Rhule and Co. repping quite well. Dvoracek getting some love.
What other programs stand out for how they recruit the area?
Coach 1: If you get in that 500 or so mile radius, Nebraska has come back strong with (Matt) Rhule in our area and (linebackers coach Rob) Dvoracek and (E.J.) Barthel, the running back coach. Iowa has always had a good presence with their coaches, and they’ve always been really good. Iowa State’s always been around and they’ve done a nice job. I hated to see (Nathan) Scheelhaase head out to the NFL because I thought he was really good. But (Matt) Campbell has made his presence felt in Kansas City.
Coach 2: We’ve had everybody. We’ve had Notre Dame, Alabama. I was impressed with a lot of them, honestly. I loved the way the Oregon head coach, (Dan) Lanning, put it back on my guy. Like, he asked him, “What do you want?” My guy is, “Well, I’m going to look at the depth chart.” And he goes, “Oh, so you think you can get to the pros by going to some place and not competing for a job?” I thought that was pretty interesting. He threw it back on the kid, which most people don’t do anymore. They don’t want to piss off the kid and lose him.
Coach 3: Dan Lanning at the University of Oregon is a Kansas City guy. I’ve known him for a very long time, and he has that same relationship with a lot of the Kansas City area. Then you also have Willie Fritz at the University of Houston. He’s a Kansas City guy. Dave Doeren out at NC State, he’s a Bishop Miege, Kansas City guy. I think of Phil Longo up at the University of Wisconsin, he very much has that Midwest, “I’m only a phone call away.”
Coach 4: Iowa State is really good. They do an outstanding job of being down here. It will be interesting with coach Scheelhaase, who was there for a while and now he left, he was a Kansas City guy and he recruited the area really well. They just have an incredible program that is another program that develops players.
Coach 6: I’d love to give a ton of credit to coach Rhule’s Nebraska staff. They’ve just done a fantastic job, and it’s a change. In the past, they’ve kind of paid lip service to recruiting (the area), and they’ve been very thorough and very genuine in recruiting recently.
Coach 7: South Dakota State, they do a great job coming down here, coach (Robbie) Rouse is our recruiter out here. He’s always done a great job of building relationships, not only with me but with the kids as well.
Coach 8: Nebraska does a good job of kind of getting out there. Iowa State’s great. (Nationally), they’re only coming in if they see a kid that they want. (USC coach) Lincoln Riley landed a plane, came up for five minutes, just to say hi. It’s just crazy how much money and how much stuff they can move around. And if they want the kid there, they’re gonna be really, really good at it.
Who is the best recruiting head coach you’ve dealt with?
Coach 1: There’s something about Matt Rhule. His relatability, his genuineness. He seems like a guy that when you talk to him, he’s really listening and cares what you’re saying to him. Not that the others don’t. But there’s more of that with him. I’ve just been really impressed with him. And I can see why he has done what he’s done at the college level and what he’s about to do at Nebraska.
Coach 6: The best recruiting head coach I’ve dealt with so far is probably coach Klieman. I’ve only met with Drink one time and he was fantastic in the meeting, but coach Leipold is a very genuine friendly guy. Coach Rhule was very accommodating and an open book when he came in and just seemed very honest and real. I’ve gotten to know the Iowa staff over the years pretty well, and they’ve always recruited us pretty heavily.
Which assistant coaches stand out for how they recruit?
Coach 1: I love Conor Riley at K-State who comes through. I really liked coach (Andy) Kotelnicki when he was at KU, but he’s now at Penn State. I thought Jordan Peterson when he was at KU did a really nice job, and he’s now down at Texas A&M. Erik Link over at Missouri has come over and done a really nice job. And like I said, Nebraska with Dvoracek and Matt Rhule. And then Iowa State, Scheelhaase was doing a great job, but he’s not there now.
Coach 3: You get a lot more assistant coaches kind of rolling in and out. So I think longevity is something that is always nice. Conor Riley has always had the Kansas City area. I think he does a fantastic job. Jake Schoonover down at Ole Miss, he does a fantastic job.
Coach 4: My top one would have been Nathan Scheelhaase, but he left. He was outstanding. Coach Dvoracek up at Nebraska. He’s outstanding. He’s the linebackers guy and does our recruiting area here. He still comes down and checks in, even if we don’t have players. Another guy that does a great job is coach Miguel Chavis at Oklahoma. He’s the D-line coach there. Great personality, connects with kids just like coach Drink. He’s going to be a guy that I think will be a head coach soon. He’s just got that ability to connect with these kids and get them to buy in.
