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Ole Miss Football: The Unfortunate Messiness of Recruiting

By K. L. Williams

Sep 10, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze before the game against the Wofford Terriers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 10, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze before the game against the Wofford Terriers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 1, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze walks through along the field before the game against the Memphis Tigers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.Mississippi won 48-28. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 1, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze walks through along the field before the game against the Memphis Tigers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.Mississippi won 48-28. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /

Recruiting: Coaching Changes

Before I continue, I should tell you that by no means am I an expert at recruiting. Nor do I have knowledge of particular recruitment situations. However, there some facts that are abundantly clear. One fact that will dictate whether a kid is drop from recruitment by a team is coaching changes.

College football teams frequently evolve when they are not as successful on the field. The easiest way to change is to replace coaches. Usually the first step is for head coaches to replace coordinators and position coaches. If that doesn’t work, the next thing to go is the head coach.

For instance, Ole Miss and head coach Hugh Freeze replaced all but four assistant coaches after a 5-7 2016 season. The fans were calling for change. However, with those changes comes changes in philosophies. These new coaches have players they’ve been recruiting at their previous schools. Players with whom they’ve developed a relationship.

Not only that, but current recruits may have developed a relationship with an assistant that is no longer on the team. Many times these kids aren’t close to the head coach, but to the assistant that recruited them. When that bond between the school and the kid is broken, either may desire to move in a different direction.

Therefore, when there is a coaching change there could be a recruit who is no longer a priority. This could seem harsh to the kid and his family. However, this is an unfortunate part of big time recruiting. Coaches’ jobs are on the line.

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