Virtual recruiting strategies could stay after pandemic ends

BleedGopher

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per the AP:

Recruiting restrictions brought about by the pandemic forced coaching staffs to find new ways to make their pitches to top high school seniors.

Some of the ideas worked well enough to perhaps become permanent fixtures.

With students unable to make official visits during a prolonged recruiting dead period, schools brought the campus to them through virtual tours. And these visits were quite a bit more in-depth than quick looks at facilities or conversations with coaches.

“I think using virtual Zoom, whatever you want to call it, to do home visits is something that was very beneficial to myself and the assistant coaches in terms of developing relationships with the families,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said Wednesday after finalizing the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class. “We also included the families in virtual practice. We included them in virtual medical meetings, virtual strength and conditioning, academics, academic appointments.”

The coaches and prospects eventually grew more familiar with the technology so that all the online communication became less awkward.

Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck told the story of how the mother of tight end prospect Jameson Geers felt comfortable enough to turn a virtual campus tour into something quite different.

“She took the phone and said, ‘You know what. I’m tired of your tours. You’re going on a tour of our house. We’re getting a home visit,’" Fleck recalled. “We did a whole tour of her house, went into every single room, behind every door. We saw everything on every wall.”


Go Gophers!!
 

Pretty clear that Fleck and his staff did a very solid job with recruiting virtually and he seems like the kind of coach that is willing to embrace change and really run with it. There are many coaches where that is not the case.
 

The coaches have to sell the program to the recruits and their families. They use all kinds tools to spin - from charm and charisma to building relationships. What also sells are the results. The current players' feelings and perceptions about the program, the number of players getting into the NFL, and the academic success.
 

My understanding is that PJ uses this Zoom background:

 

The coaches have to sell the program to the recruits and their families. They use all kinds tools to spin - from charm and charisma to building relationships. What also sells are the results. The current players' feelings and perceptions about the program, the number of players getting into the NFL, and the academic success.
I agree with this... at some point Fleck will need to make the CCG and at least give tOSU a competitive game.

Until he can consistently beat Wisky and Iowa, he'll have a ceiling in recruiting.
 


Maybe for budget sake they might consider banning in-home visits. On campus only. A thought and I'm not sure it would work, but do college coaches need to be flying all over to visit homes?
 

Maybe for budget sake they might consider banning in-home visits. On campus only. A thought and I'm not sure it would work, but do college coaches need to be flying all over to visit homes?
That's the problem when the Midwestern schools have a smaller recruiting base. Outside of ND, it's a huge expense for many schools.
 




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