DaytonDailyNews.com

High school football coaching isn't just about Xs and Os. It's also about GPAs, VIPs and DVDs.

Recruiting responsibilities have added to a coach's duties — be it making sure players get academic attention, hosting big-time college coaches, or sending video highlights to universities.

"Since I started coaching 26 years ago, it definitely has," Wayne's Jay Minton said. "The role of a coach in promotion (of a player) and getting him seen and getting his pub out there has really increased.

"It used to be, you'd hear older coaches say, 'That's not my job,' or 'If you're good enough, they'll find you' — but that's not the way it is anymore. It's so competitive out there. You have to go do some stuff for your kids to help them."

Wednesday — national signing day — is the crowning moment for many high school football players. That's when players can sign national letters of intent for scholarships to NCAA schools.

Wins and losses come and go, but a free ticket to college can have long-range impact.

"I would love to win a state title like anybody else, but more than that, my thing is to make my guys marketable for life," said Trotwood-Madison coach Maurice Douglass, who said he has 22 seniors who will play college football at some level. "Getting them to school — if it's Division I, or it's Division II or III, NAIA, junior college, prep school, whatever it is — we just have to get them out of Dayton. That's my No. 1 goal."

High school coaches always host a ton of college colleagues — Centerville coach Ron Ullery said he had 50-plus, Minton put Wayne's number at 72 and Northmont's Lance Schneider estimated 77 last spring.

But coaches also fill out forms to get players into summer camps and have someone create DVD highlights so colleges get a taste of players' abilities.

"If you can hand them a DVD that has fifteen to tweenty highlight plays on there," Ullery said, "they can make a determination off that whether they want to look at the game tape."

Minton said young coaches may face inquiries about recruiting.

"When you go into an interview now, that question is going to be asked: 'What are you doing to help promote your players and get them into school?' " he said. "The difference is, back in the day, I don't know (if) that was ever asked. It was, 'How can you develop a program here and win games?'

"I think that travels with you, not so much D-I, but how many guys can you utilize their skills and get to the next level and get their college paid for?"

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-6951 or mgokavi@DaytonDailyNews.com.

GWOC National Signing ceremony

What: Following the lead of the Greater Miami Conference, the Greater Western Ohio Conference will introduce its Division I football recruits.

When: 1 p.m. Wednesday

Where: Huber Heights Athletic Foundation Center, 5367 Fishburg Road

Why: "It's pretty significant to get a D-I scholarship," GWOC Commissioner Eric Spahr said. "We'll start with that and re-evaluate. We anticipate it getting bigger."