Image via RantSports.com
This morning I wanted to pass along an interesting recruiting story that happened recently. Many fans, including many Sooner fans, tend to believe that without winning recruiting is destined to fail. To a degree, this is true. But I think it is debatable what degree of “winning” is really required to have success recruiting at a historical program like Oklahoma.
A couple years ago OU had a strong close in recruiting after the Alabama game, securing commitments from the likes of Joe Mixon and Steven Parker. But interestingly, this season, after a less than stellar showing (8-5 record) Oklahoma finished strong with commitments from Gabriel Campbell (beating out both his in-state schools and Alabama), Ricky DeBerry (beating out Ohio State, Alabama, etc.), Neville Gallimore (beating out FSU, Oregon, Ohio State, etc.) and others.
Recently, a coaching friend of mine took one of the top 2017 players in the country on a trip to visit a few programs. This particular player’s offer list includes the likes of Alabama, USC, Florida State, Ohio State and just about any other program you can think of. On the trip they visited Alabama, Tennessee and the players childhood favorite, Ohio State. Alabama and Ohio State were two schools he was very interested in prior to the trip. Tennessee was just a stop they made primarily because my friend was working the camp there. Alabama and Ohio State were programs that appeared in the playoffs (Ohio State ultimately winning the championship). Meanwhile Tennessee finished with a record of 7-6.
At one of the three schools, though the prospect enjoyed his trip, the prospect didn’t get a chance to meet the head coach. At another school, he met the head coach but the head coach didn’t really seem to be familiar with the prospect’s film. But to his (and my) surprise, the prospects favorite visit of all three schools and the school that really turned his head and made him rethink his recruitment was in fact Tennessee. One of the first things the prospect and my friend told me after the trip was that they felt an incredible amount of “love” and warmth from the Tennessee staff. Which isn’t to say that they didn’t feel welcomed or “feel the love” from the other programs but Tennessee took it to another level. There was just a different level of excitement and it was demonstrated right from the beginning of the trip.
The two drove up from Tuscaloosa arriving in Knoxville after dark. When they arrived the entire staff, including coach Butch Jones, was waiting outside for the pair upon their arrival! That welcome from the staff and from the head coach set the tone for the rest of the visit. For the rest of the trip, the entire staff recruited my friend and the prospect. They did the usual things of touring them around the facilities, introducing them to players, explaining how the prospect would fit in schematically, etc. But the thing that really stood out was just the real excitement they felt in the building and how wanted they felt.
There are some who are quick to dismiss this kind of recruiting and say, “that’s just an immature kid who wants people to stroke his ego and isn’t looking at the bigger picture”. But I completely disagree. Firstly, I know this particular prospect and he is not only, in my opinion one of the finest athletes in the 2017 class, he is also one of the most serious, intelligent, well spoken, hard working prospects you’ll come across…ever. If one could project a future first rounder, this particular player has all the mental and physical attributes to be one.
What a lot of people forget is that regardless of the hype or the rankings, these players are still young. At any age it’s normal to doubt one’s self but it’s even more normal at a young age. When an entire staff is genuinely excited it infuses a young athlete with the belief that these people believe and that engenders confidence. When an entire staff is genuinely excited it gives a young athlete the sense that they will be well taken care of; that they won’t just be a number. It gives the athlete the sense that this person will afford them the opportunity to succeed and fail. I remember speaking to Steven Parker’s father after he committed to Oklahoma and I asked him why they chose Oklahoma and his answer went a little something like this:
Simply put, Bob Stoops and Mike Stoops did the best job recruiting my son. As a father, I wanted my son to be somewhere where I was absolutely certain about how much they wanted my son. And while there were a lot of programs that wanted him, Bob and Mike did a tremendous job consistently demonstrating that. I’ve always said that if you go somewhere where you’re wanted they’re going to give you more chances to fail.
