Allen Wallace's take on Clemson's recruiting
Posted 10:37 p.m., May 15, 2008
We'll have a story in tomorrow's paper about Clemson's recent recruiting efforts. Unless you've been in Iceland the past few weeks, you know the Tigers had two huge pickups with the commitments of safeties Craig Loston and DeVonte Holloman.
I figured it might be useful to write a piece about Clemson prolonging the recruiting momentum after bringing home the most highly regarded haul of Tommy Bowden's tenure in February.
Gave Allen Wallace a call and chatted with him for a few minutes. He's usually fun to talk to because he's bright, engaging, and doesn't take himself too seriously. And oh yeah: He's been following recruiting since 1985.
Only used like two quotes from him in the story, and I figured the rest of what he said would be of interest to you folks.
Make sure to read to the end, where he says some really flattering things about the atmosphere on football Saturdays in Tigertown.
Here goes:
On Clemson's recent recruiting success:
"Anytime you're bringing in four- and five-star guys, which Clemson is doing, it shows you they're going after elite athletes and winning battles. It's especially impressive because they're going out of state to do so."
...
"It’s not a big class when you compare it with a lot of other schools that are putting together bigger classes at this point. But it shows Clemson is going after the better kids and getting very successful at it."
On Loston:
"He's fantastic. He’s a big, powerful strong safety who’s a very physical and versatile kid with good instincts. He makes big plays. Obviously he's very impressive to us if we have him ranked among the top 25 players in the United States."
On whether he was surprised Loston, who lives in Texas and has been offered by almost everyone, chose Clemson:
"I'm not really surprised, because I’ve been to Clemson before. It was a trip I took (in 1988) for the Puntrooskie game against Florida State that taught me about Clemson. First and foremost, recruiting is about relationships. But it's also about kids finding that spot where they just fit in. When you go to Clemson, you realize this is the kind of place that’s going to appeal to a special type of kid. Somebody that does not want a large-city type of environment, somewhere where football is a giant deal. I always likened Clemson to that "Field of Dreams" movie where there's one road in and one road out...
"Clemson is in the catbird's seat for a kid who wants to go into an environment that's very singular and unique. You don’t find it in that many places. I’d never been to a campus that was quite like that. And it was impressive to me.
"It wouldn’t surprise me if anyone in the United States goes to a place like that. Because he gets there and he's like, 'Oh my god. This place is amazing to me.'
Comments
Posted by jordan on May 16 at 9:20 a.m.
Thanks for sharing Allen Wallace's thoughts, enjoyed the read! Any chance you could publish a weekly Post and Courier article on Clemson recruiting? I think a lot of Clemson fans would appreciate a regular dose of objectivity that I believe you'd provide.
Posted by lwilliams ( Larry Williams ) on May 16 at 9:47 a.m.
Thanks for checking in, Jordan.
Man, providing comprehensive coverage of recruiting would amount to another full-time job.
To be honest, I'd probably be in another line of work if I were required to call a bunch of 18-year-olds every night to get their Top 5, Top 10, Top 100 or whatever.
I'm not knocking your suggestion, and I'm not knocking the folks who do make a living at covering recruiting.
But my philosophy has been not to pay a whole lot of attention until they sign and make it onto campus. Recruiting is the lifeblood of a program, no doubt, and hugely important. But past experience has taught me not to get obsessed about star ratings and recruiting rankings.
However, when two guys like Loston and Holloman commit to Clemson, it's newsworthy. I mean, just look at the other offers these kids had. And the fact that Loston, who lives in Texas, chose Clemson says a lot about the Tigers' appeal.
LW
Posted by jordan on May 16 at 10:57 a.m.
Simple solution...adopt the strategy of one or two of the other local recruiting 'gurus' by plagiarizing some of the Clemson recruiting coverage sites. But in this case, provide an objective slant and voila!
I'm just kidding Larry. Thanks for responding.
Posted by lwilliams ( Larry Williams ) on May 16 at 2:07 p.m.
Jordan:
No comment.
;)
LW
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