The Arizona Republic

Recruiting explodes amid virus

- Paul Myerberg MATT MARTON/USA TODAY SPORTS

Iowa’s recruiting pitch hasn’t changed. If tailored to a specific prospect based on location, position and personalit­y, the common denominato­r is the Hawkeyes’ coaching continuity. In specific, the focus is on a number, 21: Iowa’s letters, texts and recruiting graphics center on giving members of the 2021 signing class 21 reasons to choose the program in recognitio­n of Kirk Ferentz’s 21 seasons as head coach.

It’s everything surroundin­g the pitch that’s changed. Beginning with the most basic interactio­ns between coaches and prospects, the disruptive force of the coronaviru­s strain and near-nationwide quarantine that followed in the wake of COVID-19 has profoundly impacted the traditiona­l flow of recruiting at Iowa and other programs in the Bowl Subdivisio­n.

Face-to-face contact is out, suspended by the NCAA for nearly two months. Practices and normal team activities have likewise been tabled indefinite­ly, scattering players and sending coaches to the unfamiliar confines of home offices. All recruiting is done remotely, negating the boost often provided by official and unofficial campus visits.

Yet Iowa recruiting is thriving, with seven known verbal commitment­s since the suspension of on-campus recruiting and a projected signing class that currently ranks just behind Clemson and Florida among the best nationally. This success dwarfs the Hawkeyes’ pace during the same time period a year ago, when the staff landed just two verbal commitment­s under more optimal recruiting conditions.

“The biggest thing was we weren’t going to panic and alter the way we were doing things or who we are, change who we are, just based on what’s taking place,” said Tyler Barnes, Iowa’s director of recruiting.

A similar scene is playing out across the FBS. Even as COVID-19 eliminates the sort of in-person contact that has typically defined springtime recruiting, the explosive growth of a recent recruiting trend and the fear of missing out on the rapidly dwindling amount of scholarshi­p space have contribute­d to a historic and unexpected flurry of activity.

More than 600 prospects in the 2021 class have verbally committed to FBS programs, doubling the number of commitment­s at this point a year ago and exceeding the combined total at this point from the past two recruiting cycles. Power Five programs alone have accounted for 286 commitment­s since on-campus recruiting was suspended. Fourteen programs in the Power Five have at least seven verbal commitment­s during this period, while 85 percent have added multiple commitment­s.

Technology has helped coaching staffs overcome the inability to host recruits, allowing for drone videos of campus, walkthroug­hs of football facilities conducted via FaceTime and virtual tours meant to mirror the experience of a traditiona­l campus visit. Prospects more comfortabl­e with text messages than phone calls have taken to recruiting spiels distilled into quick videos or graphics, and programs have responded by condensing material into smaller, more easily digestible chunks.

The NCAA made three recent modificati­ons to rules related to the sort of remote contact that now dominates FBS recruiting. One change allows any university staff member, not just coaches, to participat­e in calls involving a recruit. Another removes the restrictio­n on the total number of recruits who may participat­e in a call with an on-field coach. And the third allows current athletes to appear on recruiting calls with coaches, meaning college standouts such as Trevor Lawrence could participat­e in a call alongside Clemson coaches, for example.

“It’s really an informatio­n race,” said Michigan State coach Mel Tucker. “It’s like remote education. It’s like marketing. It takes a high level of listening. You ask a specific question, you get a specific answer. Then service the need. That’s pretty much, philosophi­cally, what we’ve done.”

The increase in free time to make contact with recruits has played a significan­t role. The standard routine for most FBS coaches, especially head coaches, is to conduct recruiting calls during a window of time in the afternoon, following the completion of team activities. The cancellati­on of practices in April, for example, opened up the month for coaches and prospects to remain in constant communicat­ion.

“The time as a coach that you would spend preparing for practice, preparing for the meetings, watching film, you’ve not had that,” Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt said. “That’s really a month’s worth of work with your own team where there was nothing to do from that standpoint. So where do you spend your effort and time?”

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz has spent more time on the phone “than I ever would during this time period,” he said. Michigan State’s staff has taken off Easter and one random Wednesday since entering into quarantine, said Tucker, adding that the balancing act of staying in contact without inundating a prospect with calls and texts is “almost an art form in itself.”

“A lot of what we’re doing, this is the first time,” Tucker said. “The recruiting calendar and rules were not built for COVID-19, stay at home, dead period.”

The biggest impact of the coronaviru­s on recruiting can be seen in the snowball effect of commitment­s that normally occur in the early summer. This intense stretch has instead come months earlier, as recruits see spots quickly filling up across the Power Five. Consider the example of an offensive guard who has five scholarshi­p offers, with each program looking to take one guard during this cycle. As peers at his position begin to fill those spots months ahead of the normal schedule, the recruit must grab at an available scholarshi­p even without first taking the standard official visit.

“I think some prospects are getting antsy and just want to get it over with, so they’re kind of casting their ballot,” Ferentz said. “I think the official visit helps consummate the marriage. It makes the bond much stronger.”

 ??  ?? Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz reacts during a game last season against Northweste­rn. Iowa’s projected recruiting class currently ranks just behind Clemson and Florida among the best nationally.
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz reacts during a game last season against Northweste­rn. Iowa’s projected recruiting class currently ranks just behind Clemson and Florida among the best nationally.

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