Recruiting

I guess I have read most of them. Or at least enough of them to know that there IS no consensus.

Working for a Japanese company, I have learned how important “consensus” is. It is a method of decision making where the entire group looks at every facet of a problem or circumstance asks “why” at least 5 times, analyzes every minute detail, until there is a general agreement to the solution or decision. That’s consensus.

When I read them, I find no general agreement…no consensus.

Of course, if you follow Auburn University football at all, you already know what I am opining over.

That’s right…..Gene Chizik as Auburn’s new head coach.

Now before you right-finger click to another web page let me assure you. I am NOT going to give an opinion about whether the hire was good or bad. There are enough so called “experts” who are doing that, and you can choose whichever one you want to line up with. After all, you DO know what opinions and a certain part of the anatomy have in common….let’s all say it together….”everybody has one”.

Before being too critical of opinions, however, just remember that opinions are ideas and thoughts which are either impossible to verify the truth of, or of which the truth is unimportant. Yep, that’s the definition of an opinion. It has very little to do with truth.

What I AM going to do, however, is give my thoughts on what Coach Chizik, who is now out actively recruiting, should be looking for. You might say it’s my OPINION of what makes up a top notch high school football recruit. And before you tell me I don’t know what in the heck I am talking about, remember….opinions have very little to do with truth.

So here it goes…the Lane Plan of High School Football Recruiting. Coach Chizik, take note:

#1 at the top of the list…..Grades. Make sure the athlete has a solid GPA in his core curriculum classes, and a solid ACT or SAT score. If not, and you take him, he may hurt your APR (Academic Progress Rate) when he gets to college.

#2. Character and Citizenship. Make sure the young man has irreproachable character and unquestionable citizenship. Being a decent person and good citizen is a central characteristic of leadership and willingness to be a team player.

#3. Speed. Look for that young man who has fast starts and quick acceleration. Yes the 40 yard dash is important, but what can he do in the 10 yard (especially for those big, power players on the line and skill players like tight end, fullback and linebacker).

#4. Good reaction. How quick does he move after seeing the ball move, for example. Does his vision trigger a quickness response in his body.

#5. Strength and Power. Not just in the weight room, but can the young man transfer all that strength attained on the bench press to the football field.

#6. Work Ethic. Does the young man have a “dread the day” attitude to practice, running and weight lifting? Or is he the first one in and the last one to leave. Also in the classroom.

#7. Is he competitive by nature? Is he high energy and have a strong desire to win at everything he participates in?

#8. Does he have a passion for the game? Does he truly LOVE the game of football?

To me, THESE are the characteristics of the young men Coach Chizik should be looking for as he is hitting the recruiting trail hard for Auburn. I hope he can find some like this. I’ll be satisfied with only about 23 or 24 of them.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, I DID intentionally leave one attribute out, because in my OPINION, it is overrated and doesn’t tell the story about the recruit. That’s right. Physical talent.

For you see, there are a LOT of people who have the physical talent to play college football, but without those nine attributes I have listed about, I don’t think they would ever be successful.

That’s my opinion.

WJLaneSR