As fans we want the best players in the Bay to go to our favorite college. As players at said college we want the best to join us. As college coaches we want our players to recruit for us; get the best players, your friends, to come to their school.
“Collegiate players play a vital role in recruiting. College coaches can tell recruits anything they want to get them to go to their school, but it’s the players who are living and playing at that school that will ultimately convince the recruit what it’s really like,” Derek Tyson, Recruiting reporter at ESPN.com, said.
As pipelines are established from Tampa Bay to a number of schools we see how important players recruiting other players can be.
Anthony Chickillo, a former Alonso High School standout, will be entering his second season at the University of Miami and has been a major recruiter for the Hurricanes.
He was credited in large part with the commitment of Jefferson’s Tyriq McCord, who he hosted during his visit.
“I want the best players to play at my school because I want my team to be the best,” Chickillo said.
With the newest addition of Antonio Crawford the Canes have five players from the Bay Area. Although back in Tampa over the weekend Chickillo said he spoke with Crawford before his visit.
Chickillo alluded to what Tyson mentioned. Prospective players can ask questions to players currently on the roster.
“They can ask us what we really think about coaches; things they can’t really ask the coaches themselves,” he explained.
What it comes down to is how relatable you can be with the prospective player. Obviously fellow 19-22 year olds are more relatable to one another than a 40-plus year old college recruiter.
Some of the best coaches don’t have success in the recruiting world. It’s two-part though; some of the best recruiters aren’t your best coaches. You need a balance of both.
Players are the perfect testimonials. The coaches aren’t living in the dormitory rooms, nor are they going to classes and having to manage a course-load plus football practice, a social life and all of the other ins-and-outs of a college life.
National Signing Day is quickly approaching as we are currently in a ‘dead period’ which only allows coaches to speak with prospective student-athletes over the phone. No more face-to-face contact, on or off campus, is permitted until after National Signing Day.
Coaches will make their last pushes. Current players will make their final pleas as well. When the dust settles though it will come down to who was most relatable. Who do you feel you are most at home with and can have the most success?
Follow Kyle on Twitter @KyleBennettUT