Laugh if you will, but your team won’t be coachable to any kind of championship if you don’t draw talented players. And these days, the best players have their pick of schools pretty much. With the talent comes a winning season, and with the wins comes money. As sad as it may be, college football really is a business, and without cash flow, you get canned as a recruiter or coach so that the school can bring in someone who CAN make the money reign down.

Image: sxc.hu

Auburn gets that, so they’re upping the ante. Last week, seven of the school’s assistant coaches rode around the state in an Auburn limo to visit a number of recruits, especially in Mobile.

If nothing else, this stunt created some buzz in the city, and that’s exactly what the school needs right now. With other southern schools “stealing” potential Auburn players, the school needed to make an impact – and the did.

Other schools may soon be considering similar stunts to help compete with the recruiting power of, say, USC. After all, if you’re Nebraska or Michigan, you may have a great program, but your location doesn’t really back you up. “Free ride and you get to live in a cornfield” doesn’t really have the same ring as “free ride and you get to live on the SoCal coast” does it?

Post from: EveryJoe

Auburn Recruits in Style

Marcus Forston. Rivals.com called him “maybe the best nose tackle prospect in the past five years.” USA Today put him on their championship team. He has wide receiver talents as well as defensive tackle talents.

And then he picked University of Miami.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Miami-FL isn’t a bad school. The kid was heavily recruited at Notre Dame, USC, Tennessee, and Alabama, though. If you’re one of the best defensive prospects in the last five years…

I’m being unfair. You gotta go with the school you love, even if it isn’t the best team on your list.

So how’d he do at Miami?

Ok for a freshman. He had 3 sacks, which cost the other team 33 yards, and 18 tackles (13 of them solo). That’s pretty middle of the road, all things considered.

He got to play in 12 of their 13 games, so they definitely gave him some playing time, though, and I’m sure they’ll give him even more in the next two or three years. He’s someone to keep an eye on, even if he isn’t a total stand out just yet.

Picture via Newscom.

Post from: EveryJoe

#7 Marcus Forston One Year Later