Coaching Carousel 101, is this a good thing or a bad thing?

So, how do coaching changes affect an overlooked high school student-athlete? Well, to be frank, alot!

Unless you were born in a cave, or do not follow sports, both of which would lead me to believe you have come across this site by accident, Llyod Carr retired as the head coach of the University of Michigan football team yesterday. Buckle your seat belts, as the Coaching Carousel of 2007 is about to begin. You can expect anywhere between 5-10 Division 1 coaching changes in the next few months, a few of which, will be high profile universities(Michigan, Nebraska, Arkansas, Texas A&M, etc) Now, what does this mean for the overlooked high school athlete?

Recruiting is based on relationships and comfort, very few athletes choose schools because it has a bigger weight room, better record last year, or better looking girls. Frankly, the athlete chooses the school because of the relationship and trust that has been built with the coaching staff. Of course, with that relationship comes promises of immediate playing time, fame, and NFL dreams. By this time of year, most of the ground work has been set and the athletes have either already committed or narrowed it down to a remaining few. However, what happens when a coach leaves that school? Well, 9 out of 10, the committed, or nearly committed athlete, will jump ship with him.

This is where the overlooked athlete must strike. When there is a coaching change, the new staff usually has little time to put together a respectable recruiting class for the upcoming February signing day. Even speculation of a coaching change, seen here, can cause turmoil.

So how do you take advantage of this turmoil? Find the schools that have just gone through coaching changes and contact the coaches immediately. Tell them who you are and your desire to play for them, send them tape if necessary, and sell yourself. Think of it as a numbers game, you could be exactly what they are looking for and land yourself a scholarship!

As the Coaching Carousel unfolds, I will keep you posted on the who, what, where, and why factors..