Wells and Nahlin are positive on Ash as a recruiter
TWO DEVELOPING THEMES-- The discussion with Mukuba got me thinking of a couple other notes regarding recruiting.
Ash could be a stud recruiter: I think Coach Ash is going to be a star recruiter, at least for his position. He's hit the ground running and will have a bunch of prospects visit this spring from out-of-state. When you can get people to visit on their own dime from far away it's a positive early indicator. Jaylin Smith's remarks last week were encouraging, and I like hearing how he was straight up with Mukuba. That resonates with players and buys you time to truly evaluate. There's a time limit on this approach but you cross that bridge when you get there.
Managing numbers: Another theme I was thinking about is, this staff hasn't always done a great job of recruiting secondary targets. This cycle could be the ultimate test, particularly on the offensive line, in the secondary, and at wide receiver. Each position is similar in that they'll take bigger groups and will have to know when to stay on a priority target or push for a player in the tier below. If you manage this poorly, you're taking a tier-3 player in December.
Normally it would be too early in the cycle to be concerned with this, but we saw how they finished the 2020 cycle at receiver and corner, and how they generally finish every class with room remaining.
They have to hit OL, WR, and CB recruiting out of the park. At the same time, one has to be realistic with their chances on individual players. Donovan Jackson isn't likely to flip so if Jonah Miller wants in, what do you do? They're likely to have some hard decisions to make in the coming months. Strong relationships are required to manage it all.