What Mr. Parker meant by that last line about receiving “more chances to fail” is that coaches tend to want to prove themselves right. If the head coach recruits a kid, he doesn’t want to believe he wasted his time. Football isn’t a race where anyone can discern the difference between who won and who lost. There is a lot of subjective judgment. So when you go into an environment where you were recruited hard and wanted badly, you’ll tend to be given the benefit of the doubt once you get on campus and begin to compete. A guy that wasn’t high on the staff’s board may make a mistake and the gut response of the coach may be, “just what I expected”. A prospect who was highly sought after by the staff may make the same mistake and the gut response of the coach may be, “oh he just slipped on that one…he’ll get it”. The starting impression can be a lasting one. Prospects intuitively know that and their coaches and family members definitely know that.
It’s human nature to want to go where you feel you’re most wanted and most welcomed. Obviously that isn’t the entire picture of recruiting, otherwise mid-major programs would be out recruiting schools like Alabama and Florida State. But Tennessee isn’t a mid-major program. It has the benefit of a great tradition, great facilities and the hope of better days. So it meets a number of the other requirements (as does OU of course). So once that certain threshold is met, I think it can be of tremendous benefit if the staff as a unit (including the head coach) really work on showing a prospect just how much they are wanted, showing a parent just how well taken care of their child will be. Standing outside at night waiting on a prospect isn’t just telling someone how much they are wanted, it’s showing them how much they are wanted.
The point of this post it to say that I simply don’t think it’s accurate to say that the only way a program can recruit at a high level is by winning national championships or even competing for them. Sometimes it’s just about showing more love.
155 Comments
Excellent piece.
Great write up. Some coaches get it, some dont. I’m glad the OU staff does.
I am not so sure how well the OU staff has gotten it over the last 5 years. I remember several recruits saying they did not get a chance to meet the HC (don’t remember specifically any recruit saying they did not get to meet their position coach). I do think that in the last 2 years there has been a re-commitment to recruiting thanks in large part to Montgomery and Bedebaugh and I think Bob has gotten more involved in the last year. Prior to the last 2 years, I think our recruiting was pretty lax. JMO
That may have been the case. But it’s all relevant. Prior to the last few years OU may not have needed to recruit as hard because of the state the program was in. They may have taken some things for granted and got complacent. Obviously things are a little different now and for the most part this is a whole new staff. Recruiting is something that needs constant attention, I think the staff realize that and are moving forward with that mindset. I do agree credit goes to JM and BB for revitalizing OU recruiting, but the real grinders in that process at OU are two guys and a gal that don’t get much attention.
It’s great to genuinely feel wanted, needed. I’ve been on interviews where I left saying, wow!, great people, would be a great place to work. Have left others saying, wow! that was uncomfortable. Probably quite similar to recruiting.
Well done K. Everyone wants to feel loved. Prison is full of those who do not.
Great post K. So true that many recruits make a decision based on the feeling they get while going through the process.
We all know Monty gave love. However, do you see the OU staff being more business or a combo of business & love. More curious on the consistency.
I think it would definitely help if coach Bob Stoops got really personally involved with this class or at least for some particular players and not just recruited them but really sat down with the staff and discussed a plan for recruiting particular players. I know he was more involved than usual a few months back but that seems to have slowed significantly.
I guess that’s what I meant by consistency. I’ve heard stories on how Bob a good closer. Not that he needs to be closing all the time but more consistent in his communications. I’m not close to the situation so I could be way off base.
Really great piece K. What an great important part of recruiting. It’s not all about records or ships’ for all recruits. Tennesse has been getting some amazing players these past couple of years and I am sure people on the outide wonder why, it’s just showing a sense of being geninue when you show a recruit that you want them to play for thier program.
Agree, I think the Tennessee staff is doing an amazing job. A program that was in the tank and they have re-invented themselves and K’s article above does a lot in explaining why and how. I think our previous staff (excluding Gundy) got tired and lazy. There is no other way to explain the difficulty they had in landing recruits. Monty and Bedebaugh breathed a refreshing resurgence in our recruiting and I will always be thankful for their efforts. OU needs to attack recruiting as if it were a NC playoff game and come up with an all-in recruiting plan to turn the tide.
