In his first 14 months on the job as head football coach at Colorado, Deion Sanders has reeled in some of the top recruiting prospects in the nation, including offensive lineman Jordan Seaton and cornerback Cormani McClain.
Records obtained by USA TODAY Sports also show he never even had to leave campus to seal the deal with them or any others.
The university confirmed that “Coach Prime” has made no off-campus contacts with recruiting prospects since he was hired there in early December 2022.
Zero.
None.
“Coach Prime did not conduct any off-campus recruiting visits,” the school said in an email Feb. 28.
That means no visits to the homes or schools of recruiting prospects – which normally has been a traditional staple of the recruiting process in college sports.
By contrast, former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh had 145 off-campus contacts with recruits or their family members from Dec. 1, 2022 until he left for an NFL job earlier this year, according to data obtained by USA TODAY Sports in public-records requests submitted to several universities.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian had 128 of these off-campus recruiting contacts since Dec. 1, 2022.
Former UCLA coach Chip Kelly had 55 of his own during that time, including seven home visits.
More coverage: Grandpa Prime? Sanders set to become grandfather
Deion Sanders led Colorado to a 4-8 record in his first season as head coach.
The data since Dec. 1, 2022 covers the last two winter contact periods on the NCAA recruiting calendar, which generally restricts head coaches from making off-campus recruiting contacts beyond the months of December and January.
In Sanders’ case, his employment contract with Colorado also gives him an annual budget of $200,000 to use a private air travel service for recruiting called Wheels Up.
He didn’t use it.
“The football staff have not used this…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/deion-sanders-unique-recruiting-style-103141130.html
Author : USA TODAY Sports
Publish date : 2024-03-14 10:31:41
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