My understanding, as it pertains to the topic of college recruiting, is limited to what I've learned from those who do know the ins-and-outs and what I've gleaned from being an avid follower of college football over the last decade or so.
That said, I was intrigued to read some comments on the matter, offered by Georgia AD Greg McGarity, in an article published by Gentry Estes on yesterday. The response you'll read below is his answer to a question regarding a possible increase in the staff the football team has available for recruiting.
Here’s a misconception about what that person does. That person cannot evaluate any recruit. That person’s job is not to basically look at film and determine who’s a great prospect. That’s illegal. He cannot do that. What this person does, he basically gets the tapes … the information in, and he gives it to the position coach. He makes no determination on whether that makes it to the next step or not. It’s basically a clearinghouse. And also that person when you have official visits on campus, they facilitate that. But I think there’s a misconception out there that this position is a person that’s evaluating talent. They cannot do that. It’s not allowable under NCAA rules [emphasis added].Did you know this? I'll readily admit that I didn't.
So how many people do you need in that role? You’ve got your 10 coaches. You’ve got your strength staff. I mean, how many people do you really need to show a family around? … They are basically a clearinghouse that is basically making sure that information when it comes in is provided to the coaches. They can’t be there looking at tape and say, ‘Gosh, look at this play this guy made right here.’ And he can’t make cut-ups to show a coach, ‘Hey, these are the best plays.’ He can’t do that – by rule. So I think there’s a misconception out there that if you have a large recruiting staff, you’ve going to be able to cover all of this area. Well, they can’t recruit on the road, they can’t leave campus to recruit and they can’t evaluate tape. So what are they really doing?
When Charlie Cantor left Georgia, he left under a cloud of suspicion. Cantor, for those who don't remember, was Georgia's recruiting assistant for three-years (2008-2010). He resigned last summer to "pursue other opportunities" and McGarity offered no further explanation as to why he would no longer be kept on staff.
That said, many have started to wonder why Georgia's recruiting staff is so small (there are currently only two dedicated recruiting assistants). After all, when you look at the recruiting staff size of Alabama (six)—their recruiting assistants are labeled "football analysts"—it makes you wonder how Georgia is satisfied with having just one guy as a clearinghouse.
On the other hand, perhaps the question that should be asked is why one school should need so many if the only job of this individual is shuttling tapes and offering tours?
Those who would like to see Georgia in the same conversation as Alabama will criticize McGarity's statements and wonder if he's just not trying to protect the bottom-line at Georgia—particularly when it's well-known that the president of the University is all about academia—but I'm one who feels that if Georgia's going to win, they need to do it the right way. And one thing I'm certain about were McGarity is concerned, is that he knows how to keep the damage to a minimum where the NCAA is concerned.
If the recruiting assistant isn't doing anything of major importance, there's no point to hiring more of them just to appease a fanbase who may or may not understand what they're asking for—plus as far as I can tell, Richt and his staff are headed towards another very strong recruiting class this year.
For me, the proof of how well Georgia can do against the likes of an Alabama, an LSU, or any other BCS school, does not lay in the size of their recruiting staff, but in the way prospects are developed once they arrive to the program.
Sure, some might argue that hesitancy to spend money in even the smallest of areas sends a message that Georgia is willing to maintain the status quo—which if it isn't netting SEC Championships or BCS appearances isn't good enough—but money doesn't always buy championships. It's still going to come down to production on the football field by the players you recruit and develop.
It always comes back to coaching and that's the bottom line.
