Today you get the article right here early:
One of the things that separates the current Oregon staff is character. It is not often a word we associate with coaching at the highest level; but we should.
The staff proved not only that they are very good recruiters, but that they have a strong plan and that plan cannot be diverted through negativity – and they faced plenty of negative recruiting tactics over the course of the last six months. Their ability to hold on to almost all of the early commitments and get them all signed – plus two more – during the early signing period is a testament to their dedication, will, strength and integrity.
Integrity in recruiting can be difficult, but one thing that has stood out with the staff this year is their willingness to stand with recruits through their most difficult moments. When Mase Funa tore up his knee and had to miss extensive time; the staff stuck with him. When prospects seemed to waver, they stuck with them.
There is a basic moral philosophy to their approach. As one coach said, ‘We help kids regardless of their situation.’ That matters in recruiting. The staff are not going to abandon ship and let a prospect or player loose until they have exhausted all of their opportunity. When Jalen Hall left camp last spring, the coaches gave every effort, all of their heart and soul to help him and get him back on camps. They did not do this simply because he was a great player, but because their love and compassion for young men is to help them.
Yes. Winning matters; but to do so at the cost of young men and human potential, this staff considers it crucial to help young men as much as possible and as soon as possible. That was true this past recruiting cycle as well. There are always little things that arise while recruiting. Things happen in school; things happen on the field. When Mykael Wright was waiting to become eligible at Antelope Valley, the staff were in constant communication; he knew that the staff were not going to abandon him; as did every recruit they spoke with and every commitment.
With this character comes the need for honesty. Lying to players or parents might get a short-term recruiting gain, but if a prospect gets on campus to discover the promises were lies, what will happen? The potential for discord in the locker room and on the field. If that honesty costs the coaches a commitment, it is long term thinking and provides more benefit than the sort term loss.
The processes that are in place are designed to rebuild the program and rebuild it to last
Once the bowl season is over – and before the final signing day, the staff will be busy attempting to finish off this class and get the next class up and running. They will soon begin to break down the scholarship count, the actual depth and the class at each position, not to mention the recruiting class coming in, not to mention the guys that are working very hard right now developing at high levels. They are working to continue competing until the end. The staff consider it critical to have tough and resilient people to see it through the tough times that unfortunately you cannot skip when building it.
Mario Cristobal is nothing if not ebullient in his praise of his assistants and gives them tremendous credit for the successes in this recruiting class – especially to Joe Salave’a and Keith Heyward for the addition of Kayvon Thibodeaux.
The story of Cristobal potentially joining the Secret Service is well known; but he had a higher calling; to better the lives of thousands of young men. It is on that mission where he now finds higher ground.
One of the things that separates the current Oregon staff is character. It is not often a word we associate with coaching at the highest level; but we should.
The staff proved not only that they are very good recruiters, but that they have a strong plan and that plan cannot be diverted through negativity – and they faced plenty of negative recruiting tactics over the course of the last six months. Their ability to hold on to almost all of the early commitments and get them all signed – plus two more – during the early signing period is a testament to their dedication, will, strength and integrity.
Integrity in recruiting can be difficult, but one thing that has stood out with the staff this year is their willingness to stand with recruits through their most difficult moments. When Mase Funa tore up his knee and had to miss extensive time; the staff stuck with him. When prospects seemed to waver, they stuck with them.
There is a basic moral philosophy to their approach. As one coach said, ‘We help kids regardless of their situation.’ That matters in recruiting. The staff are not going to abandon ship and let a prospect or player loose until they have exhausted all of their opportunity. When Jalen Hall left camp last spring, the coaches gave every effort, all of their heart and soul to help him and get him back on camps. They did not do this simply because he was a great player, but because their love and compassion for young men is to help them.
Yes. Winning matters; but to do so at the cost of young men and human potential, this staff considers it crucial to help young men as much as possible and as soon as possible. That was true this past recruiting cycle as well. There are always little things that arise while recruiting. Things happen in school; things happen on the field. When Mykael Wright was waiting to become eligible at Antelope Valley, the staff were in constant communication; he knew that the staff were not going to abandon him; as did every recruit they spoke with and every commitment.
With this character comes the need for honesty. Lying to players or parents might get a short-term recruiting gain, but if a prospect gets on campus to discover the promises were lies, what will happen? The potential for discord in the locker room and on the field. If that honesty costs the coaches a commitment, it is long term thinking and provides more benefit than the sort term loss.
The processes that are in place are designed to rebuild the program and rebuild it to last
Once the bowl season is over – and before the final signing day, the staff will be busy attempting to finish off this class and get the next class up and running. They will soon begin to break down the scholarship count, the actual depth and the class at each position, not to mention the recruiting class coming in, not to mention the guys that are working very hard right now developing at high levels. They are working to continue competing until the end. The staff consider it critical to have tough and resilient people to see it through the tough times that unfortunately you cannot skip when building it.
Mario Cristobal is nothing if not ebullient in his praise of his assistants and gives them tremendous credit for the successes in this recruiting class – especially to Joe Salave’a and Keith Heyward for the addition of Kayvon Thibodeaux.
The story of Cristobal potentially joining the Secret Service is well known; but he had a higher calling; to better the lives of thousands of young men. It is on that mission where he now finds higher ground.
