Appreciate everyone being here. Recruiting efforts since I started in July, you've seen a little bit of change. You've seen us cast a wider net. We're trying a couple different tactics that are supported by Coach Ferentz and the staff. I think we're headed in the right direction. Big thing is to continue to follow the foundations of the program. What type of kid we're looking for really hasn't changed, but we're being a little more aggressive on the front end. I believe it's going to pay off and the new facility is going to pay off. We've had more kids on campus than ever this early and it's gone well.
Do you have to cast a wider net these days because the way recruiting is going? I think casting a bigger net has provided us a larger pool of candidates. Have to be more aggressive on the front end with the way recruiting has changed. Decisions are coming a lot sooner than they have in the past. Kids aren't waiting as long to make those decisions. A lot are bypassing their official visits so they can make a decision before their senior year. So the biggest thing is getting ahead of the curve.
You guys have two verbals. How do you measure success so far? The way that we're measuring it is in conversations that we've had with the kids and their parents. It still goes back to relationships. We're ahead of the curve, moving a little faster than we have in the past, where it's allowed us to build relationships with those guys. We're seeing it, it's a matter of time.
Earlier offers? Yeah, we've fallen in love with kids earlier in the past, but we've talked to them on the phone, talked to their coaches, and talked to their parents. It's provided us with more time to get to know these guys. Get them on campus, get to see them during contact period. It's been a work in progress, but it's by design since I got here and increased our staff. We've got more eyes on the process now and Coach Ferentz and the staff have supported it.
Correlation between early offer and getting more visits? Yeah, I think anytime you extend yourself like that and show that type of commitment on your end, they're going to be more likely to visit. They've got limited time, limited finances, so a visit isn't always going to happen because of curiosity but once you make that commitment it's more likely.
How do manage 180 offers when all 180 can't commit? Do you have to slow play some of them? It's the discovery time of the year for these kids and their families. I wouldn't say slow play, but there's some it's going to be slow play just because of where they are in relationship to Iowa. We know that unofficial visit might not take place until June or July. If for some reason, we fill up before that, then that's part of the deal. At least they know on their end, they can start making plans and a bunch have already been in conversations with us about setting something up in June or July.
Most schools are having their spring games this week or last week. Is that an advantage to you for getting more kids here? I don't know that you're going to see a huge list of visitors for our spring game. At some places, it's a spectacle. For ours, it's the end of our spring season. The visits that have actually come to us during previous Saturdays or this Saturday, we're able to spend more time as a staff to make sure we fulfill their wants while they're here. The spring game is nice, but at the end of the day we're hoping that anybody that is coming to the spring game has also been on campus because you're kind of crunched with what you can do that Saturday.
You were heavily involved in recruiting Eric Graham. What is it like selling skill position guys on Iowa? Eric Graham probably isn't a real good example just because of the way his recruiting went. If you look at skill positions guys in this last class, there are some damn good ones. Some want to play in a pro style offense, others came up here and found Iowa was a great fit for them. I know that's out there, that it's tough to recruit skill players here. I kind of disagree. It has to be the right fit, but there's a lot to sell here.
Is there a value in just getting your name to a kid that might already have blue blood offers? Yes, but there are probably some other guys where you wonder why haven't they offered this guy yet. It's not about offering just to get your name out there. They still have to fit what we want to do. The guys that we've offered fit what we're all about.
One or two positions targeting in 2016? Right now, we've got on paper in pencil our needs, but that's always subject to change. There's so much that could go on from now until August and from August to November. The number is probably in the low to mid 20's, but to say by position still a lot to be determined.
Could you guys look more JUCO in this class? Yeah, I think you've seen where we've shown some interest a little bit with JUCO kids. I'm not saying we wouldn't go that route, but it goes back to if it's the right fit. We've got a young man coming in this year - not on scholarship - where we were the right fit. That's not where we spend a lot of our time, but we will if it's the right fit.
What have you seen from defensive backs, Snyder and Taylor battling? I think you've got two guys that are well qualified, but lack experience. You talk about two individuals that are locked in. There isn't a day that goes by where those two aren't competing their tails off. By doing so, they're making each other better every day.
