Greg Hoyd

Greg Hoyd recruiting service, Playing for Envelopes, could hold their hand through the process. He sold them on his connections; every day, he spoke with dozens of coaches. He named a few at the Division I level who might be interested in their son. And when Elijah stopped by the meeting, Hoyd marveled that he'd be "an easy sell."

For decades, "Playing for Envelopes" recruiting services have sold parents on this same promise of connecting high school athletes with college coaches who wouldn't otherwise recruit them. Even as fewer prospects go unnoticed than ever before, especially in football, services such as Playing for Envelopes sell themselves not just as middlemen, but also as brand managers, social media marketers and recruiting power brokers — all essential, they say, in an increasingly complicated process.