NFL News NFL News, Reports and Updates
Colorado coach Deion Sanders hasn’t visited a high school or home in back-to-back recruiting cycles, according to a USA Today report. The university told the outlet that Sanders managed all recruiting from Boulder, Colorado, despite a $200,000 annual budget for recruiting travel.
“I don’t go to nobody’s school or nobody’s house,” Sanders said last month. “I’m not doing that. I’m too old to be going to somebody’s school, somebody’s house. All the kids that I’m recruiting, as a matter of fact, they in the portal. They’re grown men with kids. They don’t need me to come around their crib and try to convince them to come play for me, nah.”
Historically, the visits are seen as a key opportunity to build relationships with both recruits and the people around them. For comparison, Nebraska’s Matt Rhule reportedly made 486 off-campus visits last year, according to USA Today. LSU’s Brian Kelly made 257.
Over a 10-day period, five-star Class of 2026 quarterback Jared Curtis posted photos of in-home visits from the head coaches at Alabama, Georgia, Florida State, Auburn, South Carolina and North Carolina. Relationships can certainly prove valuable and help build edges in the recruiting process.
At the same time, Sanders’ approach isn’t wrong. And in the pay-for-play era, it actually might be a glimpse at the future.
Over the years, programs have expended massive resources to build relationships with players. Stories abound of coaches hitting the road for weeks to drive into every corner of the country in search of talent or incessantly texting to stay on top of players. It’s common for the head coach to be the closer on top recruits, but it typically happens with a final living room pitch.
But things have changed, especially in the NIL…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/colorado-coach-deion-sanders-no-travel-approach-to-recruiting-is-unique-but-its-also-ahead-of-the-curve/
Author : Shehan Jeyarajah
Publish date : 2025-02-18 17:34:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
