A lot has changed since Dennis McCarthy began his career as New Jersey’s premier college football recruiting expert.
For one, the West New York native’s home isn’t as cluttered with as many VHS tapes as it once was. He shares the home with his son and business partner David, a pairing that compiles The McCarthy Report for several major colleges across the country.
The videotapes have now been replaced with more compressed and precise DVDs. Instead of having searching far and wide in the home for a corresponding videotape, the McCarthy father-and-son team can now go to a filing cabinet, find a number, and pull out a DVD that matches a player’s highlight reel.
The McCarthy family also receives more DVDs from schools than ever before, which means they don’t have to travel as far and as wide to go and videotape a player on their own.
And then there’s the digital camera age, which has made the whole process much easier.
“The technology has really helped us,” said the elder McCarthy, who at age 67 still has the same fervor and passion for New Jersey high school football that he did when he first put out his initial McCarthy Report 21 years ago. “The digital cameras have made the clarity amazing. Some of the old tapes are fuzzy and you almost have to guess who you’re looking at. Now, you can see it all much clearer. I also think camera people have improved tremendously in their filming. The value of the film has gotten so much better. We had to buy new cameras, but they’re lighter and easier to handle.”
And their entire talent evaluation process and compilation of the best high school football players in the Garden State all takes place within the walls of their North Arlington home. It’s an amazing process and the home is a lasting library of grid talent.
So sure, technology has improved and the times might have changed, but one thing has remained the same after all this time. If a major college wants to recruit a New Jersey football player, they will go out of their way to secure a copy of the McCarthy Report.
Dennis and David McCarthy do not provide their findings to the general public. It’s strictly a service that is provided directly to the colleges. The colleges purchase the report, which has intense talent evaluation and even goes as far to provide addresses, phone numbers, grade point averages and Scholastic Aptitude Test scores. It is as fine-tuned and as an in-depth report as a college football coach would need.
In recent years, the advent of the Internet has led to other so-called recruiting services. These sites are popping up all over the web. The sites also anger the elder McCarthy, because he knows that they are not legit.
“They bother me personally, but they don’t hurt us professionally,” McCarthy said. “The colleges all know that we’re the professionals. The people who do the rankings on the Internet are rating kids that they have never seen play and if they did see them, they wouldn’t know what they are looking at. These guys are amateurs at this. I can’t coach and don’t pretend to know to coach. I am a talent evaluator and I don’t need the X’s and O’s to make a judgment about a kid.”
In fact, McCarthy doesn’t even go on the computer. He leaves the computer work to his son.
“I don’t even go on the internet,” the elder McCarthy said. “I wouldn’t even know how.”
The high school football season is about to begin, but the 2009 McCarthy Report has been on the desks of college recruiters for months. He’s proud of the finished product, which lists Trevor Clemmings, a 6-6, 260-pound defensive end from Paterson Catholic, as the top prospect in the state. He’s especially proud of the No. 6 ranking given to Jorge Vicioso, a 6-6, 300-pound offensive tackle from Passaic who McCarthy spotted by accident last September.
“I compare him to Eugene Monroe [the Plainfield native who was the No. 1 draft pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars last April],” McCarthy said. “I haven’t been this enthused about a player in five years. He’ll be playing in the pros someday.”
Locally, McCarthy lists Corey Davis, the speedster from St. Peter’s Prep, as his top Hudson County player. Davis is ranked No. 28 overall in the McCarthy Report, especially for his play at cornerback, where he’s earned Hudson Reporter All-Area honors the last two seasons. But Davis also gets recognized for his play at running back and as a slot receiver.
Davis’ teammate Jake Kaufman, the 6-8, 320-pound offensive tackle, earned the No. 58 ranking. McCarthy is certain that Kaufman can become a Division I recruit.
Next in line is Ferris’ sensational linebacker Bryant Worts, who was the Hudson Reporter Defensive Player of the Year last season. The 6-0, 220-pound linebacker should be the premier defensive performer in the area this season. Worts, ranked No. 69 by the McCarthy Report, was literally all over the field last year.
Secaucus’ Betim Bujari is the next on McCarthy’s list. The 6-4, 290-pound two-way lineman has already declared to play at Rutgers next season and he’s ranked No. 76 by McCarthy.
Bujari, Worts and Davis were all members of the Hudson Reporter All-Area team last year.
A surprise selection in the McCarthy Report was Memorial’s two-way lineman Martin Ojeda, who came in at No. 91. The 6-5, 325-pound Ojeda is not only a fine blocker, but he also possesses a strong foot for place kicking and kickoffs.
The last local player to garner a nod in the McCarthy Report is Prep’s two-way lineman Mark Rivas, who came in at No. 122.
McCarthy said that despite what some of the so-called Internet experts believe, the 2009 season shapes up to be a good one in New Jersey.
“It should be a tremendous year, led by a bunch of talented offensive linemen,” McCarthy said. “Last year, we were thin on the line in New Jersey, but not this year. This year, it’s tremendous. I’m excited about this year.”
McCarthy said that he had a special sense of pride when seven New Jersey products were selected in the first round of the NFL Draft in April, seven players who were all once rated highly by the McCarthy Report.
“It’s one thing to get recognized by your peers,” McCarthy said. “But there’s a sense of gratification when you see kids you rated in high school now playing in the NFL.”
So in the coming weeks, McCarthy and his son will be back at it again, filming games and players all over New Jersey, then bringing the videos back home to be evaluated. At 67, the elder McCarthy is showing no signs of slowing down, even after having a heart attack two years ago and a bout with kidney cancer.
“I missed one week of the season and then I was back out there,” McCarthy said about his 2007 surgery. “The second game of the season, I was back on the roof filming. I love it. It’s David’s business now. He makes the decisions. I’m just the flunky and the go-fer. But I like that. It’s my son’s future. I had my day in the sun.”
McCarthy was asked to determine how many kids he has helped to gain college scholarships over the last 21 years.
“I don’t think you can calculate it,” McCarthy said. “And it’s not just full scholarships. It’s grant-in-aid packages as well. It’s really a great thing.”
And it’s a great thing that Dennis and David McCarthy do for youngsters in New Jersey, helping them get noticed by colleges all over the country.
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.