Final Feature (Revised)

The tall, athletic wide receiver picked a good game to be noticed in.

Demetrius Dean may have just been a sophomore in high school, but he played like a seasoned veteran on Sept. 12, 2008 as the Fayetteville Bulldogs triumphed, 42-37 over Jefferson City, Mo.

With Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino making the trip to watch his son, Bobby Jr., play football for the Bulldogs in Jefferson City, Dean, in only his second high school game, caught 10 passes for 109 yards and three touchdowns.

The effort impressed Petrino so much that he offered Dean a scholarship, even though he had only played two varsity games.

Dean, now a 6-foot-3, 240-pound junior, plays the majority of his games just down the hill from Petrino’s office on campus.

The offer was exposure Dean wasn’t expecting but certainly wasn’t annoyed by.

“I think it’s cool that I’m getting recruited by Arkansas,” Dean said. “I like it because it’s where I’m from.”

Dean’s teammate and close friend, Dylan Hale, is a running back for Fayetteville and is also being looked at by colleges.

While he’s not getting the same press as Dean, Hale isn’t jealous at all and appreciates being mentioned with him.

“It’s really an honor to play with him because of his talent,” Hale said. “Playing with guys like Demetrius and Brandon [Allen, Fayetteville’s quarterback] is really any football player’s dream.”

Other athletes from the area have received similar acclaim for their high school exploits, but none of them as early as Dean has.

“I really think it was crazy that Demetrius got an offer just two games into his sophomore year,” Hale said. “I’m proud of him and happy for him as well.”

Not a single one of those players, however, were offered a scholarship as a high school sophomore.

Terry Wood, the former sports editor of the Northwest Arkansas Times from 1996 to 2009, covered a wide range of sports in Fayetteville and specifically the University of Arkansas, and said it differs with each individual how he or she views the recruiting process.

“It should be the kid’s decision,” Wood said. “A lot of times I’m surprised at how much fans are interested in recruiting. It’s kind of puzzling, I mean I know anyone would like to be popular but still, it’s gotten almost out of hand.”

Nate Olson, a sportswriter for Vype Magazine in central Arkansas, said that even with the celebrity of high school athletes gaining steam in Northwest Arkansas, there is also a strong following of these athletes in the middle and southern portions of the state as well.

“It used to be high school kids got coverage from their local papers,” Olson said. “Now, it has become big business. Web sites, magazines and TV networks cover players from all over the country. College recruiting coverage has put prep sports in the spotlight.”

As Twitter, Facebook, online message boards, and recruiting websites continue to take precedent in young people’s lives, a high school athlete rising into the spotlight by their play on the field can use these tools to their advantage or they can ignore them.

“They can be used positively or negatively,” Wood said. “Like any other tool, that person can use it wisely or it can be damaging to them. It’s up to the individual to make that judgment.”

So while recruiting can give a team an edge and helps that team develop a program, it can also be devastating to the individual who has the hopes of that team riding on his shoulders.

“A lot of privacy is taken out of their lives,” Wood said. “When they get offered like this early in their high school career, anything can happen. Kids are going to make mistakes, and they may not realize the full impact of what they say and what they do before it’s too late.”

Dean went on to set records at Fayetteville as a sophomore, but had a tough 2009 as a junior.

With the target on his back as an Arkansas commitment, he didn’t perform as he did 2008, putting on weight in the off-season and struggling to stay in games because of it.

Fayetteville limped to a 5-6 finish and a first-round playoff exit with a 45-42 loss to Conway at home.

He looks to rebound and have a big senior year before moving on to college, but he realizes that his every move is being followed now.

“The attention is not bad, but I don’t like too much attention,” Dean said. “It’s ok though, it’s not a bad thing.”