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Strong building trust among Texas' recruits
Charlie Strong asked for a couple months to let the dust settle and establish himself. That’s all he needed to get his point across as the new head coach at Texas.
Since taking over as the new head coach at Texas, Strong has visited multiple school campuses throughout the state, hosted junior day events and used countless cellphone minutes to connect with players, coaches and parents. Gone, for now, is the perception that the job of replacing Mack Brown -- an iconic figure in college football -- is too difficult for Strong.
The reality – Strong’s directness, his X’s and O’s knowledge and win-now attitude – is settling in with Class of 2015 recruits.
Strong is now the face of what many believe is the new Texas. The transformation took roughly 90 days.
“They’re all about business over there,†Longhorns cornerback commit Jalen Campbell said. “It’s especially what Texas needed.â€
Recruits say Strong is a fan of presentation. He’s someone who gets his points across with various visual aids, whether they involve material on a whiteboard or videos of team workouts that have gone viral.
Strong’s recruiting efforts with the 2015 class have been respectable for someone yet to coach the first game with his new team. Texas has nine 2015 commitments already, four of whom were recruited by Strong. He has managed to flip a commit and also win recent recruiting battles with both Texas A&M and Oklahoma.
There’s still plenty of work to be done, but the groundwork has been set. Unlike many 2014 recruits who only had a couple of weeks to get to know Strong before national signing day, 2015 recruits now know what to expect if they are considering playing college football wearing burnt orange.
And the first thing many recruits and high school coaches notice is the one characteristic Strong has stressed multiple times.
“When I first met with him, you could see he was a disciplinarian. I know how it is, because I’m the same way,†said DeSoto (Texas) High School head coach Claude Mathis, who coaches ESPN Junior 300 defensive tackle and Texas pledge Bryce English. “He doesn’t mind getting in a kid whatsoever. Their coaches are very active.
“They’re excited, and there’s a lot of enthusiasm. Most importantly, the kids are flying around.â€
English, offensive lineman Patrick Vahe and running back Jordan Stevenson are the Longhorns’ ESPN Junior 300 pledges. They each committed during the Mack Brown era but chose to stay with Strong.
Defensive end Charles Omenihu, offensive tackle Toby Weathersby, safety DeShon Elliott and offensive tackle Ronnie Major each committed to Texas after Strong was hired. Major flipped to Texas from Baylor.
And then there are the players with offers on the table -- not just from Texas athletes, but nationally. Among the many out-of-state ESPN Junior 300 prospects with offers are Minnesota defensive end Jashon Cornell, Florida outside linebacker Jeffery Holland and Alabama defensive tackle Daron Payne.
Strong became a powerful recruiter as the University of Florida’s defensive coordinator and made the state a chief pipeline when he was at Louisville. Of the 23 commits in the Cardinals’ 2011 class, 13 were from Florida -- including potential first-round draft pick Teddy Bridgewater.
Vahe, who earned an invitation to The Opening on Saturday, grew up a Longhorns fan and had the utmost respect for Brown. Texas has lost three 2015 commitments under Strong, one of whom was Vahe’s cousin Maea Teuhema, a fellow ESPN Junior 300 lineman.
Vahe, unlike his cousin however, said he wanted to get a feel for Strong and his coaching staff before making a decision on whether to keep his commitment to Texas. After getting over the initial jitters -- he said Strong was intimidating upon introduction -- Vahe found Strong to be genuine, witty and entertaining.
“… Once you get to know him, he’s a pretty cool guy,†Vahe said. “Whatever I had heard about the new coaching staff, I wanted to see how they were for myself.
“I met the coaches, and they have all bonded quickly. That says a lot. I think that they can do that with the team, too. I feel comfortable with that.â€
Uncommitted ESPN Junior 300 prospect Will Gragg of Arkansas, the nation’s No. 2 pass-catching tight end, met Strong during a recent unofficial visit. Gragg, like Vahe, grew up watching the Longhorns, and while he was a fan of Brown, he has grown to respect and appreciate Strong.
Gragg loves the fact that Strong traditionally has used the tight end effectively in his offensive scheme. Gragg has more than 20 offers, and he’s looking for a college home that will benefit a 6-foot-4, 241-pound, versatile tight end.
“When you first meet him, you feel intimidated by him because of his status,†Gragg said of Strong. “But he makes you feel right at home. He invited us to his office and let us sit in on team meetings. We were in the tight ends room, and he showed about a 15-minute film of Teddy Bridgewater throwing to tight ends at Louisville. That was pretty awesome.â€
Things seem to be going in the right direction for Strong and Texas recruiting. It could get even better for the Longhorns if they open the 2014 season with big victories.
http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/ncfrecruiting/on-the-trail/post/_/id/53655/strong-building-trust-among-texas-recruits
Charlie Strong asked for a couple months to let the dust settle and establish himself. That’s all he needed to get his point across as the new head coach at Texas.
