Coach Fran's Recruiting Strategy

TampaJim

BamaNation Citizen
Oct 12, 1999
29
0
0
Tampa, FL, USA
So what exactly is Coach Fran's recruiting strategy? The man has a plan for everything, so you know that he has a good idea what he is shooting for recruiting-wise.

This is my best guess as to what Coach Fran is trying to accomplish. Keep in mind that it is just a guess (more like a series of observations) based on what I've read and seen thus far.

* Establish superiority in-state - this is elementary for several reasons. First, Alabama has a tremendous advantage in-state, even over Auburn. Alabama would be crazy to not dominate the state each and every year. Of course, you need to go out of state for the blue chips or the specific players who meet your needs. An example this year is the OL recruiting. This is generally regarded as a weak class of in-state OL. So Coach Fran has ventured to Texas to find some top OL.

The second reason for establishing dominence in-state is that, because it appears that we are going to be sanctioned by the NCAA, we need to sign kids who WANT to be at Alabama. If a player is otherwise torn between Alabama and another top program, then we may lose that player due to the NCAA investigation. In-state players are far more likely to overlook the short-term impact of sanctions and sign with the Tide. The benefits are obvious - close to home, play for a team you grew up watching, etc. And, of course, Alabama benefits as well. The in-state kid may want it just a little more than the kid who doesn't have the same appreciation for the tradition of Alabama football (this is an admitted overgeneralization, however).

The third reason to establish in-state recruiting right away is to make those connections with the schools, high school head coaches, etc., so that we can continue to sign the top prospects in Alabama. If we completely ignore in-state recruiting, we could upset or offend some players, coaches, etc. and then be "in a hole" for that next big in-state recruit. For example, it is anticipated that the in-state class for 2002-03 will be one of the best ever. By visiting all of these in-state schools, getting to know the coaches, etc., we are in a prime position to do well again next year.

* Address our needs, especially in light of impending scholarship reductions - most people have acknowledged that we are going to lose some scholarships over the next couple years, so we'd better load up (to the extent that we can). We must address those positions that are thin right now.

The most obvious example is the defensive line, especially DT. If today were National Signing Day, we might sign Kyle Tatum, Henry Smith, Ben Grubbs and Jeremy Clark, all of whom are expected to (at some point) play DT in college. We would also sign Chris Harris and Christopher Browder at DE. With Odom, NMLoescher, Bryant, Bates, and Anderson already in the fold, we should have a deep, talented DL through the next three or four years, regardless of sanctions.

We also need playmakers to score some points. We will lose Milons, McAddley and Michael James after this year. AC and Sam Collins are juniors. So we need some WRs for Brodie/Spencer/Brandon to throw to. This explains the emphasis on Ben Obomanu, Titus Ryan, Grant Brigham, Charlie Vamble, etc.

* Sign players who will qualify, are good kids and stick around - from what I can tell, the limitation on scholarships would be addressed towards new, incoming scholarship players. In other words, the NCAA would limit the amount of recruits that we could sign for 3-4 years (ex. - no more than 20 signees per year for three years). Over time, this creates a depth problem because you cannot effectively "replace" players who leave via graduation and, more importantly, those players that leave due to grades, poor attitudes, lack of playing time, etc.

In the past, if we signed 4 or 5 kids who may not make their grades, no big deal. We would oversign or re-sign them the next year or just "replace" them the following year. The NCAA sanctions will probably not allow us to do this anymore.

And, in keeping with my first strategic point, I believe that in-state players are less likely to transfer because of being homesick, upset about lack of playing time, or (YES) an occasional, temporary downturn in the program due to NCAA sanctions.

Every team has some attrition and so will we. But we can't haphazardly offer scholarships. Any "mistakes" made in recruiting will be harder to correct in the near future.

* The early bird gets the worm (and the junior worm also) - the cryptic subtitle means only that Coach Fran and his staff recognized that we needed to get out of the gates quick this year. I would guess that a great deal of their work in December and January was not only recruiting for the 2001 class, but also identifying those junior prospects that would make up the 2002 class. For example, I would guess that while recruiting Roman Harper of Prattville, the coaches also spoke to Kyle Tatum.

Then the staff put together a recruiting event for juniors in February/March, where the kids and their parents got a chance to meet the coaches, see a basketball game and address some issues head-on (i.e. the NCAA). This and other examples of hard work by the new staff laid the groundwork for our recent early commitments.

By getting some early commitments, the staff has accomplished several things. First, we have created "recruiting momentum", which can be built on this Fall.

Second, we have public commitments from some top players BEFORE the NCAA charges are received and the sanctions handed down. Unless Coach Fran made some outrageous promises to these recruits (unlikely for many reasons), then these prospects will not jump ship (provided, of course, that the penalties do not clearly cripple the program for four or five years) or otherwise abandon the program they grew up following.

