and an initial "key" in that process (as far as Texas kids), is gaining "accsess" to them..That is where Bobby Kennedy is so valuable...At certain high schools, any Johnny come lately type of a coach will have to work quite hard just to get in the front door of the coach's offices to even discuss talking to/about,recruiting a prospect....With Bobby's "good name" in the state, he already has this accsess at a large network of schools in and around some places in Texas (DFW), specifically. He already can navigate through all the politics involved. That ability is huge for a midwest based program.
Building relationships is always key - that gets high school coaches to send out tapes to your program in the first place. Those coaches won't want to send players out to a group of coaches who they don't trust. To that end, it's not just Kennedy ... but it also doesn't hurt that Greg Davis is a coaching giant in the state of Texas. Furthermore, Coach Woods pounded the pavement a lot in Texas in prior years.
However, just because coaches in the state like you ... that just gets your foot in the door. The young men also need to be lured by your program too. First and foremost, young men seem to value winning ... or the promise of winning. Thus, a 12-0 season helped the Hawks a TON in recruiting this year. Getting exposure in the Rose Bowl ... even in defeat, didn't hurt. A common refrain about the Hawks was ... look what they did with mid-level talent ... what could they do with higher level talent? Nick Saban made just such a comment about Ferentz and the Hawks ... and it doesn't hurt that he's right.
From the benefits of success, we also shouldn't underestimate the importance in landing AJ Epenesa. He's truly an elite recruit ... and he chose the Hawks. Not all elite legacies choose the Hawks. As Piersbacher taught us ... not even a kid who grew up bleeding black and gold is a shoe-in to choose the Hawks. As we saw before AJ chose the Hawks ... another legacy, elite DB recruit Pryor chose the Buckeyes.
Once we had AJ Epenesa aboard ... that gave the Hawks some legitimate recruiting momentum. Combine that with the fact that Ferentz will always value a strong running game ... it was an eventuality that we'd land excellent guys like Kelly-Martin and Benjamin at RB.
However, the "cherry-on-top" that could help us to land high quality DBs in the '17 class is not just all the prior factors ... but it's also Des King and the Thorpe Award that he won. DB recruits have the proof in the pudding that Iowa develops stud DBs. As Hawks fans ... we're already aware of Phil Parker's amazing track record. He is a regular developer of NFL caliber talent. It's especially a glowing endorsement that King loves being a Hawk so much that he came back for his senior year.
Lastly, it doesn't hurt that Texas guys have gotten treated well at Iowa ... even if they don't start. Guys like Bud Spears, Jacob Hillyer, and Anthony Gair ... they've been sticking things out with the Hawks ... and they've been important contributors to our overall success (both on and off the field). It also doesn't hurt that a whole new wave of Texans in J. Smith and Jackson are poised to be future stars for the Hawks ... and that guys like Ogwo and Garbutt could eventually work to be impact players too.
The point being that Iowa's current success has been the result of the cumulative effect of multiple factors ... and lets hope that they continue to pay dividends!
