http://www.espn.com/college-footbal...navigate-new-rules-recruiting-lone-star-state
....”It's being efficient, if I'm a college recruiter, if I'm Jimbo Fisher," said Hardeman, the Conroe High School head coach. "I gotta get to know 20 different [high school] coaches in order to have an in of 20 of these top kids. If I know that there's one [7-on-7] coach that I have to build a relationship with to get in good with these 20 top kids, then it's more efficient for me to build a relationship with that one coach than the 20 different high school coaches."
The optics and the politics more than anything are what ruffled some Texas high school coaches' feathers. The fact that Fisher visited Simon on the first day -- the same day he visited Joseph -- felt to some like he was putting them on equal footing.
Later that week, Fisher's praise of high school coaches and meeting with the board of directors calmed the waters. Rutledge said there was no specific discussion about it when they met with Fisher, and he's "glad to have him in Texas." Joseph cautions not to persecute Fisher. "I didn't think he was trying to slight me. I just think he was trying to do what he felt like was best for his program."
But, still, it comes at a price. When tweets show a college coach's interaction with a trainer or 7-on-7 coach, it validates them in the eyes of the players and raises eyebrows among high school coaches.
"In the state of Texas," Hardeman said, "that's a problem."
It's a reminder that Texas recruiting comes with some different unspoken rules than the primary grounds Fisher recruited at Florida State.
"That's the way people operate in Florida," Joseph said. "They don't operate like that in Texas. I think he's finding out more and more about that, too. You don't necessarily have to meet with those people....”
....”It's being efficient, if I'm a college recruiter, if I'm Jimbo Fisher," said Hardeman, the Conroe High School head coach. "I gotta get to know 20 different [high school] coaches in order to have an in of 20 of these top kids. If I know that there's one [7-on-7] coach that I have to build a relationship with to get in good with these 20 top kids, then it's more efficient for me to build a relationship with that one coach than the 20 different high school coaches."
The optics and the politics more than anything are what ruffled some Texas high school coaches' feathers. The fact that Fisher visited Simon on the first day -- the same day he visited Joseph -- felt to some like he was putting them on equal footing.
Later that week, Fisher's praise of high school coaches and meeting with the board of directors calmed the waters. Rutledge said there was no specific discussion about it when they met with Fisher, and he's "glad to have him in Texas." Joseph cautions not to persecute Fisher. "I didn't think he was trying to slight me. I just think he was trying to do what he felt like was best for his program."
But, still, it comes at a price. When tweets show a college coach's interaction with a trainer or 7-on-7 coach, it validates them in the eyes of the players and raises eyebrows among high school coaches.
"In the state of Texas," Hardeman said, "that's a problem."
It's a reminder that Texas recruiting comes with some different unspoken rules than the primary grounds Fisher recruited at Florida State.
"That's the way people operate in Florida," Joseph said. "They don't operate like that in Texas. I think he's finding out more and more about that, too. You don't necessarily have to meet with those people....”
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