Coaches jumping from program to program

Harry · February 16, 2016

College football can be a cruel mistress for today’s blue-chip, but also wide-eyed recruits.

Technically, these kids are choosing a university which best meets their educational and social needs. But let’s be honest here. The majority of prep standouts make life-altering decisions based on two primary factors:

1) Geography (proximity to home, family, warm weather or the express desire to play in a different region)

2) The relationships with a school’s coaching/support staff (head coach, assistants, trainers, etc.)

The second item has become noteworthy this week, given Auburn co-offensive coordinator/receivers coach Dameyune Craig’s jump to rival LSU — as the Tigers’ receiving coach.

At first blush, this move doesn’t make sense for Craig (a former star quarterback at Auburn), since it has the appearance of a backwards transition, job title-wise. But then again, Craig’s top-5 ranking as a recruiting closer (source: 247Sports.com) suggests that LSU ponied up big-time for a good receivers coach … who also moonlights as an elite-level salesman.

(Note: Auburn reportedly filled Craig’s staff vacancy on Monday.)

It was touched upon two weeks ago in this column: Recruiting gurus, or positional closers, are the new rock stars of college football, so much so that they deserve to get paid just slightly below offensive/defensive coordinators at Power 5 schools. How effective was Craig with Auburn? In 2016 alone, the Tigers landed three 4-star wide receivers (Kyle Davis, Nate Craig-Myers, Eli Stove) and one 3-star wideout (Marquis McClain).

read more: https://www.seccountry.com/auburn/coaches-jumping-from-program-to-program-after-signing-day-makes-sense-to-everyone-except-recruits

StealthEagle84 · February 16, 2016

For me, this represents the bad side of college football these days. There is hardly any loyalty these days and I think that knife cuts both ways. Coaches are no longer loyal to the schools and schools are no longer loyal to the coaches (outside of winning). You don't see many coaches staying with programs for long periods of time anymore. Schools have missions outside of the sport and sadly, the values we intend to instill in these kids gets pushed aside in the name of money and winning. This why I admire men like Mark Richt who don't let winning championships define who they are. He understands that winning comes more in the form of molding young kids into men.

NTAlum09 · February 16, 2016

Prime Example : Todd Graham

StealthEagle84 · February 16, 2016

1 hour ago, NTAlum09 said:

Prime Example : Todd Graham

I know several high school coaches in the state that have very little respect for Todd Graham. And as more and more time passes by, the more and more it looks like his college head coaching days may end out in the desert.