Since taking over as the new head coach at Texas, Strong has visited multiple school campuses throughout the state, hosted junior day events and used countless cellphone minutes to connect with players, coaches and parents. Gone, for now, is the perception that the job of replacing Mack Brown -- an iconic figure in college football -- is too difficult for Strong.
The reality – Strong’s directness, his X’s and O’s knowledge and win-now attitude – is settling in with Class of 2015 recruits.
Strong is now the face of what many believe is the new Texas. The transformation took roughly 90 days.
“They’re all about business over there,†Longhorns cornerback commit Jalen Campbell said. “It’s especially what Texas needed.â€
Recruits say Strong is a fan of presentation. He’s someone who gets his points across with various visual aids, whether they involve material on a whiteboard or videos of team workouts that have gone viral.
Strong’s recruiting efforts with the 2015 class have been respectable for someone yet to coach the first game with his new team. Texas has nine 2015 commitments already, four of whom were recruited by Strong. He has managed to flip a commit and also win recent recruiting battles with both Texas A&M and Oklahoma.
There’s still plenty of work to be done, but the groundwork has been set. Unlike many 2014 recruits who only had a couple of weeks to get to know Strong before national signing day, 2015 recruits now know what to expect if they are considering playing college football wearing burnt orange.
And the first thing many recruits and high school coaches notice is the one characteristic Strong has stressed multiple times.
“When I first met with him, you could see he was a disciplinarian. I know how it is, because I’m the same way,†said DeSoto (Texas) High School head coach Claude Mathis, who coaches ESPN Junior 300 defensive tackle and Texas pledge Bryce English. “He doesn’t mind getting in a kid whatsoever. Their coaches are very active.
“They’re excited, and there’s a lot of enthusiasm. Most importantly, the kids are flying around.â€
English, offensive lineman Patrick Vahe and running back Jordan Stevenson are the Longhorns’ ESPN Junior 300 pledges. They each committed during the Mack Brown era but chose to stay with Strong.
Defensive end Charles Omenihu, offensive tackle Toby Weathersby, safety DeShon Elliott and offensive tackle Ronnie Major each committed to Texas after Strong was hired. Major flipped to Texas from Baylor.
And then there are the players with offers on the table -- not just from Texas athletes, but nationally. Among the many out-of-state ESPN Junior 300 prospects with offers are Minnesota defensive end Jashon Cornell, Florida outside linebacker Jeffery Holland and Alabama defensive tackle Daron Payne.
Strong became a powerful recruiter as the University of Florida’s defensive coordinator and made the state a chief pipeline when he was at Louisville. Of the 23 commits in the Cardinals’ 2011 class, 13 were from Florida -- including potential first-round draft pick Teddy Bridgewater.
Vahe, who earned an invitation to The Opening on Saturday, grew up a Longhorns fan and had the utmost respect for Brown. Texas has lost three 2015 commitments under Strong, one of whom was Vahe’s cousin Maea Teuhema, a fellow ESPN Junior 300 lineman.
Vahe, unlike his cousin however, said he wanted to get a feel for Strong and his coaching staff before making a decision on whether to keep his commitment to Texas. After getting over the initial jitters -- he said Strong was intimidating upon introduction -- Vahe found Strong to be genuine, witty and entertaining.
“… Once you get to know him, he’s a pretty cool guy,†Vahe said. “Whatever I had heard about the new coaching staff, I wanted to see how they were for myself.
“I met the coaches, and they have all bonded quickly. That says a lot. I think that they can do that with the team, too. I feel comfortable with that.â€
Uncommitted ESPN Junior 300 prospect Will Gragg of Arkansas, the nation’s No. 2 pass-catching tight end, met Strong during a recent unofficial visit. Gragg, like Vahe, grew up watching the Longhorns, and while he was a fan of Brown, he has grown to respect and appreciate Strong.
Gragg loves the fact that Strong traditionally has used the tight end effectively in his offensive scheme. Gragg has more than 20 offers, and he’s looking for a college home that will benefit a 6-foot-4, 241-pound, versatile tight end.
“When you first meet him, you feel intimidated by him because of his status,†Gragg said of Strong. “But he makes you feel right at home. He invited us to his office and let us sit in on team meetings. We were in the tight ends room, and he showed about a 15-minute film of Teddy Bridgewater throwing to tight ends at Louisville. That was pretty awesome.â€
Things seem to be going in the right direction for Strong and Texas recruiting. It could get even better for the Longhorns if they open the 2014 season with big victories.
http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/ncfrecruiting/on-the-trail/post/_/id/53655/strong-building-trust-among-texas-recruits