What other programs stand out for how they recruit the area?
Coach 1: If you get in that 500 or so mile radius, Nebraska has come back strong with (Matt) Rhule in our area and (linebackers coach Rob) Dvoracek and (E.J.) Barthel, the running back coach. Iowa has always had a good presence with their coaches, and they’ve always been really good. Iowa State’s always been around and they’ve done a nice job. I hated to see (Nathan) Scheelhaase head out to the NFL because I thought he was really good. But (Matt) Campbell has made his presence felt in Kansas City.
Coach 2: We’ve had everybody. We’ve had Notre Dame, Alabama. I was impressed with a lot of them, honestly. I loved the way the Oregon head coach, (Dan) Lanning, put it back on my guy. Like, he asked him, “What do you want?” My guy is, “Well, I’m going to look at the depth chart.” And he goes, “Oh, so you think you can get to the pros by going to some place and not competing for a job?” I thought that was pretty interesting. He threw it back on the kid, which most people don’t do anymore. They don’t want to piss off the kid and lose him.
Coach 3: Dan Lanning at the University of Oregon is a Kansas City guy. I’ve known him for a very long time, and he has that same relationship with a lot of the Kansas City area. Then you also have Willie Fritz at the University of Houston. He’s a Kansas City guy. Dave Doeren out at NC State, he’s a Bishop Miege, Kansas City guy. I think of Phil Longo up at the University of Wisconsin, he very much has that Midwest, “I’m only a phone call away.”
Coach 4: Iowa State is really good. They do an outstanding job of being down here. It will be interesting with coach Scheelhaase, who was there for a while and now he left, he was a Kansas City guy and he recruited the area really well. They just have an incredible program that is another program that develops players.
Coach 6: I’d love to give a ton of credit to coach Rhule’s Nebraska staff. They’ve just done a fantastic job, and it’s a change. In the past, they’ve kind of paid lip service to recruiting (the area), and they’ve been very thorough and very genuine in recruiting recently.
Coach 7: South Dakota State, they do a great job coming down here, coach (Robbie) Rouse is our recruiter out here. He’s always done a great job of building relationships, not only with me but with the kids as well.
Coach 8: Nebraska does a good job of kind of getting out there. Iowa State’s great. (Nationally), they’re only coming in if they see a kid that they want. (USC coach) Lincoln Riley landed a plane, came up for five minutes, just to say hi. It’s just crazy how much money and how much stuff they can move around. And if they want the kid there, they’re gonna be really, really good at it.
Who is the best recruiting head coach you’ve dealt with?
Coach 1: There’s something about Matt Rhule. His relatability, his genuineness. He seems like a guy that when you talk to him, he’s really listening and cares what you’re saying to him. Not that the others don’t. But there’s more of that with him. I’ve just been really impressed with him. And I can see why he has done what he’s done at the college level and what he’s about to do at Nebraska.
Coach 6: The best recruiting head coach I’ve dealt with so far is probably coach Klieman. I’ve only met with Drink one time and he was fantastic in the meeting, but coach Leipold is a very genuine friendly guy. Coach Rhule was very accommodating and an open book when he came in and just seemed very honest and real. I’ve gotten to know the Iowa staff over the years pretty well, and they’ve always recruited us pretty heavily.
Which assistant coaches stand out for how they recruit?
Coach 1: I love Conor Riley at K-State who comes through. I really liked coach (Andy) Kotelnicki when he was at KU, but he’s now at Penn State. I thought Jordan Peterson when he was at KU did a really nice job, and he’s now down at Texas A&M. Erik Link over at Missouri has come over and done a really nice job. And like I said, Nebraska with Dvoracek and Matt Rhule. And then Iowa State, Scheelhaase was doing a great job, but he’s not there now.
Coach 3: You get a lot more assistant coaches kind of rolling in and out. So I think longevity is something that is always nice. Conor Riley has always had the Kansas City area. I think he does a fantastic job. Jake Schoonover down at Ole Miss, he does a fantastic job.
Coach 4: My top one would have been Nathan Scheelhaase, but he left. He was outstanding. Coach Dvoracek up at Nebraska. He’s outstanding. He’s the linebackers guy and does our recruiting area here. He still comes down and checks in, even if we don’t have players. Another guy that does a great job is coach Miguel Chavis at Oklahoma. He’s the D-line coach there. Great personality, connects with kids just like coach Drink. He’s going to be a guy that I think will be a head coach soon. He’s just got that ability to connect with these kids and get them to buy in.
