Biggins on Jalen’s unofficial visit this weekend:
It's very good timing to get McMillan up for a visit. He just visited USC last week and they made a pretty big impression. Washington is a school I've always felt was on his short list but it has been awhile since Jalen has been on campus so getting him on campus right before the dead period and making a good impression is big. He has fall official visits set with OU and Notre Dame but also told me he could see himself committing end of the summer if he feels good about a school.
It’s almost like getting recruits on campus as much as possible before their official visits is super important in order to sustain interest. It also seems like timing of those visits is super important too. Man, what a concept.
This is important to keep in mind when talking about recruits that aren't local ...
Coming up to Seattle isn't necessarily cheap so you have to be strategic to a degree on when you try to align the visit to maximize.
Going back 6 weeks or so to the end of Spring Ball, there was a lot of complaining about the work that we were doing and how engaged we were with players. Other programs finished up earlier and took their shot while we were engaged in making our existing players better. It was advantageous to those schools.
Now, those schools have put their best forward and we're in a position to leave a lasting impression.
I know it's easy to say more, more, and more. But there is a saturation point as well.
There's a really good chance that we end up heading into summer with some good momentum and setting ourselves up for a really good run to the December early finish line. Obviously Jalen is tremendously important to this class.
All good stuff.
I think its important to distinguish that winter/spring-ball cycle doesn’t have to be an either or thing on whether we’re recruiting or helping our players. Nor do I think it has to be an either or thing on if we need to get our visitors out in the early spring or early summer. Our coaches are so anal about preparing for games & with the leap program being a requirement now, we know the coaches and the recruits who have to get ready for school & their seasons, aren’t going to have time in Late July/August/September that they have in February/March/April.
When you employ so many great staff members & have such a great talent development module, you can afford to have Pete be in more of a promotional role like Dabo, or have one of Will Harris or Jimmy Lake focusing on recruiting while the other is coaching.
Every recruit’s timing and process is different but the Botelho and Herbig casualties before they could even a real unofficial visit that happens out of season, are hard pills to swallow just to chalk it up as we want our momentum to hit later. Especially one year after losing Joe Ngata in similar fashion We’re not on their level but If Clemson can get Lawrence, Breese, Xavier Thomas, Joe Ngata, DJ Uiagalelei with a “laid back” recruiting approach, there are absolutely zero excuses for not having Sav’ell committed and recruiting this class for you after the FSP LV momentum and Basketball Game visits. That was our momentum right there to the point Johnny Wilson, Jalen McMillan, and Troy Franklin we’re BEGGING to play with FSP.
The way we’ve recruited with intensity after losing Fozzy, Marlon, Weddington, Joe Ngata and now Savell, is the energy and style we need to have 100% of the time.