Thanks K…I think this can play in OUs favor with lots of kids because of the “family” atmosphere Bob has instilled.
Excellent piece, Super K.
Quite prescient, too, after reading a free piece on Soonerscoop this morning where the recruit states he “loves” Coach Cooks.
https://oklahoma.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1777946
It is not only important that the young man feel wanted and loved, but that he love the coach and campus.
Winning solves all issues
*troll*
Explain Tennessee’s success in recruiting.
He’s a troll and he’s starving.
I beg to disagree… a kettlebell to the side of the head of the wiseass that pisses me off solves all issues .
Sincerely,
P-Diddy.
PS – I gotta kettlebell for you, too, if you don’t agree with this posting.
I see what you did there. Hilarious!!!
You’re crazy. Winning solves all issues-recruiting is much easier(see early 2000’s), fans from whining and any coaching issues that would be overlooked. People can point to Tennessee and the SEC for recruiting success but let’s be real, they aren’t the most clean conference. Duffle bags of money go along way in persuasion.
^^^^^^^See Above if you think winning solves all issues.^^^^^^^
47 Straight three hours ago. 🙂
K, very well written and to the point.
In the $EC they love you with fat wads of cash and big booty women. Works like a charm. I love me some cash and big booty women too.
thats a solid argument. Tennessee and OSWHO sucks and they get good kids all the time lol I’m very excited too see and hear more of this incoming class. I’ve never really payed any attention too recruit classes before this year . So watching all the drama and excitement in recruiting
If winning matters than we should have them all by these numbers:
All-Time Winning Percentage .71955 (No. 3 in Nation) Record Modern Era (1946-) 598-180-13 (.764) – 791 Games (No. 1 in Nation) Most Consecutive Wins 47-Straight, 1953-1957 (NCAA Record) All-Time Points Scored 32,855 – 27.22 points per game (No. 1 in Nation) 10+ Win Seasons 35 – No. 1 in Nation (Last in 2013) 11+ Win Seasons 21 – No. 1 in Nation (Last in 2013)Record Modern Era (1946-) 598-180-13 (.764) – 791 Games (No. 1 in Nation)Undefeated Seasons 14 (Last in 2000) Losing Seasons 12 (Fewest in college football history) Weeks at No. 1 in AP Poll 101 (No. 1 in Nation) Weeks in Top 5 383 (No. 1 in Nation) Weeks in Top 10 540 (No. 1 in Nation) Weeks in Top 25 753 of 1,070 Polls (AP Poll began in 1936) Seasons Ranked 66 of 78 seasons Years in Preseason AP Poll 55 of 64 polls (Preseason poll began in 1950) Years in Final AP Poll 53 of 77 polls (No. 2 in Nation) Average Final AP Ranking 7.47 (No. 1 in Nation)Weeks Ranked No. 1 in BCS 20 Weeks (No. 1 in Nation) Weeks Ranked Top 5 in BCS 48 Weeks (No. 1 in Nation) Weeks Ranked Top 10 in BCS 70 Weeks (No. 1 in Nation) Weeks Ranked in BCS 100 of 125 Weeks (BCS Began in 1998)
I’m just sayin.
Numbers don’t lie! As it turns out we are the G.O.A.T.!
I think it has to do with the #47 or that’s what the word on the street is. I mean imagine you have to hear year in and year out about a team being the best over and over and over for 47 straight games. I tell ya how I feel. I freekin love it.
Doobie, After rereading the G.O.A.T part totally went over my head. DUH!!!
Greatest of all time.
It is all good! Just read it 47 times and everything should clear up! LOL! All is good in Sooner Land today!
Boy, that game is Knoxville is going to be no-joke. Whoever wins that one is set up for a nice season.
