In February 2008, an assembly gathered at Fernley High in Nevada to witness Kevin Hart, a senior offensive lineman, announce where he would attend college and play football the following semester.
On a table, Hart displayed two hats representing his finalists, Oregon and California. He had also considered Washington, Oregon State, Nevada and Boise State, an impressive list of suitors which, based on NCAA research, placed him in the highest echelon of high school athletes in the country. According to the report, out of more than one million high school football players in the United States, roughly 26,000 (fewer than three percent) will play in college football’s top division.