Charlie Strong Press Conference Quotes
February 03, 2010 | Football
Feb. 3, 2010
UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE HEAD FOOTBALL COACH Charlie Strong PRESS CONFERENCE 2/3/2010 - ANNOUNCEMENT OF RECRUITNG CLASS
(Opening statement)
"Hello everyone, it has been an exciting time with the University of Louisville football program. The great thing is to with the great run we had here the past two weeks. We have been extremely busy. We are going to continue to build a football program here. The amazing thing about this run is that I've been able to put together an unbelievable coaching staff. My coaching staff along with myself have been able to get some players into this program over the past two weeks that we feel will be great contributes. Not only will they be able fill a roster for the sports that we need, we are also going to get players with high character, great work ethics and great integrity. When you look at this program, and the great university here that is where we want to go, to get back on top of the BIG EAST. With the players, the staff and the recruits that we have assembled here, we feel that we can make that run. When you look at the coaches that I have gone out and hired, they are a great group of coaches that are very experienced and very dedicated. They are a group of coaches that understand the mission here. Our mission here is to get back on top of the BIG EAST and also our mission here is to go out and get players that will help. Our coaches will be able to work with these young men and get the ready. I am happy with our class and happy with what we were able to do here in the weeks that I've been able to put a staff together."
(On main holes to fill)
"We looked at the main holes we needed to fill. We needed to get some linemen and when you look at linemen on the offensive side, we were able to get Jake Smith, who is coming in here from Alabama. We also got Jamaine Brooks, a big offensive lineman from Miami. On defense, we got B.J. Butler, another defensive lineman and Lacy Coleman. Our main needs were to get some linemen and then we just went from there."
(Plan for Marcus Smith)
"We will start Marcus off at quarterback because that is the position he played in high school. We will just find out where he will fit and then put him there."
(On if Marcus will be willing to play another position)
"A combination of both. He kind of wants to play quarterback but if doesn't work out at quarterback; he'll be fine playing another position."
(On main recruiting points relating to Louisville)
"The main thing is that you're in a city. When you look at Louisville recruiting and then you look at Miami where we were able to go and get three or four players, and then you look at Deon Rogers who is from port St. Lucie. When you look at recruiting with the City of Louisville, there is a lot to offer with the Mohammed Ali, where we took the recruits on Saturday nights to have dinner. There is so much to offer here in the city, and then you take them to a basketball game, where you have a coach here like Rick Pitino who is a legendary coach. They did not have a chance to meet him, but they were at a basketball game where they had a chance to watch him coach."
(On getting recruits from Florida)
"It was more of what we were trying to do with fitting our needs and get guys who are promising. When you look at our coaching staff, you have Kenny Carter, Vance Bedford, Clint Hurtt and Ron Dugans; four coaches that were in the state of Florida. That is why we are able to go back to the state because Clint being from Miami with Vance had recruited Miami. Kenny had a piece of Miami. Then, Ron had a piece. We were able to get in there because those guys knew the players that were there and we were able to go in there and get good recruits because you just know that some schools will not be able to take them. That is why we were able to go in there. What you have to look at also is that we are a BCS school, so with us being a BCS school, you have to be able to recruit really good football players and have good student athletes here."
(On the recruits from Louisville)
"Stephan Robinson is not very big, but he is very quick and explosive. A good thing about him is that we need wide receivers. Brandon Dunn is a big lineman who can play offensive or defensive line, but primarily defensive line. He's got good size with him, so he's just going to get bigger and stronger."
(On the first year as a head coach and the nervousness with signing day)
"You want to assemble a good class, so as you sit around the fax machine you're wondering okay, when this guy is going to sign. You rush up here at 7:00. We had a 6:00 workout this morning and I'm hoarse from yelling. You get up at 7:00 and you're waiting as to which faxes are already in and which ones are coming. You want to try to get all of them in by 7:00, but that does not always work because guys have what times that they want to sign at during that day. You just sit there the whole time during the day, tensed up wondering when the next fax is going to come and who it is. You want to try to get them all in as quickly as you possibly can and hoping that you have no mishaps."
(On the late push in Cincinnati)
"When I took the job, I kind of got onto a website and saw who Cincinnati had recruited and who was committed to them and I knew that we needed a quarterback. So, Dominique Brown was a young man that I called and I was like, 'Hey, you interested in coming to the University of Louisville?'" He said that he would like to talk to me and asked who our offensive coordinator was going to be. I told him Mike Sanford, who runs the spread offensive, which suits Dominique. With Preston, we always look for big linebackers and that is what he is, a big backer. We needed some big backers in this program and that is what he is, a big explosive guy that is very athletic and can run. We needed to make a push in Cincinnati. Cincinnati is only 90 miles from here and it is an area that we really need to get into. We have three players right now from Cincinnati and we need more players from that area."