It is going to be a slobber knocker! The boys better tighten up their chin straps.
Great story K. I wonder what the King Switzer would say about OU’s current recruiting strategy? I don’t know of anyone better than him at landing the big recruit.
He was good!
I had a co-worker who will remain nameless but who lettered in the 60s. All Big Eight too, I think. Had two or three sons who played for Switzer. It would not be advisable to bad-mouth the king around this guy. He would fight you. He was a black man and he loved Switzer. Said he had never met a man who could relate to the black athlete like Switzer.
I think the Boz said you just wanted to play for him. Do anything for him because you believed. And he was the father figure in his life too.
Agree Rocket! He just had a special quality about him that made people want his acceptance and respect. Have heard a lot of first hand stories and that seems to the theme.
He knew the mamma’s were key to the
decision. He let them know he would take
care of their boys.
It was the fur coat.
I really believe that Switzer loved recruiting. He has a very open personality and loves being the center of attention. I can just see him sitting in the living room of a recruit’s home getting very excited about what the young man could bring to the OU team. Would be hard to turn down that kind of enthusiasm.
This belongs here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81F_SoHkqEA
Great stuff! Thanks for posting.
Mixon hurt?
Don’t start.
Not that I’ve heard. I can check if you want but I hadn’t heard any rumors up to this point about him being hurt.
Please do. I just checked with Dean and he has not put a percentage on it yet.
A member of another site just posted that they saw Mixon leaving the training room with his knee heavily wrapped this morning. Apparently he was having a hard time with his crutches. No idea if true or not.
Gotcha! I’ll check on it bud
Try to bring back good news if you can. 😉
Any news on this yet K?
Just a bruised knee will be fine
Good story on Jeffrey Okudah 😉
Nice article! An educational look into the nuance of recruiting style. The recruiter should have insight into each recruit’s personality not just to influence their selection, but to ensure that the individual is a good fit for the program. Having hired young people over the years, I have considered more than just their words when making a choice, but no one can be perfect in their picks (except on message boards of course).
All depends on the coaching staff in how programs recruit. Tennessee still has to win, or it won’t matter how much love they show.
Not trying to argue but they have finished with very good classes the last couple years and haven’t won much.
And we beat them last year, if we do again and they don’t win the East Jones will be on the “Hot Seat”.
I wasn’t really talking about coaches in the hot seat but even with that they are bringing more kids in than Oklahoma. I’m just saying that winning is not everything when it comes to recruiting.
Gotcha..
via LT……mixon, he looked fine on I-35…..http://i.imgur.com/72c4y5m.jpg
That’s not very nice. 🙁
Agreed. @SuperK – can you please remove?
Man I wish somebody @ TFB would report on the status of Mixon. The suspense is killing me. I mean some of us have been waiting to see him play for a long time now. Is it rumor or is it truth. But I know Super K is working on it as we speak. I hate to keep asking him about it. So I will set here very, very, patiently.
The Rivals title implies it might not be anything much? This is paid content so I cannot see it https://oklahoma.forums.rivals.com/threads/mixon-injury-update.9294/#post-153072
Sorry Kelly B I only trust TFB for my updates. Just don’t trust anyone else.
Another site reports that it is nothing to worry about. Skinned and bumped his knee. Relax. He will be fine.
If the coaches said this he will be out all season.
I’m the furthest thing from a coach – so he’s good!
Don’t sell yourself short there is a fine pee wee league team out there somewhere.
I thought everyone on here was a coach? Lol
No, but we certainly KNOW more about football than coaches. Heh.
LOL! Good one Sooner Oracle.
They are saying on other sites he will be out a couple weeks tops.
47, can you tell me what the rumor is?
Supposedly seen on crutches. But like Kelly B said it is paid content.
KellyB, RP is always inappropriate. He and I exchanged some harsh sentences last week. Hopefully Super K will take this down and give him the ban-hammer.
