Coaches find ways to connect online

Both DeAndrade and Sullivan agreed that not getting the in-person visits either on campus or at football camps makes a significant difference.

DeAndrade estimated that 100 to 150 recruits would have shown up this spring on the Holy Cross campus in Worcester for junior days — invitation-only events for recruits to see the school and meet coaches and players. Sullivan believed one of BC’s best selling points is the pristine Chestnut Hill campus recruits usually could take in.

The separation also makes assessing players a further inexact science. While Sullivan, who is in charge of evaluations of high school football players throughout the country, pours over hours of film to breakdown a recruit’s skillset, he knows watching highlightreels pale in comparison to seeing a recruit go through drills in-person.

“We really love to get live evals on guys, whether that’s coaches going out on the road and watching them practice or even the camps that don’t seem like they’ll be happening,” Sullivan said. “A lot of our players on our team, we got from evaluating live at camps. A local guy like Jason Maitre from Everett High School, we wouldn’t have taken him if we didn’t get to see him live.

“Seeing them live, seeing them move around and seeing how they react to coaching, too, that’s a huge part of it.”

While DeAndrade, who tallied 62 career touchdowns at East Bridgewater before starring at the University of New Hampshire, admitted the recruiting process is different now — mainly due to the use of Twitter to stay in contact with recruits — than when he went through it nearly a decade ago.

But DeAndrade can still fall back on his own recruitment experience, especially when engaging with players from the south shore.

“It helps out a lot just being able to relate to the kids because I’ve been there,” DeAndrade said. “I was a local kid that went to an FCS school. It’s cool to see Massachusetts kids getting that love I always believed they deserved.”

Sullivan, a Duxbury native who graduated from Xaverian in 2010, values the importance of finding in-state recruits and retaining their services. That can be challenging, with six top-end recruits from the state committing to Michigan over the past 13 months.

But Milford’s Kevin Pyne will make his way to BC this fall while Catholic Memorial’s Owen McGowan is verbally committed to the Eagles, and Sullivan felt there are plenty of desirable homegrown prospects even though Massachusetts isn’t known as a hot-bed for high-level recruits.

“It’s at an all-time high, the talent here. I want that to continue to grow,” Sullivan said. “I think the better the football is locally, the better the football will be at Boston College and vice versa.”

While the recruitment process has been turned on its side for both coaches and players, DeAndrade is still making the most of it and hopes the recruits will too.

“I know it’s a lot different than what other kids have went through, but just enjoy the process,” DeAndrade said.