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Notes, Quotes and Slants
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Pirate Notebook No. 165 Tuesday, December 30, 2003 By Denny O'Brien Staff Writer and Columnist

ECU should stick to recruiting roots

�2003 Bonesville.net

'Tis the season for college football coaches. In a profession dictated by a quarterly cycle, the stretch run in recruiting can be the most nerve-racking time of the year.

For some, Signing Day has become a day of redemption on which even the harshest critics can be hushed. With a nice haul of high school blue chippers, a coach can renew faith with the administration and build momentum among fans.

Just ask North Carolina coach John Bunting, who inked one of the nation's top classes last season. The problem is, a 2-10 finish has a way of fizzling the buzz that a bus load of top-drawer athletes creates.

Though East Carolina coach John Thompson didn't feast from the same table as Bunting last February, he finds himself in a similar position following a 1-11 mark in his inaugural season. With a solid recruiting effort, the Pirates coach can rekindle some of the enthusiasm that was extinguished during a numbing campaign.

The challenge � as it always is at East Carolina � will be to find athletes who not only are talented but also possess the character and intelligence to survive in a college setting.

"What we have to do is be smart with our recruiting," Pirates defensive coordinator Jerry Odom said last February. "With the top name guys, maybe we will and maybe we won't get them. But with the next tier, there are a lot of good football players.

"There are a lot of those top name guys that never pan out. Some of those guys that you've never heard of are the best thing since sliced bread. That's why you do your research and work very, very hard on finding what the underlying thing is, whether it be the coach, the parents, or whoever knows the kid the best."

In football, recruiting can be as big a gamble as a trip to Vegas.

Unlike their basketball counterparts, college football coaches rarely see high-profile stars compete against players of equal talent, making it increasingly difficult to gauge how they will perform at the next level. When push comes to shove, size and speed carry the most weight in a sport where coaches traditionally have taken the approach that raw ability can be developed.

Nowadays coaches rarely hit the recruiting trail with quotas at certain positions, instead targeting the best athlete available. And the general consensus within the coaching community is that Florida is a one-stop shop for replenishing the cupboard.

"It helps because you know a lot of high school coaches down there," Odom said of his ties to Florida. "I had two or three guys that we ended up getting because the coach called me and said, 'Jerry, listen, they've got this guy and this guy on them, but I'd rather send them to you. I know you're going to take care of them... You're a friend of mine.'

"You get that rapport with them, where they know you and trust Coach Thompson. They knew me when I was a high school coach down there and when I was at Florida because I recruited that area."

Given Odom's connections, not dipping into Florida's deep talent pool would be a major recruiting blunder. By and large, coaching staffs are built with individuals who have expertise in concentrated regions, and few have better ties to high school coaches in the Sunshine state than Odom.

On the other hand, Thompson should be cautious of relying too much on Florida's vast recruiting waters. If recent history is any indication, a huge dependency on Florida can backfire like a '75 El Camino.

Just last season, Thompson's two biggest catches � Brandon Jones and Manny Levell � didn't qualify academically. He also was forced to endure the loss of his top cover corner, Reicko Jones, a Florida all-star former Pirates coach Steve Logan inked after Scotland High standout Jacoby Watkins reneged on a verbal commitment.

N.C. State coach Chuck Amato also was burned last year by the Florida pipeline and several recruits were sent to prep school when they didn't qualify.

Such miscalculations by colleges outside of Florida are cropping up too frequently to be ignored. Here's why:

Once the Florida schools reel in the state's most desirable players, high-profile programs from out-of-state round up the next tier of recruits. What's left for the most part is "project" players who either lack ready-made talent or come with question marks about character or academic issues.

"When you take the top players from Florida, you take the top players in North Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia, there's not a big difference," Pirates recruiting coordinator Jerry McManus said. "Where the difference comes is in the depth.

"There might be 120 good football players in Florida. There might only be about 45 in North Carolina and that's where the big difference comes. You take the top 10 in Florida and the top 10 in North Carolina and shake them up, they're about the same. As you go down the ladder, that's where Florida obviously has more players than North Carolina."

It also has been proven that there are enough North Carolina players to go around, and they're often inclined to consider ECU because of the unique football culture the school has cultivated in a hoops-crazy state.

Dick Sheridan and Mack Brown both built Top 15 programs at State and Carolina with homegrown talent. The foundation for Logan's best seasons in Greenville also was underpinned by players from his own backyard, and that was with steady competition from his cross-state rivals.

The heavy concentration on in-state products provided long-term stability by building bridges with neighboring high schools.

True, Thompson may feel compelled to rely on Florida connections to seek a quick rebound from a disappointing first season at the helm. But for the long-range health of the program, East Carolina's recruiting emphasis must remain closer to home.

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02/23/2007 01:51:49 AM