I agree. Bad form.
Sorry I did not use all caps so you could hear. 🙂 Did not know you was on here today.
Just now able to hop on and get caught up. Busy day. I was going through withdrawals.
I am glad I am not the only one that happens to.
Dude, could you please stop giving status reports of what is going on at friggin landthieves? Quite a few people come here to avoid infestations like that place and most of the crap you share is racist and inappropriate. You’ve been called out on this before, so again please………uncle…..
ah, ol’ officer bs………you’re in fine form, I see. Have a good evening, good to hear from you.
Keep deflecting. Calling me an internet police officer while being a POS…haha. I thought you got kicked from landthieves anyway? Too many ellipses probably
new day, new open post, all the possible transgressions for you to seek out and keep your board safe……….happy hunting officer, I’ll follow with amusement
Douche away pal. Must be fun being 12. What’s that like?
PJ can verify Chip Viney knows how to share the love…http://www.scout.com/college/oklahoma/story/1556693-welcome-to-ou-p-j-mbanasor
Viney has really been making a positive impact on the recruiting trail. I’d love for us to be able to keep him around. Anyone have any insight into his impact on the field?
Great article. It’s definitely not an ego thing. Many guys know where they want to go for one reason or another. They get the offer and they go there. For many others, they go where they feel the most wanted/needed. It’s a personality thing. I’m that way. I’d go wherever they made me feel the best unless it was OU. If I got an OU offer, I’d be there rain or shine. Anywhere else depends on how they treated me.
As we all know, opposite love is hate. And in the words of Taylor Swift(-ish):
“Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate.
Bakers gonna bake, bake, bake, bake.
Quakers gonna quake, quake, quake, quake.
I’ma shake my rake, rake, rake, rake.”
Shake it off! Shake it off! Yeah.
So when can we expect part two of the Saga to be released?
[Gratuitous love scene].
Very obvious TEnnessee and Jones get and understand how to recruit in 2015. They have done very well and their recruiting has shown major improvement. However K’s friend obviously had a relationship with the Tennesssee coaches as he was working the camp. That is not apples to apples. But it also may have nothing to do with the fact his coach’s relationship did not factor. Just throwing that out there. It is natural I am sure when certain coaches call OU about a kid they react differently based on their relationship with the coach. Regardless the basis of the story is exactly why Ole Miss has done so well. K is right and Tennessee may do that well with each recruit.
He works lots of camps including at schools like ohio state, tamu, okie state, USC, ucla, etc
So he does not know the staff better at TEnnessee?
So Boudreaux yes or no?
yes
A few scouts are starting to switching to ND on there picks.
If not, who then is our top OL target ?
don’t be surprised if Boudreaux selects Notre Dame………the offer to T Moore may indicate OU had a premonition about PB……………………….
Stephan, the problem with your required negative post is: T Moore is a tackle, and Boudreax a guard. One has little to do with the other.
I’m sorry, I just don’t see the linkage …… of course I’m not trying to paint a picture pursuant to any agenda….
You call him Stef-fon. Hah! Too funny.
Kick Rocks!
Hah! That looks like Voldemort is giving he-who-must-not-be-named the finger.
Uhhh…I kind of thought that was the point all along. ;->
Nope. That’s my first time noticing. Additional pleasure in telling him to kick rocks.
EasTex, my man, I will be traveling to Virginia Beach with the family. I won’t be on tomorrow but I will get back in the trenches as soon as I get settled in. On vacation through July 5.
Enjoy that vacation.
Sleep late, eat often and laugh incessantly.
………………………..
That’s a lot of dots.
I always worry about those Domers. Worried about X-Man too, ND does very well with Kansas kids.
Neaux (way Bob let’s that dude go to another school).
Anyone wondering why OU is an underdog against a team (VOLS) that lost 6 games last year?
I would guess the way we finished 2014, the question mark at QB, and we’re playing there. Probably that SEC thing too.
