Swingbuilder- I am willing to learn, give me the introduction to the thesis paper. I should add that of course college coaches would like a world without advisors/agents, but they are a reality that they deal with. I have not heard of a story where a college didn't offer to a kid because of his advisor. Most of the players who have advisor's by the early signing period are the top tier recruits. So maybe I will rephrase and state that college coaches live with the advisor situation out of necessity.
I would state that having an advisor costs the family nothing so where's the harm. As for the agent, if the money is not signifigant then it may be a waste but in our case, the ancillary income brought in by the agent has more than paid for their services. There are a tremendous amount of services offered by some agents. Financial planning, off-season training, in-season training assistance, medical assistance, resources to secure housing, move vehicles, etc. In our case, the ability to secure medical treatment by the best possible doctors in an extremely timely manner. Not every situation is the same, but it has been beneficial to us.