What makes a good recruiter?

[robert40]

I here the phrase all the time but what really makes someone good at it.I think I could go to alabama right now and pull in the best talent in the country and i am as close to one as i am at being a rocket scientist.so winning makes the job easy but what do u think these young kids are looking for or is it the parents they are trying to win over?

[sandstorm2001]

It's somebody with the ability to sell what the school has to offer, and develop good relationships with the kids. If you aren't personable you probably won't be a good recruiter. I don't care how good Alabama is, kids aren't going to go play for a coach they don't like just to go to Bama.

[lilhornet]

A good recruiter IMHO is someone who has proven he go get high quality prospects against bigger and better schools. Ellis Johnson was that for us, he went and got Jadeveon Clowney, Stephon Gilmore, Devonte Holloman.

Granted, those three were in-state kids but national powerhouses were after them such as Alabama, LSU, Georgia etc.

A good solid recruiter is also someone who closes on the prospects we are suppose to finish with.

[jcook84]

I think it depends on the situation...some recruits need the 'rents on board, while others want to relate to the recruiter. I think each recruit is gauged in the beginning of the recruiting process and the proper route is taken.

But to answer the question, I think a good recruiter is a guy who is young enough to relate to the player, but old enough to relate to the parents. A good history of turning out NFL prospects at the recruit's prospective position is almost always a must as well, I believe. Winning is immeasurable, obviously.

Also, a briefcase full of hundos goes a long way, too.

[sandstorm2001]

Originally Posted by lilhornet

A good recruiter IMHO is someone who has proven he go get high quality prospects against bigger and better schools. Ellis Johnson was that for us, he went and got Jadeveon Clowney, Stephon Gilmore, Devonte Holloman.

Granted, those three were in-state kids but national powerhouses were after them such as Alabama, LSU, Georgia etc.

A good solid recruiter is also someone who closes on the prospects we are suppose to finish with.

This doesn't really answer the question. This would be like if I said, "What does it take to get rich?" and you said "make a lot of money." Well duh. If I'm going to get rich I have to make a lot of money, but how do I get the money?

See he asked what you needed to be a good recruiter, and you basically told him, "You have to be able to get good recruits." How do you get the recruits?

[sandstorm2001]

Also, damage control would be another thing that makes a good recruiter.

recruit - "I heard such and such about your school. What can you tell me about that."

recruiter - "Well that's not true/not important because ______."

[scfanz]

Look no farther than Taterville. They have one of the best recruiters around in Dumbo. The man can sell ice to Eskimos. However, like most used car salesmen there's not much behind the talk. Its a good thing Dumbo can't coach.

[garnet_black215]

Previous posters pretty much said everything that is required of being a good recruiter, and it comes down to any number of things. One thing I also think is worth mentioning though is finding players that were somehow overlooked throughout the recruiting process and by the time their college careers were over were a critical part of the program. Look no further than Devin Taylor. Not very highly recruited, but one of our coaches did their homework and was able to project him as a good player, and it worked out.

It's easy to spot the players like Clowney, Lattimore, Gilmore, and players like that, but IMO being a good recruiter sometimes also involves noticing (and ultimately getting) the underrated players and turning them into big time players in a big time conference. Of course, doing this also comes down to selling the recruit on the program, whatever that takes.

[GarnetBlack&Blue]

it's all about relationship building...

you'll never heard a kid talk about why he picked a school without mentioning his relationship to his recruiter. ("I was comfortable with him", "He's a coach I can trust", "I know he wants what's best for me" and so on...)

[robert40]

Originally Posted by sandstorm2001

This doesn't really answer the question. This would be like if I said, "What does it take to get rich?" and you said "make a lot of money." Well duh. If I'm going to get rich I have to make a lot of money, but how do I get the money?

See he asked what you needed to be a good recruiter, and you basically told him, "You have to be able to get good recruits." How do you get the recruits?

Thank you.I should have said what does it take to be a good recruiter?