The question from an Orlando radio host...
Q: I’ve read that Florida is lagging behind in recruiting right now. Does that concern you? It seems to be lagging behind the Florida State’s and Alabama’s. What’s your take on that?
Stricklin: “You know, recruiting is very subjective. It’s also very important. You’ve got to find the right young people to your program, the ones that fit athletically, the ones that fit academically and socially. All of that stuff is important. But just the importance of going out and being able to find the key people is the ability to evaluate who the right people are and the ability to develop those young people once they get on you campus.
“We all see every year. You’re right. This time of year, the only thing we have to focus on is those rankings and number of stars the kids have next to their names. Every year after Signing Day, people go back and look at previous years. All of the five-stars that you’ve never heard from again, and then there are all of the two-stars or the three-stars that were just kind of afterthoughts on Signing Day who end up being big-time players. I came from a place in Mississippi State, we signed a three-star quarterback out of some small town in Louisiana several years ago named Dak Prescott. Now, look where Dak Prescott is. That same signing class, there were two or three five-stars who were the gem of that class that you never heard from. I think there’s example after example.
“Just as important as being able to sign things, you’ve got to be able to identify talent. Really good coaches I think can do that, trust their own evaluations. Don’t necessary trust what some recruiting guy is telling you is the right guy. The University of Florida is always going to attract good kids. … Florida is the place people want to be. I think we’ll always have talented kids. I think we’ll have kids that fit our program and kids who want to compete, fight and win for the Gators.”
Q: I’ve read that Florida is lagging behind in recruiting right now. Does that concern you? It seems to be lagging behind the Florida State’s and Alabama’s. What’s your take on that?
Stricklin: “You know, recruiting is very subjective. It’s also very important. You’ve got to find the right young people to your program, the ones that fit athletically, the ones that fit academically and socially. All of that stuff is important. But just the importance of going out and being able to find the key people is the ability to evaluate who the right people are and the ability to develop those young people once they get on you campus.
“We all see every year. You’re right. This time of year, the only thing we have to focus on is those rankings and number of stars the kids have next to their names. Every year after Signing Day, people go back and look at previous years. All of the five-stars that you’ve never heard from again, and then there are all of the two-stars or the three-stars that were just kind of afterthoughts on Signing Day who end up being big-time players. I came from a place in Mississippi State, we signed a three-star quarterback out of some small town in Louisiana several years ago named Dak Prescott. Now, look where Dak Prescott is. That same signing class, there were two or three five-stars who were the gem of that class that you never heard from. I think there’s example after example.
“Just as important as being able to sign things, you’ve got to be able to identify talent. Really good coaches I think can do that, trust their own evaluations. Don’t necessary trust what some recruiting guy is telling you is the right guy. The University of Florida is always going to attract good kids. … Florida is the place people want to be. I think we’ll always have talented kids. I think we’ll have kids that fit our program and kids who want to compete, fight and win for the Gators.”