(On the need to contend in the BIG EAST)
"It is always big, but you just want to build into your program. You know this, we are a BCS school in the BIG EAST and we want to contend. In order to contend, you have to build with good football players."
(On the year round football season)
"That's my job and we have to build up a coaching staff. If you look at it, the seasons are broken into three parts. The fall season is your football season and you try to win that. Now, you have to win the recruiting season. Then, you go into the offseason and that's really critical."
(On the possibility of a true freshman starting at quarterback)
"Nothing is ever out of the question. We just have to get him in there in and learn the system and give him a chance to compete with our quarterbacks that are around right now."
(On Michaelee Harris)
"Michaelee Harris can run and that's what you need. You need somebody with some speed that can run, and he's a guy that can really stretch the defense."
(On the satisfaction of the wide receivers)
"I really do just because I think right now if you look at the wide receivers that we have, like five or six on scholarship, so I felt as of this year, that we needed to fulfill some needs."
(On the possibility of some late signees)
"I think we may have two scholarships, so if there's someone on the team that deserves a scholarship, we have the chance to give him a scholarship. But, if there's someone else out there, we will try and get them."
(On the three new players already enrolled in the university)
"Randy is a defensive lineman and we knew that he's a junior college kid that we got in mid-January, which is really good for the program because he gets a chance to go through spring practice. Also, with Luke being a quarterback, that was another gain for us. He gets to go through spring training and they're both working out right now. From what I understand, they are pretty good.
(On the immediate contributions of the incoming freshmen)
"It's just so hard to say because they are freshmen. You always feel like as a skill guy that they have chance just because they are athletic and linemen are just bigger and stronger because of what they are going up against, but you just never know. You are hoping that some of those kids will come in and help us."
(On the ratings on recruiting websites)
"What happens with stars is that guy might be a five-star, four-star, three-star, whatever two-star, it is what's going to happen when that guy gets here as to if they are going to contribute is really key because a lot of times a guy can be ranked really high and he gets into the program and I've been familiar with that where you sign five-stars and they just don't pan out the way you thought they would. With the time that we had as a coaching staff and with the guys that we were able to go get I would probably rank out staff with a "B".
(On enrolling in January)
"Well, it's beneficial that they are able to get into a program and build through spring practice. It's good because when they get there in January, then they know they get their spring ball. So, a guy coming in when they are a freshman in July, he is ahead of them because he knows everything about the program. And with some programs like Florida, I think this year they have signed anywhere from 10-12 guys at mid-semester and it works out. If a guy is mature enough, you like to see that happen."
(On the difference between Louisville and Florida)
"Well, Gainesville had the #1 recruiting class. And I don't know where we are, but it is just we were able to fill our needs. And there is so much excitement here right now in the city and with this recruiting class. It just adds more excitement to it."
(On recruiting to become a top team)
"Well, it's possible if your coaches work at it. If you just work at recruiting, you are able to go get some really good players, but you have a year to go do it and what you can't be afraid of is to go recruit against a Florida or recruit against an LSU because when you work at it, if you make it to a BCS Bowl, you are going to end up playing one of those schools. Florida played Cincinnati this year, so you can't be afraid to recruit those types of players. Just because you are going to end up playing them in the long run. So, when we walk into a house you have to just tell them 'Hey, come to Louisville. We're in the BIG EAST and we win our conference and we could have a chance to go play for a national championship.' And that's what you tell them. You can go do it, it's just a matter of finding those players because what happens you have to have success on the football field. So, if you have success on the football field, players will notice you around the country. If you think about the year's they won, when they beat the Florida State and the Miami, everybody was afraid to play Louisville at that time. No one wanted to play Louisville when they were winning the way they were winning. And that can happen here. That should happen here."
(On having coaches who can recruit)
"What you want are great recruiters. But, first and most importantly, you want a great family man because then you know they will be a role model to your players. But you do want those recruiters because now that you have good recruiters that aren't afraid to go into the town or wherever in the city and go recruit. They understand their mission. They understand what we need here."
(On the long recruiting process)
"Well, the nights before you still call them. You try and call them the day of. Today we were trying to call guys. 'Hey, what time are you signing? Have you sent the fax yet? Has it come in yet?' But, you have to constantly have to continue to recruit. Because no matter what, until you get that piece of paper it isn't over and you like to think that most guys who come from good families, then they are going to stick to their word. But, you still say 'Hey, where's the fax at? Are you committed? We spoke last night but we still good? Are you still coming to Louisville?' You just have to keep pounding them and some guys will say 'Yes, coach I'm coming. I told you I was and I'm coming.' But, there are a few guys you have to say 'Ok', do I still believe he is coming."
