Of the hundreds of emails Paxton DeLaurent sent to various Division I head coaches and offensive coordinators before his Southeast Missouri State arrival, the self-marketing quarterback generated all of five responses.
This was a familiar feeling.
The former Camdenton star had already felt disregarded at his original recruiting destination, Missouri State, prompting a move to little Central Methodist University in Fayette. After carving up NAIA defenses and leading the Eagles to their highest national ranking, a more developed DeLaurent began reaching out to potential suitors.
At 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, DeLaurent certainly has the optics of a big-school QB, with accompanying arm talent and mobility − tools that were perhaps overlooked amid a transfer portal scramble that's added a layer of difficulty in the modern recruiting process.