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Timing of the coaching hire - impact on recruiting

Buffnik

Real name isn't Nik
Club Member
Junta Member
I have seen and heard it said by a lot of people in the media and on message boards that we must hire our head coach by December 1 in order to save this year's recruiting class. That may or may not be true. Let's look at the facts.

CU's last regular season football game is on Friday, November 26th (Nebraska)

There's an outside chance that CU could still earn a bowl bid. If we win our last 2 games, we'd likely be looking at the New Era Pinstripe Bowl (December 30th in New York City) or the Texas Bowl (December 29th in Houston).

If we have bowl game practices in progress, then the weekends of December 4, 11, 18 and 25 look pretty good at first glance. But, as you'll see below, the 11th is during final exams, the 18th is during Winter Break and the 25th is Christmas during the recruiting Dead Period so we couldn't host anyway. The only really good visit date is December 4th. Unless we hire someone currently working for another program who has current contact with a lot of recruits, it's pretty much impossible to set up a visit that quickly. I don't see us hiring anyone on December 1 and have him convince a prospect to take a December 3 flight for an official visit.

Here is the Recruiting Calendar through National Signing Day:

August 1 - November 27: Evaluation Period Period (42 Evaluation Days at discretion of institution)

November 28 - January 29: Contact Period (exceptions listed below)
  1. December 12: Quiet Period for JUCOs planning midyear enrollment
  2. December 13-16: Dead Period for JUCOs planning midyear enrollment
  3. December 17-18: Quiet Period for JUCOs planning midyear enrollment
  4. December 19: Quiet Period
  5. December 20 - January 3: Dead Period
  6. January 9: Quiet Period
  7. January 10-13: Dead Period
  8. January 30: Quiet Period
  9. January 31 - February 3: Dead Period

February 2: National Signing Day


http://www.allbuffs.com/showthread.php/43775-2011-Recruiting-Calendar

We have a ton of trouble recruiting JUCO transfers. Unless we hire someone currently working at a college program who has existing relationships with some JUCO prospects, we can forget about midyear JUCO transfers. As we have seen in the past, if a JUCO isn't here for spring ball it is highly unlikely that he becomes a big contributor the next fall.

Also, here is the CU-Boulder calendar:

November 22-24: Fall Break
November 25-26: Thanksgiving Break
December 10: Last Day of Classes
December 11-16: Final Exams
December 17: Commencement
December 18 - January 9: Winter Break


Basically, any weekends when students aren't on campus are not great recruiting weekends. Prospects and their parents can't get a great feel for campus life. These are pretty much the least effective recruiting visits (with home game weekends being the best).

So, where does this leave us?

I would say that it's important to hire someone as early as possible so that he can hire staff and begin contacting prospects in December. I'm not expecting many visits (if any) during December. But it will be essential to be able to work the phones and travel before the Quiet/Dead Period starts on December 18th. That Dead Period goes through January 3rd. We need to make our living on recruiting visits between January 8th and January 29th (with the Saturdays falling on the 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th).

But I don't think we should be so hung up on "December 1st" as some seem to be. It would be preferable, but if we hire someone currently working in college football it wouldn't be essential.
 
I think the most important thing is getting the right guy, even if it takes a little longer.
 
One other thing to keep in mind about December 1st is that coaches can start making in-home visits at that time.
 
Here's my problem, no legitimate college or NFL coach would leave his team until the season was over (including bowl games). Therefore, I don't see how anyone other than Mac could possibly make the Dec. 1 timeframe.
 
Here's my problem, no legitimate college or NFL coach would leave his team until the season was over (including bowl games). Therefore, I don't see how anyone other than Mac could possibly make the Dec. 1 timeframe.

Which I think is a big reason you're hearing "we must have our coach by December 1" from the Mac crowd. Honestly, you don't need the head start unless you haven't been recruiting this year. I do think we need our coach working at least a week before the Dead Period starts... ideally with some staff named.
 
Here's my problem, no legitimate college or NFL coach would leave his team until the season was over (including bowl games). Therefore, I don't see how anyone other than Mac could possibly make the Dec. 1 timeframe.


Didnt the Notre Dumb hire leave his team early?
 
Well, Childress didn't help himself any in Minnesota today. If he's out, EB might be more willing to come early? (or maybe not, this is pure speculation).
 
Lucky that this is slated to be a small class. Whomever is hired is gonna have to work some magic to bring in some talent before signing day
 
Coaches headed for bowl games leave all the time before the bowl. As a matter of fact, didn't Hawk accept the CU job prior to BSU being in a bowl game? Hell, I can't remember. I'm trying to forget.
 
Coaches headed for bowl games leave all the time before the bowl. As a matter of fact, didn't Hawk accept the CU job prior to BSU being in a bowl game? Hell, I can't remember. I'm trying to forget.

Yes. Hawkins was announced as the new HC on December 16, 2005 and Boise played in the MPC Computers Bowl on December 26. I think it's a pretty common things.
 
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