How Kansas State football has altered its recruiting strategy during an unusual time
How does a college football team recruit when things visits and in-person conversations have been suspended while sports across the nation have come to a grinding halt in response to the coronavirus pandemic?
There might not be a definitive answer to that question, but Taylor Braet is working to find a solution.
Kansas State’s director of football recruiting has gotten creative over the past week.
Before the NCAA suspended all in-person recruiting, Braet was gearing up for a busy time of year that was supposed to see the Wildcats host prospective players on a daily basis leading up to K-State’s final spring football practice in April. Now, he’s spending most of his time working phones, updating social media and mailing out hand-written letters.
The thrill of lining up a recruiting visit has been replaced by the rush of organizing a group FaceTime chat between a recruit, K-State football coach Chris Klieman and a few assistants. That isn’t the easiest of tasks, considering players have to initiate those calls because we are in a recruiting dead period.
“Right now we are all about building relationships,” Braet said. “Coach Klieman has really pushed that with our staff. It’s up to us to really get it done. Whenever this whole thing passes, we want kids impressed with us and eager to come visit campus because we have established relationships with them.”
Klieman addressed the ongoing situation with K-State fans on a video posted to the team’s Twitter account on Friday.
“I know we’re in difficult times right now,” Klieman said. “Hang with us, help each other out, stay strong for each other, reach out to loved ones. We’re in constant communication with our players. I know they’re working hard. I know they’re disappointed they’re not here, but it’s all about the bigger picture right now, and making sure everybody stays safe, and everybody keeps their social distance, and everybody gets ready for a great fall, because football is going to come, one way or another.”
Breat, along with the majority of K-State football coaches, has worked from home since all spring sporting events were cancelled last week. In a weird way, that has allowed him to be more productive than usual, as he has enlisted the assistance of his daughters to help personalize recruiting letters.
He tells recruits that he hopes they can visit them whenever they are once again allowed to visit campus.
“We are trying to plan visits for during the season,” Braet said. “That’s actually not bad for us, even though it’s a long way off. Our atmosphere on game day is one of our best selling points. I would much rather host a recruit on a fall Saturday when we have a packed stadium of purple than on a quiet day in June. The season might be hectic with all the kids we will have here. That’s not a bad thing, it’s just the way things are.”
Until things return to normal, the Wildcats have had to adjust their expectations on the recruiting front. They are still evaluating recruits on video, offering scholarships and getting to know recruits as best they can. K-State recently added a new scouting analyst, Chuck Lillie, who will provide much-needed help behind the scenes.
Still, convincing recruits to commit without first seeing campus will be a challenge for the foreseeable future. It’s a problem every college football team is currently facing. It’s not unique to the Wildcats. But it may be harder for them to clear that hurdle than it will be for other teams.
“The best thing we do is when we get kids here, how we handle the kids when they visit and the wow factor that we bring,” Braet said. “Right now, we can’t do it. That is what makes it hard.”
K-State coaches are also recruiting more on a positional basis than usual. Under normal circumstances, they are all assigned to certain regions. But without the possibility of travel, they are now hunting specifically for their position group.
Recruits are also reaching out to K-State coaches more aggressively than they usually would. Braet said his e-mail inbox has exploded with highlight videos from players hoping to get noticed.
Everyone on K-State’s coaching staff is pitching in to help K-State stay relevant with recruits.
It helps that they were already off to a promising start for the 2021 class. K-State has already lined up pledges from five high school juniors, including four-star quarterback Jake Rubley. The Wildcats’ other incoming recruits are three-star recruits Davonte Pritchard, Dorian Stephens, Jayden Williams and Noah Bolticoff.
That solid foundation should help the Wildcats survive until things return to normal on the recruiting front.
This story was originally published March 20, 2020 at 2:32 PM.