Opening Statement:
“We’re really happy with this group here. It’s been a lot of hard work, and I’d like to first of all thank the coaching staff. This is about a 13-month situation here and we already started in January for next year. We had a big class to fill, we had 27 available spots and we got 25 guys, and we’ll still add two more. Next year I think we’ll have 46 freshmen on scholarship out of our 85 that are available to us, so we will be a pretty young team.”
On recruiting etiquette and players changing their minds late:
“What I like about we’re doing is, if you ask any player or any parent, we’re honest to a fault. We’re going to sell our school and we’re not going to be negative toward any other school, and that actually goes on out there. Some of the things I heard out there during the recruiting process made me say, ?You’re kidding me’. (Two players changing their minds) gives us a chance to get another guy at the offense line and get an athlete that wants to be here. Broncos want to be Broncos.”
On recruiting defensive linemen:
“Defensive ends are so hard to find and we just put a conscious effort to pick out guys that are about 6’3”, have a long wingspan, and can run. And the staff, to their outstanding credit, that’s what they brought back. We wanted big physical guys that can move the pile and run, and we found that in James Sandlin and David Box. Everything we asked for we got.”
On recruiting process:
“Its all about relationships on both ends. For us, we’ve got to feel comfortable that the guy is going to do all the right things. He’s got to go to class, do his job out in the community, he’s got to be a hard worker, and have a personality. Our best recruiters really are our own players. We tell our guys to be honest and don’t try to be deceitful. A lot of times you hear about recruits going out to these big parties and having a great time on their recruiting visit, and then they never do that again once they get there. We have them come up here and just meet with the players. We’ll ask the guys what they think of the recruit and they give us honest feedback.”
On Michigan recruits:
“I think our camps were the key there. When the guys came in we did a good job of evaluating and developing relationships. Getting them into games helped out, and our home record helps us a lot, too. We all like to recruit in-state, and with the guys we got, we’re fired up about our Michigan kids.”
On National Signing Day spectacle:
“We’re making this thing way, way too big. I saw Rivals.com say 48 of their four star or better guys got drafted into the NFL, but the way I see it 52 guys that were three stars or less got drafted, too. I think some of these recruiting services build these kids up and it gets to be too much. They’ve got an ESPN show now, and that never happened before. When those all-star games started coming on about five or six years ago when the kids were pulling hats out of the boxes, that’s when it all started.”
On tight end signee Chris Blair:
“It seemed like every Friday night I would turn on the news and he was catching a touchdown pass. He just loves playing football and is a very passionate player. I didn’t realize he was so big. He’s an athlete and can play a lot of different positions, and he will do a lot of great things for us on offense.”
On importance of high school program’s success:
“Most of the time you want to get guys like that because they know what it takes to win. But there are some good character guys whose team went 1-9 and they might have more character than guys who went 12-0. But it’s a big plus if you played big time high school football.”
On recruits coming in pairs:
“I think the good thing about (Lewis) Toler and (Brian) Fields is, yes they were high school teammates, but they came on visits on different weekends, which I kind of liked because they both had to make their own decision. My first two recruits I ever got here were Robert Sanford and Bo Rogers, and if one guy didn’t come they other probably wouldn’t have either. Both of those guys ended up being four-year starters and Robert is still the all-time leading rusher here.”
On labeling student-athletes “can’t miss players”:
“I don’t like when we build up a kid here and a kid there, and then all of a sudden the expectations of the Bronco Nation out there rise. Now a 40 or 50 reception season is a disappointment, or a guy who doesn’t get 100 tackles is a disappointment. Each guy grows at a different level when they get here. I will tell you I think this class is as big, powerful, and athletic as we have signed here.”
On good character recruits:
“I think it’s the university we’re at and the setting. You want a program that shows a lot of class in the community, performs on the football field, and performs in the classroom. Every time I go to bed at night, I have to worry about 105 guys. The more guys you bring in that are good character guys the less you have to worry because they have each others backs. It doesn’t bother me at all if I can’t land a great recruit with bad character, because I don’t want to coach those kinds of players.”