Third, we can now concentrate our recruiting efforts this Fall on only a select few players. More time, more attention, more results. We can also continue to "recruit" our verbal commitments and not forget them.

Finally, this will allow our staff to start recruiting the in-state juniors that everyone is already raving about. Players like Tim Castille and Jemarcus Russell will get the early attention that often makes the difference in recruiting.


No system is perfect, especially under less than perfect conditions. IF (a big if) Coach Fran and his staff misevaluate these prospects, then no strategy can save them. But I am optimistic about our staff's eye for talent. There are plenty of examples from Fran's past. But the thing that has always stood out to me is the statement by Charlie North that Coach Fran is the best evaluator of talent he has seen. Coming from a man with North's experience, that is saying something.

I also like the fact that we are not offering any of these kids (not even Jason Allen) without evaluating them in person. Not as much emphasis on promoting these players before and after they commit so that our recruiting class makes the infamous "top five". Rather, find the prospect, get him to Tuscaloosa, test the player, "check under the hood" (character, attitude, academics) and then pull the trigger. This appears to be the process that lead to early commitments of "sleepers" like Ramzee Robinson and Juwan Garth.

In closing, here is yet another list of our "possible" recruiting class for 2002. This list includes the players already committed and the players profiled by TI last night. Tell me what you think:

QB - Avalos*
RB - Darby*
WR - Obomanu, Brigham, Ryan(DB?)
OL - Dickey*
DL - Tatum*, Harris*, Clark, Smith, Grubbs, Browder*(OLB?)
LB - Pope*, Garth*(S?), Nance, Luke(S?)
DB - Robinson*, Allen(RB?), Malone

That's 18 players, which give or take a few scholarships sounds about right (Malone probably is a "sign and place" at a junior college, so I didn't count him).

The question marks as to positions are not just confusion on my part; it also shows the flexibility and athleticism of this class. For example, for all we know, Browder or Harris could end up at TE. Garth could be a WR, rather than a Rover. And before anyone screams in horror at signing only one OL (I know I did), remember that DL prospects often end up playing OL in college.

When you remember the number of outstanding prospects NOT included on that list (R. Pope, Ugoh, Lilly, Cornelius, Vample, Hamilton, Newby, Wilder, B. Davis, etc.), you can really appreciate what a great group of players the final list will be.

Sorry for going a bit long... I welcome your opinions and feedback.

RTR!
 

TampaJim

BamaNation Citizen
Oct 12, 1999
29
0
0
Tampa, FL, USA
In just a few short hours, my "best guess" list has changed. Here it is (as of now):

QB - Avalos
RB - Darby
WR - Obomanu, Ryan(DB?), Vamble
OL - Dickey

DL - Tatum, Harris, Smith, Clark, Grubbs, Broward(OLB?)
LB - Pope, Garth(S?), Nance, Luke(S?)
DB - Robinson, Allen(RB?), Malone

That's still 18, with Malone as a "sign and place".

Charlie Vamble is a WR out of Cincinnati, OH. He is a teammate of Deshawn Wynn, one of the top RBs in the nation. We are recruiting Wynn as well. Vamble is 6-1, 180 and appears to have game-breaking abilities. He was injured as a sophomore, so last year (as a junior) was his first year of varsity football. As a result, most schools that are recruiting him are waiting to watch him in games this season before offering.

Alabama has already offered and it sounds like he may commit. Wynn and Vamble are best friends, but it will be much harder to get Wynn to leave Ohio. He has narrowed his list of favorites to ten schools, including Ohio State (the early favorite), Alabama, Miami, Florida, Penn State and Michigan.

Apparently Roshawn Pope has not been offered. He may eventually, but I think that the staff has its sites set on some other top DBs across the country first.

Another "soft" prediction on my part is Nick Luke. I suspect that he also has not been offered yet or has been told that he will be offered soon. There are a number of top LBs out there who are rated higher than Luke, all of them out-of-state.

Coach Fran and staff are working very hard. They are going strong after some top recruits in Texas, including LB prospect Garnett Smith of Arlington, TX.

Tony Ugoh (OL) out of Houston will probably take an official visit, but he is getting the full court press from Texas A&M and Texas. There is apparently a lot of NCAA-related scare tactics being used by A&M (i.e. Alabama will not play on TV next year, they won't play in a bowl game, etc.).

As always, I hope this information helps. RTR!
 

ed4tide4u2

1st Team
Sep 25, 2000
428
8
0
mobile,al.
TampaJim, I enjoy your posts as much as I do the scene from 'Crimson Tide' when the crew hollers GO BAMA,ROLL TIDE!. I can watch that scene over and over as I read your posts over and over. Keep up the good work. I am reading every line!
GO BAMA,ROLL TIDE!
 

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