They think we’re gonna lose…I kid I kid…not a smart arse…I swear
S-E-C! S-E-C! S-E-C!
You, sir, need to get lost and don’t come back until you are ready to post a second edition of “Man and Wife.”
I like where your head’s at…
Let’s do this Goosebumps style. Does man:
(1) Take the car for a drive into town, or
(2) Pack his bag and walk into the woods.
LOL!
Number 2 should be challenging. I pick door number 2. Make sure it has our lead character in it: the antagonist.
Lol! I think I can cook up something by the weekend. Gotta make it epic.
Cool.
How are we an underdog?
Unknowns at QB, receiver, O line, D line and new coaches skew the odds makers. That said I hope we smoke them! BOOM! Surprise!
Maybe I’m just really defensive, but what I took from this article is that even schools like Bama and Ohio State “fail” to put their best foot forward in the recruiting game sometimes. Everybody gets all fussy when they hear that OU, or Kish, or whomever drops the ball, doesn’t show enough love, or whatever. But it happens everywhere. These schools are recruiting a ton of players. It’s simply not possible to bring your A+ game, to every kid, at every moment.
The past few years they have landed a lot more talent than ou has and it’s not really that close. They land a much higher percentage of there top targets than ou does I think your being a little to defensive of ou recruiting.
Agree that everybody misses on guys or doesn’t do their best always. BUT when you here the same issues from the same people or same tactic getting no results and don’t see an effort to change that is a problem. I don’t disagree that Kish might be a pretty good coach but I think we all agree he has not in anyway proven himself as a recruiter. We also have seen the guys that can play getting very late offers over and over.
I know that the OU staff has forgotten more about football and recruiting than I will ever know. I also know that they have a better idea of what they need or what they are looking for than me. BUT it is troubling to see the same issues over and over and nothing change to cause a better result. Kind of like Scott Brooks.
How do you know tho? Do you know for a fact that Kish sucks as a recruiter? Do you know how the staff works recruiting? Is it by position? Geography? Both?
Point being, nobody knows. We miss on guys, so does every single other school. Bama lands more guys they want than us, do you know they’re not getting something under the table? We offer late, maybe they don’t think as highly of the kid as you. Just because jagoffs on the internet say something don’t mean it’s gospel. I’d rather trust our coaches than some nameless, faceless internetter who “has an in” or “heard from a guy who heard from a guy”
Thanx K! Great piece.
I really enjoy this stuff, and I’m really happy to see them making a come back! I’d like to add a little of my experience to this…
My supervisor is a very lenient guy. I’ve heard the other supervisors do some major trash talking on how lenient he is. They believe that he doesn’t have a spine and he just lets the guys in my department walk all over him. They “would have fired him a long time ago” if they could have. Meanwhile, these guys have some serious problems within their own dept.s and have some serious morale and turnover issues.
Here’s the difference: My supervisor allows us to make mistakes and learn from them. He allows us to blow up on him from time to time when we get frustrated. We don’t have to worry about our job if we make some missteps, as long as we learn from these mistakes. The other guys are quick to get rid of, or criticize their workers when they have problems, which makes those workers not want to give their best efforts.
I made the connection here because coaches like Butch Jones or Bob Stoops remind me of my boss. He allows the mistakes and expects those who make them to use them as a learning experience. They both seem to be the types of coaches that are actually interested in making good football players and not just W-L records. This speaks volumes as to why BS was voted #1 coach that other coaches would want their kid to play for.
Toats, good stuff and thanks for sharing. You are spot on.
I also think Butch and Bob know how to impress Mama. When Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.
Of course, Kliff Douchebury has that going for him, too. But for different reasons.
Yup. How’s dingleberry going to impress momma when his looks are gone? He’d better start taking lessons.
I don’t know if anyone has talked about this but heard mixon was on crutches today. Anyone got an answer for that?
