Q&A: UK WRs coach Tommy Mainord talks recruiting

Harry · January 4, 2016

How much do you sell the success that this offensive staff had at Texas Tech?

“When we first got here: heavily. We’re moving past that now, because the history of Neal Brown is not just Texas Tech. It’s Troy (University) as well. And I think what that stands for is that he’s done it more than at just one place.

“It’s not saying, ‘Hey, it just worked at one place.’ It’s going to work wherever he goes. It’s going to work wherever we go. The offense works, and we’re going to do it here.

“Statistically, yes, we’ll say, ‘In 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 … this is what he’s done at different programs. And here’s the results.’ And I think you can look at the receivers who caught a bunch of balls in 2009 (at Troy) and then look at 2012 — a totally different place (Texas Tech) — and it worked. You can show them those tangible things and say, ‘Hey, this is what’s going to happen when you’re here.’”

Going back to the D.C. question, everybody talks about establishing “pipelines” to certain high schools and regions in football recruiting. How tough is it to get that going and start a pipeline?

“I don’t look into that as much as everyone else. I just try to find good players and go recruit them and go see their coaches and build relationships. You just start and see what happens.

“I don’t look at pipelines. I think we’re fortunate to have (D.C.-area freshman) Kobie (Walker), because he’s such an outgoing personality. I think that helps. And he knows a ton of people. So it’s not what I have to tell Kobie or anything like that. Kobie knows everybody.

“So that helps with building relationships. Kobie can say, ‘Hey, you’re crazy. You need to be recruiting this kid.’ Or, ‘Hey, this guy’s my friend and he wants to know why you’re not talking to him.’ So he helps as much as anything.

“But the bottom line is to get out there, find out where the players are, and start recruiting them. I never had a pipeline there. I didn’t have any relationships there. It just worked out so well that I’ve been fortunate to meet great people and they’ve been able to point me in the right direction.”

read more: http://ukrecruiting.bloginky.com/2014/08/13/qa-uk-wrs-coach-tommy-mainord-talks-recruiting/