How has Mabin responded after a rough bowl game? He's fine. I don't know that one game fazed him at all. There's plenty of others that showed he's a good player. He's done everything that we've expected this spring.
Do you have to cast a wider net these days because the way recruiting is going? I think casting a bigger net has provided us a larger pool of candidates. Have to be more aggressive on the front end with the way recruiting has changed. Decisions are coming a lot sooner than they have in the past. Kids aren't waiting as long to make those decisions. A lot are bypassing their official visits so they can make a decision before their senior year. So the biggest thing is getting ahead of the curve.
You guys have two verbals. How do you measure success so far? The way that we're measuring it is in conversations that we've had with the kids and their parents. It still goes back to relationships. We're ahead of the curve, moving a little faster than we have in the past, where it's allowed us to build relationships with those guys. We're seeing it, it's a matter of time.
Earlier offers? Yeah, we've fallen in love with kids earlier in the past, but we've talked to them on the phone, talked to their coaches, and talked to their parents. It's provided us with more time to get to know these guys. Get them on campus, get to see them during contact period. It's been a work in progress, but it's by design since I got here and increased our staff. We've got more eyes on the process now and Coach Ferentz and the staff have supported it.
Correlation between early offer and getting more visits? Yeah, I think anytime you extend yourself like that and show that type of commitment on your end, they're going to be more likely to visit. They've got limited time, limited finances, so a visit isn't always going to happen because of curiosity but once you make that commitment it's more likely.
How do manage 180 offers when all 180 can't commit? Do you have to slow play some of them? It's the discovery time of the year for these kids and their families. I wouldn't say slow play, but there's some it's going to be slow play just because of where they are in relationship to Iowa. We know that unofficial visit might not take place until June or July. If for some reason, we fill up before that, then that's part of the deal. At least they know on their end, they can start making plans and a bunch have already been in conversations with us about setting something up in June or July.
Most schools are having their spring games this week or last week. Is that an advantage to you for getting more kids here? I don't know that you're going to see a huge list of visitors for our spring game. At some places, it's a spectacle. For ours, it's the end of our spring season. The visits that have actually come to us during previous Saturdays or this Saturday, we're able to spend more time as a staff to make sure we fulfill their wants while they're here. The spring game is nice, but at the end of the day we're hoping that anybody that is coming to the spring game has also been on campus because you're kind of crunched with what you can do that Saturday.
You were heavily involved in recruiting Eric Graham. What is it like selling skill position guys on Iowa? Eric Graham probably isn't a real good example just because of the way his recruiting went. If you look at skill positions guys in this last class, there are some damn good ones. Some want to play in a pro style offense, others came up here and found Iowa was a great fit for them. I know that's out there, that it's tough to recruit skill players here. I kind of disagree. It has to be the right fit, but there's a lot to sell here.
Is there a value in just getting your name to a kid that might already have blue blood offers? Yes, but there are probably some other guys where you wonder why haven't they offered this guy yet. It's not about offering just to get your name out there. They still have to fit what we want to do. The guys that we've offered fit what we're all about.
One or two positions targeting in 2016? Right now, we've got on paper in pencil our needs, but that's always subject to change. There's so much that could go on from now until August and from August to November. The number is probably in the low to mid 20's, but to say by position still a lot to be determined.
Could you guys look more JUCO in this class? Yeah, I think you've seen where we've shown some interest a little bit with JUCO kids. I'm not saying we wouldn't go that route, but it goes back to if it's the right fit. We've got a young man coming in this year - not on scholarship - where we were the right fit. That's not where we spend a lot of our time, but we will if it's the right fit.
What have you seen from defensive backs, Snyder and Taylor battling? I think you've got two guys that are well qualified, but lack experience. You talk about two individuals that are locked in. There isn't a day that goes by where those two aren't competing their tails off. By doing so, they're making each other better every day.
How has Mabin responded after a rough bowl game? He's fine. I don't know that one game fazed him at all. There's plenty of others that showed he's a good player. He's done everything that we've expected this spring.
