Texas A&M assistant, Texas, TCU score well in recruiting survey
While the college football recruitment process is between the student-athlete and the college coaches, no one knows more about how both sides work than a high school coach.
To gain some insight into the secret world of recruiting, the Star-Telegram surveyed Metroplex high school coaches on their experiences with the recruiting process.
We asked a dozen high school coaches which programs were the easiest and hardest to work with and how programs succeeded or failed.
According to the coaches polled, Texas A&M recruiting coordinator David Beaty is far and away considered the best recruiter in the Metroplex and Texas — followed closely by TCU — is the best program to work with.
The coaches said Texas A&M is the most popular school among their players right now, followed by Baylor. However, TCU received the most recognition for having a pipeline set up at Metroplex schools.
Ultimately, coaches are there to advise their players on a decision that will affect at least the next four years of their life. Because of that, the overwhelming advice coaches say they give their players is to choose a school for everything besides football because coaches come and go and programs change.
Here is what the high school coaches had to say about the college programs they deal with:
1. Which coach or program have you had the best experience with?
1. Texas
2. TCU
3. Baylor, UTEP, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Texas Tech, Iowa, Rice, SMU, Midwestern, Oklahoma, Louisiana-Monroe
2. What made working with them so enjoyable?
3. What coaches/programs have been the most difficult to deal with?
1. North Texas
2. SMU, Kansas
3. Kentucky, Baylor, TCU, Texas A&M, Houston (Kevin Sumlin)
4. Why were they so difficult? Any horror stories?
5. Have you witnessed any interesting, different or shady recruiting tactics by coaches or programs? If so, who and what was it (i.e. – “running into” players who are underclassmen while making school visits)?
6. What is the most difficult aspect of your player’s recruitment as a head coach?
7. How frequently are you in contact with college coaching staffs?
8. What is the most interesting story you have regarding the recruitment of one of your players?
9. Is there a particular program you feel is the “in” program right now to your players?
1. Texas A&M
2. Baylor
3. Oregon, TCU, Oklahoma State, Alabama, Florida State, LSU, Texas
10. Have you witnessed or experienced any recruiting violations from major programs?
11. Is your program a “pipeline” to any particular school?
1. TCU
2. Oregon, North Texas, Oklahoma State, Rice
12. Do you ever visit college campuses with players? If so, who puts on the best visit? Who was the worst?
Best: 1. TCU, 2. Texas, Baylor
Worst: Texas because of access; Baylor was very secretive toward offensive players.
13. Do you ever go to camps with your players? If so, who puts on the best camp? Who was the worst?
Best camps
1. Baylor
2. Texas Tech, Texas, Oklahoma State, UTEP
14. What is the most important piece of advice you give your players as they go through the recruitment process?
15. Who do you think is the best college recruiter out there today?
1. David Beaty (Texas A&M)
2. Bobby Kennedy (Iowa)
3. John Shoop (Purdue), Luke Wells (Utah State), Dave Steckel (Missouri), Bruce Chambers (Texas), Doug Meacham (TCU, formerly Oklahoma State), Chad Morris (Clemson)
16. Which program do you believe needs to step up its recruiting game the most?
1. SMU
2. Texas
3. UNT, Texas Tech
This story was originally published February 5, 2014 at 9:47 PM.