The story that seems to be sticking is that he scuffed up he knee and received a bone bruise while running stadium steps…nothing serious. Keep in mind that injuries are often played down.
10-4 Thanks!
They used to down play it even more years ago, we would have been told “it’s 3 feet from your heart, you ain’t hurt.”
All I can say is this post is spot on. Being behind the curve/out of touch with the ever changing recruiting game is severely hurting OU. There are a few coaches who are up to speed, one happens to be a GA. Until the top echelon of the staff catch up and move further away from the stance of “we are Oklahoma, we will win with you or without you”.
Excellent read K, it rings true.
You said way more than “this is spot on.” Apparently, you had quite a bit more to say than “this is spot on.” #jokes
an interesting reality, survival show………..http://www.history.com/shows/alone
Agreed, watching the second episode now- looks pretty raw.
can’t fault the guys who bugged out……….I hear the first growl in the middle of the nite and I’d do the same…. just wonder what they thought they were getting into vs why some seem surprised. I guess you’re the bolts fan…….if so, congrats on the run they had……….wonder what would have happened if bishop had been healthy for all the finals, esp the game he missed which the bolts lost. Bolts will be a force, probably, for the next few yrs.
Yes, I do like the Bolts- always was an Yzerman fan so… It would have been nice to see Bishop play the entire series healthy for sure.
The show looks like it’ll be pretty good but it looks to me like some guys drew better locations than others. It’s hard to say how well/poorly I’d do out there but I agree, I’d prob pack it in as well if something that wanted to eat me was camping outside my tent.
The love probably depends on what the kid wants.
If the kid is simply interested in getting to the NFL, then Bama’s recruiting strategy of sending them lots of NFL Bama players pictures is going to work.
If the kid wants the love, then Tenn, UCLA, Ole Miss, OU (except for Kish…), and others will like the individual attention (don’t so quickly recall instances where Bob wasn’t around, in Italy, when a top recruit came to town).
If a kid is looking for that “swag” or someone who will snake oil them into a commitment, then USC, tOSU, and LSU will be their match.
If a kid is looking for a father figure and someone who will turn them into a man, then Bill Snyder’s hand-written letters will be a gem.
Please note that some of these recruiting tricks come straight from a current OU player’s parents. They said that Nick (Bama) was all about the NFL, Les (LSU) was a snake oil salesman, Bill (KSU) sent a hand-written letter, and Bob (OU) was, perhaps, most real.
Was wondering how long until the Kish bashing (aka “Kishing”) started up again. . . McGinnis has stated that it was Kish, not Monty, that convinced him to leave Louisianna, and he played a role in DeBerry’s recruitment as well. He also landed us Bolton and Tay Evans.
Ignorant people jump on bandwagons and chirp about things they don’t know
Well, yeah. And it wouldn’t be the internet if they didn’t make sure everyone knew about it.
Haha. They’ve really gotta stop stupid people from procreating
My wife’s sentiment, exactly.
Well, this is an interesting read. I like it. Thanks, K for sharing. Recruiting is simply a complicated process.
Nice piece. The recruit you were referencing… Did OU recruit him? If they did, was the effort there that the Tennessee coaches gave?
“that’s just an immature kid who wants…” At some level, everyone has an immature kid inside. The approach you describe works at all levels and in all walks of life–and for the very reasons you give.
“more chances to fail,,,coaches tend to want to prove themselves right” Perfectly said.
“Football isn’t a race where anyone can discern the difference between who won and who lost. There is a lot of subjective judgment.” Thank goodness, it’s not like that on the internet. 🙂
Tennessee has never had problems getting players.
That is an EXCELLENT point and one that has been proven at OU over the Stoops years!
You can see that same excitement among Tennessee’s fans, as well. I’ve never seen a School with so many fans actively recruiting kids on twitter.
Wow, thats pretty neat.
A fellow Vol fan pointed this article out to me today. Great read. Can’t wait for the OU game this Fall.