size school you’re at.”
Harvin said he expects recruiting attention across multiple classes this year, including a strong junior group and a smaller senior class. To support the recruiting process, Putnam County maintains a frequently updated database that provides college coaches with academic information, contact details, and Hudl highlight links.
“My job is to put our kids out there as much as possible,” the coach said. “We update our recruiting form daily, and we send information to recruiting services and colleges within four states, including our own.”
Last year, five Putnam County players — Kavar Andrews, Jason Clemons Jr., Rashod Daniel, Noah Long, and Jamarion Robertson — signed to play football at the next level.
Harvin said he hopes and expects that trend will continue for his current players. As visits continue, Putnam County’s staff remains committed to advocating for its players and creating opportunities for them.
“We try to push every kid out there as much as possible,” the coach said.
With college coaches back on the road, more visits are expected soon.
“All of our in-state schools are going to come through, and we’ve got some out-of-state schools planning to stop by as well,” Harvin said. “It’s really just getting started.”