The best recruiter we have ever had was Rich Daly

Posted on: October 13, 2016 at 20:53:06 CT

And during his era, we got a few good players from St. Louis (Brian Grawer, Corey Tate, Tate Decker, Johnnie Parker). Some worked out, some didn't, but none were from the inner city schools. It simply wasn't viable at the time and he recruited in Detroit and Kansas City and nationally. We did get Julian Winfield to transfer here. Quin was able to make some inroads, particularly with Jimmy McKinney, who was a good player though not nearly what we had hoped. Corey Tate was hired, apparently, for the sole purpose of getting those kids, but that effort was a complete failure. It was a terrible hire out of desperation. For whatever reason, the St. Louis city kids are not going to come here (which includes the inner-city kids who end up at private schools like CBC, Chaminade, etc.).

We need to get someone (I think Fulford is trying but has no product to sell) who can really get after it. Daly got us Peeler, Doug Smith, Buntin, Coward, Hardy, Booker, Crudup, Irvin, O'Liney, etc. (Malcolm Thomas, Jeff Strong and Bingenheimer would al be the best players on our roster today.) Quin signed, basically on his own without a great recruiter, Arthur Johnson, Paulding, McKinney, Bryant, Thomas Gardner. Mike Anderson and Melvin Watkins (who was a great underrated recruiter with major credentials, got us Denmon, Dixon, English, Bowers, Ratliffe. Haith and Fuller gathered some of the greatest transfers we have ever had in Clarkson, Jabari Brown and Oriakhi. I would argue the best recruit our current staff has secured in Terrence Phillips, which places us at a distinct disadvantage historically.