Have been around the game for a while and have worked with several top programs in the SEC, ACC, Big 10… over the years. The last couple of weeks has seen the game take a turn. For players it is for the better in some cases, and for coaches and teams it is becoming a huge challenge managing players. Recruiting went from the first Wednesday in February recruiting spectacular to an early signing period in December and then the rest in February.
This week I was talking with a D1 coach as well as a former SEC QB about this whole NIL/transfer deal, and all of us discussed the mess it is creating in college football. Kids like JT Daniels have gone to USC, UGA, and now seeking a third school to find a place to promote himself for the NFL. That is basically what college has become - not about playing for a state U or your parents alma mater, not winning a bowl game, not even winning a championship. It is about your NFL career which means opting out of bowl games and some players even opting out of the BCS playoffs. Did you ever see a Miami player in the 80’s opt out or a Nebraska player. Matt Lienart or Reggie Bush? All of them had NFL careers, but now agents want their money and inform their clients to sit out. It is a new day and climate out there for coaches to work in.
Today with the transfer rule coaches are now getting to players in different ways. Watch the postgame handshakes which have now turned into recruiting guys on other teams who may not be happy with playing time. “Mr 4 Star in HS“ is sitting and not playing for the first time in his life, and he might be good enough to play at 99% of the schools in college football, but at Bama or UGA he is behind 5-6 seniors who were 4 and 5 stars and also physically 2-3 years more mature versus the freshman star so he sits. After the game an assistant coach who recruited him asks him how he is doing from the other team, and after hearing about no PT mentions that if he was at their school he would be playing now due to depth and his abilities. Or a team like UNLV or Toledo plays against Oklahoma and their RB runs for 130 yards. Postgame conversation sounds like “heck of a game - you would do that in the Big 12 every week with your speed and vision.“ Guess who that kid is going to reach out at the end of the year seeing if they have a scholly for him? 🤔
I bring this up because if a coach or his staff don’t adapt to the new climate they will get passed by very quickly, and what was once a stable program can go from 9-3 to 4-8 very quickly. See Texas A&M, Michigan State, or Iowa State for proof. For teams to succeed and survive going forward they will have to adapt and do things differently to stay successful. Here is what UK can do to succeed and prosper in today’s climate:
* Continue to find coaches that can recruit AND coach/develop players. You need to have players succeed obviously, but today you also have to have coaches who can teach, Kids want to get to the NFL and want to go where players get drafted and drafted high. Bama was on autopilot for years and dominated and now UGA has taken that place over with kids. Ohio State also is successful as well as LSU and a few others. The other thing is kids are now getting drafted in the 1st round from non traditional schools so places like Iowa, UK, Pitt, NC State are getting better kids to develop who want early playing time.
*Invest heavily in their S&C program as well as mental training, recovery…. Get every top S&C specialist to learn from like Athletes Performance Center in AZ and others to teach kids pre combine stuff as freshman.
*Develop an “athletes dorm“ on campus where all sports can have enhanced nutrition 24/7 in their dorm. Also access to recovery and sleep pods, top level mattresses like Tempur Pedic or others in their rooms, access to athletic trainers and massage/sauna/float pods for recovery in their dorm.
*Create a GM for recruiting. Someone who will manage a staff of QC guys and coaches who will not only develop HS players, but will follow and monitor players they recruited in HS or others at D2 or FCS schools as potential recruits before they hit the portal. When a kid chooses Ohio State over UK the head recruiter for that kid and every kid they miss on needs to congratulate them on their decision with a text/letter, and let them know they will be following their career and hope they succeed; however, if they ever need anything don't hesitate to reach out to them. Re-recruiting kids in today’s day and age is going to become more important now more than ever, and the schools that get ahead of this and invest to do this will win in the long run. I know several college coaches who are barely looking at HS kids and wanting to take more transfers since they are either on the hit seat or making up for recruiting mistakes.
Those are my two cents and your mileage may vary. Look forward to comments and other insights and opinions.
This week I was talking with a D1 coach as well as a former SEC QB about this whole NIL/transfer deal, and all of us discussed the mess it is creating in college football. Kids like JT Daniels have gone to USC, UGA, and now seeking a third school to find a place to promote himself for the NFL. That is basically what college has become - not about playing for a state U or your parents alma mater, not winning a bowl game, not even winning a championship. It is about your NFL career which means opting out of bowl games and some players even opting out of the BCS playoffs. Did you ever see a Miami player in the 80’s opt out or a Nebraska player. Matt Lienart or Reggie Bush? All of them had NFL careers, but now agents want their money and inform their clients to sit out. It is a new day and climate out there for coaches to work in.
Today with the transfer rule coaches are now getting to players in different ways. Watch the postgame handshakes which have now turned into recruiting guys on other teams who may not be happy with playing time. “Mr 4 Star in HS“ is sitting and not playing for the first time in his life, and he might be good enough to play at 99% of the schools in college football, but at Bama or UGA he is behind 5-6 seniors who were 4 and 5 stars and also physically 2-3 years more mature versus the freshman star so he sits. After the game an assistant coach who recruited him asks him how he is doing from the other team, and after hearing about no PT mentions that if he was at their school he would be playing now due to depth and his abilities. Or a team like UNLV or Toledo plays against Oklahoma and their RB runs for 130 yards. Postgame conversation sounds like “heck of a game - you would do that in the Big 12 every week with your speed and vision.“ Guess who that kid is going to reach out at the end of the year seeing if they have a scholly for him? 🤔
I bring this up because if a coach or his staff don’t adapt to the new climate they will get passed by very quickly, and what was once a stable program can go from 9-3 to 4-8 very quickly. See Texas A&M, Michigan State, or Iowa State for proof. For teams to succeed and survive going forward they will have to adapt and do things differently to stay successful. Here is what UK can do to succeed and prosper in today’s climate:
* Continue to find coaches that can recruit AND coach/develop players. You need to have players succeed obviously, but today you also have to have coaches who can teach, Kids want to get to the NFL and want to go where players get drafted and drafted high. Bama was on autopilot for years and dominated and now UGA has taken that place over with kids. Ohio State also is successful as well as LSU and a few others. The other thing is kids are now getting drafted in the 1st round from non traditional schools so places like Iowa, UK, Pitt, NC State are getting better kids to develop who want early playing time.
*Invest heavily in their S&C program as well as mental training, recovery…. Get every top S&C specialist to learn from like Athletes Performance Center in AZ and others to teach kids pre combine stuff as freshman.
*Develop an “athletes dorm“ on campus where all sports can have enhanced nutrition 24/7 in their dorm. Also access to recovery and sleep pods, top level mattresses like Tempur Pedic or others in their rooms, access to athletic trainers and massage/sauna/float pods for recovery in their dorm.
*Create a GM for recruiting. Someone who will manage a staff of QC guys and coaches who will not only develop HS players, but will follow and monitor players they recruited in HS or others at D2 or FCS schools as potential recruits before they hit the portal. When a kid chooses Ohio State over UK the head recruiter for that kid and every kid they miss on needs to congratulate them on their decision with a text/letter, and let them know they will be following their career and hope they succeed; however, if they ever need anything don't hesitate to reach out to them. Re-recruiting kids in today’s day and age is going to become more important now more than ever, and the schools that get ahead of this and invest to do this will win in the long run. I know several college coaches who are barely looking at HS kids and wanting to take more transfers since they are either on the hit seat or making up for recruiting mistakes.
Those are my two cents and your mileage may vary. Look forward to comments and other insights and opinions.
