FORSYTH, Ga. — The recruiting process can be viewed in different ways since it's not the same for everyone.
Duke Watson is entering his senior year at Mary Persons High School, and he's also committed to compete at the college level for the University of Louisville.
"It's actually like a blessing and a curse, you know, because sometimes, they won't stop calling, but you also do -- you know -- love it, but you also need to pay attention," Watson said. "You have to recruit just how they recruit you because all coaches are telling you the same thing. You just got to know which one is for you."
It can be overwhelming with all the different ways coaches reach out to athletes. Head coach at Mary Persons, Brian Nelson, understands the weight the recruiting process can have on students.
"It's a lot on a kid to make that decision and having a bunch of people calling, texting, direct messaging, and all that crap that happens on social media and all that stuff," Nelson said.
According to Nelson, the college recruiting process has changed over recent years.
"Well, it's getting a lot harder with the transfer portal because some kids aren't getting recruited the way they used to get recruited sort to speak," Nelson said. "Some colleges are looking for immediate help and don't want to necessarily take their time to develop a guy maybe, so they're recruiting more out of the transfer portal."
For high school coaches like Nelson, they have a role to play in getting their athletes recruited.
"Our big process would be in transcripts, making sure they are doing what they should be doing in the classroom, making sure they are eligible to go to the next level, make sure they got all their classes, and then contacting coaches and you know kinda building a relationship," Nelson said.
When it comes to choosing a school that right, Watson gives his advice.
"You can't listen to what everybody else say you know you got to follow what you feel like home and, you know, that's what I did," Watson said. "I felt like Louisville was home."
Mary Persons will open their season at Mercer University against Northeast on Aug. 19.