FAYETTEVILLE — COACHING EXPERIENCE: 1983 Central Michigan student assistant, 1984 Ferris State wide receivers, 1985 Michigan graduate assistant, 1986 Western Michigan running backs, 1987 Kent State wide receivers, 1988-96 Kansas running backs, defensive ends, defensive line and wide receivers, 1997-98 Minnesota running backs, 1999-2004 Michigan State recruiting coordinator, running backs and wide receivers, 2005-09 Illinois assistant head coach, running backs, 2010-15 Kansas recruiting coordinator, running backs, 2016 Arkansas running backs
RECRUITING TERRITORY: St. Louis metro, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Arlington, will recruit running backs nationally
RECRUITING PHILOSOPHY: I really think it’s a friends and family type thing. I try and go in and build relationships with people. It’s a lot easier when you recruit an area you’ve recruited before because you’re able to build relationships. I just like to… number one be totally honest with them and let them know I’m going to build a relationship with them. A long lasting relationship, not just a four or five year relationship. I think they can tell I’m an honest person. When I tell them I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it. If I can’t, I can’t. I try to follow up and try and get everybody involved, whether it be an uncle, an aunt, mother, grandmother, father or whoever. Try to make all of them a part of the decision and keep them in the loop of what’s going on.
MOST UNUSUAL RECRUITING STORY: I was at Michigan State and I was recruiting this kid that had committed to the University of Illinois. So the father and the kid said ‘Yeah, I want to visit Michigan State’. He said meet me at the school at this time here. So I meet them there and I walk into the office and Ron Turner is sitting in the office who’s the head coach at Illinois and I’m like ‘Woo, this is a little strange.’ A little uncomfortable, but that’s probably the strangest thing that’s ever happened to me.
A year later, Ron Turner gets fired and the kid ends up at Illinois and I leave Michigan State to go to Illinois.