"Set in the Deep South, where football has always been a religion, Coach W. Scott Jones' captivating narrative, What a Crowd, takes you back to a time long before online recruiting services and NIL deals.
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This is the story of the recruiting process of Frankie Lake, the nation’s No. 1 football prospect in 1985, and the coach, Stephen Blake, who gets caught up in the process—so to speak—in his staunch support of Lake. Amidst racial tension and recruiting misdeeds, including the kidnapping of a college coach, the country’s top high school prospect must decide—and soon—where he’ll play college football.
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As legendary college football names often come calling — which college will Frankie Lake sign with?"
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Patrick Garbin, University of Georgia Football Historian, Writer and Author
About What A Crowd
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What others are saying about What A Crowd
Pete Yanity, Sports journalist for WSPA TV Spartanburg, SC/ Former play-by-play announcer for Clemson University:
"This is a very quaint, and very real, depiction of how a small town in the South can suddenly take on a whole different feel when a player on its football team is labeled as a major prospect."
Bill Contz, Author of "When the Lions Roared: Joe Paterno and One of College Football’s Greatest Teams”, Former NFL player and starter on Penn State’s 1982 National Championship Team:
“ NIL Collectives are essentially legalized (and far more lucrative) versions of the old ‘hundred dollar handshake’ similar to what Author, W. Scott Jones referenced in his novel. But with the same goal in mind- an overt attempt by deep-pocketed alumni to buy their alma mater a national championship.”
David Shelton, Sports journalist for The Charleston Post and Courier and Charleston Southern University Athletics:
“As a prep sports writer for 35 years, I feel that author W. Scott Jones’ depictions of coaches, players, and fans in rural areas of the Lowcountry in South Carolina are spot on accurate. What a Crowd is a great read and it brought back many great memories for me.”
W. P. Beckham, E.D.S. Author of Family History in the Great Depression:
“ I found What a Crowd to be an entertaining and pleasurable reading journey. Top notch reading entertainment.”
Christopher Mazyck, Former player at Penn State University (1994), Prevention Specialist:
“I am confident that countless individuals will benefit from reading this book of inspiration.”
Mike Jones, Former player at the University of South Carolina (1999), Award-winning coach and sales professional:
“In a time when we emphasize the outward- What a Crowd tells the story of looking inward of others and ourselves. Author, W. Scott Jones beautifully weaves the religion of football in the South along with the tensions, turmoil, beauty, and all that comes with it. Enjoy this journey of football and life.”
Don Frost, Four-time State Championship and South Carolina Coaches Association Hall of Fame Coach- Christ Church Episcopal School, Greenville, SC:
“Having been a high school football coach for 38 years, I love this book. It really touches on what recruiting and playing college football was like in that era. It also touches on how coaching as a profession is a calling.”
Scott Earley, Executive Director of the South Carolina Athletics Coaches Association:
“This novel paints the perfect picture of how an entire town can be impacted when its high school has a major prospect.”
Jeff Barnes, Former player at the University of South Carolina (1999-2003), Athletic Director at Hammond School, Columbia, South Carolina:
“Author W. Scott Jones does a fantastic job of recounting how college football and high school football recruiting is a religion in the South. He adequately describes the recruiting process and the under-the-table bribes that took place back in the earlier days of college football prior to NIL, while showing the impact and influence that a high school coach has on their players. A novel that is a must-read for all football fans past and present.”
Brian Jackson, Former player at Clemson University (1988)- Award winning High School Coach and Educator:
“It's time to add W. Scott Jones to the list of great Southern authors! Jones knows which words to use and more importantly- when; leaving readers anxious for the next page…chapter…novel.”
Keith West, Former QB at Wake Forest University 1992- Hall of Fame Educator and Coach:
“Author W. Scott Jones’s novel, What a Crowd is an excellent read. He has a gift of storytelling that makes you want to know more. This novel brought back so many wonderful memories.”
Jay Frye, Former player at the University of South Carolina (1980-1984), Hall of Fame Head Football Coach and Educator:
“There is no better storyteller than W. Scott Jones. He truly has a gift that few can match. This is a story worth reading."
Joe Cashion, Play-by Play announcer for Coastal Carolina University:
What a Crowd is a terrific novel, one that will entertain football fans and will be familiar to those who know how major college football recruiting operates. It's a wonderful life lesson of overcoming racial stereotypes, showing humbleness, humility, and staying true to yourself when the world least expects it. Great read!"
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Steve Flynn, Defensive Coordinator, Newberry College:
“Author W. Scott Jones does a wonderful job of weaving fiction with historical facts and figures to magnify the essence of a time when high school football in the South was still pure. An absolute gem for high school and college football fans.”