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VOD: An inside look at a Miami recruiting meeting
If you’ve ever wondered how a coaching staff decides whether or not to offer a scholarship to a prospect, Miami has you covered.
In a “Canes All Access” video, the Miami coaches thoroughly debate whether or not to offer certain prospects (which of course, they do not name) on their recruiting board.
It’s a behind the scenes look that fans rarely get a glimpse of and gives you an idea of what the recruiting process is all about. These coaches have done their research on these prospects, but show that the recruiting goes beyond measurables and 40-yard dash times.
The most interesting part of the video is when defensive coordinator Mark D’Onofrio remarks that a certain prospect is only elite at playing safety. He’s not concerned with a potentially subpar 40-yard dash time, he sees the kid’s instincts and feel for the position.
“The best instinctive safeties that we’ve ever had, what did they run?” he asks another coach. “He ran 4.68. If a guy runs 4.5 and he can’t play safety … You understand? He can’t see it. He can’t line up. He can’t make the calls. He’s not instinctive. He can’t read run/pass. He backs the hell up because he’s scared. All those things.
“This guy can play safety. He’s a hell of a safety. What do you want then?”
D’Onofrio also makes it clear that recruiting athletes and moving them to a different position is not something he prefers compared to recruiting someone who may not be the same caliber of athlete, but knows the position.
“I’ve been doing this for too long that when everybody says, ‘Oh yeah, I’m not sure he can play wideout but he can play safety or I’m not sure if he can play corner but he can play safety,’ but you’ve never seen him play safety,” D’Onofrio explains. “Safety is a different deal. The best safeties I’ve ever had are the ones that played safety in high school. Their tape was good in high school, and their tape was good in college.”
For more Miami news, visit CaneSport.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