(On players recruited before coming to Louisville)
"B.J. Butler was a guy I recruited. Deon Rogers and Marcus Smith came to camp there at the University of Florida. Corvin Lamb, before he broke his foot and ankle, he was a recruit. And not only me, but if you look at Coach Bedford, Coach Carter, Coach Hurtt, Coach Dugans, those guys also recruited some of these student-athletes on the board. What you try to do is already have a relationship, so you just go back to them and just tell them 'Hey, I'm going to Louisville. You have a chance to come and play. Do you want to come and join us?'"
(On recruiting style)
"First thing I try to do is get to the parents. Then, I try and find out which parent is making the decision because one of the two parents is going to make the decision, most of the time it is the mom. So, now all your attention is turned to the mother and you work the mom because she is going to make the decision at the end of the day and you have to convince her you are going to take care of her son. If you get him, you are going to take care of her son. So, you try and find out who is going to be the decision maker and that is when you go to work. That is the person you end up working. And with a lot of these players on this board, a lot of them had mothers involved. Josh Bellamy, his mother is working on her PH.D. She is a really important person in his life, but like I said most of these men had a mother. B.J. Butler's mother, Lacy Coleman's mother. But, it is the mom I try to work. I find out the decision maker. I sell the university first, then I sell our coaching staff, but the main thing you have to do is somehow they have to feel they can entrust their son with you. And you will take care of their son."
(On any surprises)
"Well, it's so much a surprise we had a fax from them. Dominique Brown was the young man who visited our campus this past weekend. Preston Brown, both of those guys were committed to Cincinnati. So, Preston was the one we really had to work. Deon Rogers was committed to Georgia. So, we had to find a way to overcome Georgia and try to sell him to the program. But, every one of these guys up here on the board had somewhere else to go. Brandon Dunn was committed to Kentucky. So, once you start working them and know they are committed to somewhere else, a lot of times you try and tell them don't commit because you don't want it to come out. Because then everyone will start coming at you. Sometimes you just want to say 'Hey, just slow down. Don't say anything about it. On signing day, just announce where you are going, but don't let anyone know.' Because once you find out who they are committed to, that's when you go attack them."
(On how convincing players to switch schools)
"Like I said, I try to focus on the university. We're in the BIG EAST. We have chance to win every game compared to the conference that they are in. And then just who is going to make the decision. Then, like I said, if it's their mom, then I would like to talk to your mom and I would like to meet with her and just talk to her and if you're interested. If you are not interested, let me know right away, so I don't waste your time or my time."
(On tougher to recruit committed or uncommitted players)
"It's a combination of both because once they are committed to you, you still have to recruit them and it happens a lot. You commit a young man and you stop recruiting him and then all of a sudden someone else will start calling him and giving him more love than you are giving him. And then, that is when you start seeing things changing. And guys start switching their commitment."
(On focusing on the season)
"You can because now it's finally over. But, you sat there for months saying when is this day ever going to come. It's just that you want to have a good class. And it was important for us to start off with a good recruiting class for our coaches. It was important for this university for us to recruit good class."
(On coaches recruiting before seeing campus)
"When I first sent Kenny Carter on the road, he had not seen the campus. So, he just left from Gainesville, FL and went to Miami for recruiting. Clint Hurtt was the same way. Some of these guys had not seen the university, so they went out recruiting. They came back on recruiting weekend for the first time. That's the way it is guys."
(On how he rates the class)
"It's so hard for me to say that because I may not rate them as high as some people think. You wait for them to get here and see how they pan out. You don't want to build them up too high, then the expectations are so high plus I feel we have a good class this year. We have a good class. And we were able, like I said, to fulfill our needs. We got the young men we wanted."
(On recruiting in Kentucky)
"What's going to be critical is that we start in the state of Kentucky. And if you look at right now, I want the say from the 2011 class, we have four young men committed. But what's going to be important for us is to win the state. We have to win the state. We will still go aboard, but we want to win the state of Kentucky before we go anywhere. And what's really important is to win the city of Louisville because there are some good players in this city next year. It's important for us to win the city of Louisville."
(On the science of recruiting and ranking players)
"If you look at them, everything is off of development. So, when you recruit young men you have to say 'Next year, he will develop.' He will get bigger and stronger and no telling what position he will be playing or how good he can actually be. You are just hoping that with the skill he has, what you are looking for is some speed. If the guy can run, you have a chance because he can run and then if you look at a defensive player who can hit then you think I have a guy who can run and hit also. The hard ones to evaluate are the linemen because you just don't know how they are going to develop. And then, as a freshman, you don't want to see how freshman linemen are going to come in and play because you are looking at a guy that's been in your program for five years and you put a freshman in front of him. Then that freshman isn't strong enough yet. So, the skills guys are ones you can project a little different than a lineman."
