In a move that would make Bobby Fischer stunned and amazed for its decisiveness and quickness head coach Pete Carroll named his son Brennan recruiting coordinator today. Coach Carroll also firmly stated that Steve Sarkisian will have complete control of the offense including all play calling duties, no surprise there as that was expected form the outset.
This is an intriguing move but I can also see why it was done. Brennan has a direct line to his dad and he will be able literally speak for his dad as well as keep their cards close to the vest in the area of recruiting. It will also cement those recruits into coming to USC as surely if Pete Carroll goes so will Brennan. That will go a long way to calming the nerves of recruits who may be on the fence. I wouldn't say it's brilliant but it is a good move. Coach Carroll knows the value of recruiting so having his son take the reigns keeps him close to the situation just as he has done with this recruiting class.
The Trojans had received commitments from 14 high school players, but recently lost one when lineman James Wilson of Florida changed his mind and said he would attend Florida.
"We're well organized with all of it," Carroll said of a recruiting effort that is expected to yield one of the nation's top-rated classes.
"We're just finishing and we should be in good shape."
Some may not think this position is a big deal, I do. Recruiting is a big reason that USC has been successful. Top talent is drawn to great coaches like moths to a flame, great coaches know how to use hat talent and get results, I think we have all seen this firsthand. I'm not one to usually comment on what I see on other sites in negative terms but this post here to me really takes the cake.
Of course it matters! If it didn't then all the top recruits would show up at your doorstep with letters of intent in hand and USC could save boatloads on travel expenses. With all due respect to Mr. Wolf I have never heard a more moronic statement. It does matter who the RC is as more often than not this is usually one of the first people who makes contact with the recruit. It's called making a first impression! If the initial contact does not go well the chances of landing the recruit drops sharply and that is bad for business.
Even if Coach Carroll makes the initial contact he is only one man with multiple hats to wear so some of those duties need to fall on someone. It would seem to me that keeping in contact with potential recruits is the key to landing them. Relationships matter and while it's a team effort there always has to be a point person. Parents of recruits often have questions and needs so the person in this position as was said elsewhere needs to be the glue at keeping things on an even keel.
Yes, SC has been riding a wave of late and their results on the field have helped bring in a bumper crop of top talent but you still need someone to manage the program and you need to have someone who will work as tirelessly as Kiffin did and have the same type of positive attitude that Pete Carroll has if you expect to stay in the game. Pete Carroll knows what he's doing and I'm sure this is just one of the many chess moves he is planning for the off-season. The situation is a fluid one and so he needs to keep his options open to fill the holes that are sure to come up.
I'm fine with this move, we've trusted Pete Carroll's judgment with this team in the past I see no reason to stop now.