“Do not wait; the time will never be ‘just right’. Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.” Lane Kiffin?
Well no Lane didn’t write that. Napoleon Hill did and while he was not a football guy, he did rub shoulders with and learn from a billionaire, Andrew Carnegie. Personal success maxims however have a way of finding application in other aspects of life. Like college football recruiting.
So much of sports are about momentum, on and off the field. While Tennessee is off the field this weekend, the coaching staff is on the recruiting plan. Recruiting Plan? Yes, generally you might call it a trail or on the hunt. But the Vols seem to have one of if not the most focused, well laid out recruiting plan in the country.
When it comes to words to live by, General Neyland’s Seven Maxims have been legendary. But one is hard pressed not to believe Lane Kiffin has adopted the concept mentioned above. Breaking it down goes something like this:
Do Not Wait
If ever a Tennessee coach hit the ground running it’s been Lane Kiffin. Bruce Pearl certainly comes to mind too. The only real way this can happen is to have a solid detailed plan ahead of time.
Detractors can say what they will about how many games he won before coming here. He obviously has molded a solid approach to building back up a proud program.
In other words, Lane hasn’t been guessing or shooting from the hip. Ok, maybe a comment or two were, but in the realm of organized and knowing what you want to do, he get high marks. It wouldn’t be a shock at this point to find out the whole Coach Orgeron hire was drawn out for dramatic effect.
Work with what you have
Coach Kiffin got the best he could have in a coaching staff and then evaluated the team, players, and prospects. Sometimes as fans, we wonder why this guy or that one is not getting playing time. Shouldn’t player X be starting over player Y? That Z guy couldn’t do any worse.
It’s too early to say emphatically with enough examples to back it up. But this staff appears to be better than the previous when it comes to the balancing act that is needs and abilities. Moving player positions around is not an exact science. Until the Vols get two more recruiting classes in, we will continue to see it.
Perhaps the best example of ‘work with what you have’ can be found in Jonathan Crompton. Lane Kiffin has been challenged at times and his ability to evaluate game time talent questioned (which is absurd).
However if JC continues to make progress (lets say a 60% plus completion rate and dare we say a 2 to 1 touchdown to interception ratio for the season) you don’t think some fans will be wishing he had one more year?
Better tools will be found
A top 10 class for 2009 with around two months to pull that together. An even better one looms for 2010. This is the fear factor for all other schools. You’ve got an elite five star committed? Well good luck and hang on because if the Tennessee coaching staff targets them, anything is possible.
It’s not saying other staffs don’t work hard or have a good strategy; recruiting is extremely competitive. There are some of the very best right here in the SEC.
What is noteworthy is that this coaching mentality is build for getting who it wants and going where its wants to go. A low key, stoic approach just would not sell the way a ‘come on board and get strapped up, we’re going places. . We need you and you really don’t want to miss this’ message resonates with players.
So here we are at the halfway mark of the 2009 season. It’s been an up one week and down the next kind of start for the fans. For the minds of those entrusted with the Tennessee program it’s another matter. Those guys have been willing to role up their sleeves and start from where they stand, and the future has never looked brighter.