Its Over in the Blink of an Eye
February 9th, 2010 - byMuch had been made about USC’s Lane Kiffin much publicized decision to offer a 13 year old a scholarship. True to form he followed up with one outrageous move with another by declaring there is a decided difference between USC and UCLA players. He also can determine that difference almost immediately.
“We know within the first 10 minutes,” Kiffin said in a report by the Orange County Register, “whether they’re the type of guys that want to play here or there.”
Kiffin said he can tell the difference by “the questions that they ask,” the way the recruits carry themselves and a certain “feeling” he gets about them from having worked the area so long, according to the Register report.
He talked about his new recruits at defensive back as an example.
“One of the things I like is not one of these guys asked about a depth chart or who was here or how much can I play or worried about being able to beat people out,” Kiffin said. “Those are the guys that we want to come to SC. Everyone was like that, but especially this group.”
All kidding aside Lane’s recent statements are a reflection of the entire recruiting process. It does start earlier than ever. If the USC staff thinks a 13 year old is worthy of a scholarship, then it makes sense for them to be first to extend a verbal offer.
His comment about evaluation time is pretty accurate as well. Coaches often make snap judgments on blue chip players after only a few plays. They are what NCSA Recruiting Expert Coach Bob Chmiel calls “2 footers,” as in he only had to watch 2 feet of 16 mm film before he knew he was a scholarship player.
While the USC example is a case of extremes, the underlying lessons need to be absorbed by all recruits.
