Battle for N.C.: New coaches change landscape
The hiring of Butch Davis at North Carolina and Tom O'Brien's surprising move from Boston College to North Carolina State were two of college football's biggest stories during the offseason. Davis and O'Brien are proven winners, and you can bet they will do things a little different than their predecessors.
A few years ago, hardly any N.C. State fan could have anticipated the firing of Chuck Amato. But it was all downhill after the departure of Philip Rivers. Poor offensive execution, rampant discipline problems and a lack of staff continuity were the main gripes of Wolfpack fans. Athletic director Lee Fowler eventually pulled the plug on Amato after seven consecutive losses to end the 2006 season.
In Chapel Hill, the John Bunting era also started on a high note. Previous coach Carl Torbush had left one good year's worth of talent in the cupboard for Bunting, who finished 8-5 with a victory over Auburn in the Peach Bowl in his first season. But Bunting was unable to keep key players in the program over the next few seasons, and the Tar Heels were woefully inept on defense from there on out.
During the tenures of Amato and Bunting, the rivalry between the schools heated enormously. The coaches, both at their alma maters, contrasted in style. Right off the bat, a recruiting feud over talented in-state defensive back A.J. Davis (who initially committed to UNC before switching to N.C. State) epitomized what seemed to be a rocky relationship between the coaches.
Amato and Bunting had distinct recruiting philosophies. Amato used his Florida ties to successfully recruit talented players from the Sunshine State, but he encountered mounting criticism over his lack of emphasis on recruiting in the state of North Carolina. Conversely, while Bunting was not averse to recruiting out of state (particularly in his earlier classes), he leaned on home-grown talent much more regularly.
From 2002-2006, North Carolina signed 50 in-state prospects. In the same time period, N.C. State signed 33 prospects from North Carolina and 43 prospects from Florida.
There could be a role reversal in the works.
While coach at Miami, Butch Davis was right in the middle of the recruiting gold mine that is South Florida. His goals? Keep all the top talent at home while investing significant time and resources recruiting top national prospects. While talent in the state of North Carolina is improving, Davis seems to be diverging from the path of his predecessor.
Last year, the Heels finished with the No. 17 recruiting class in the nation. It was helped by in-state talents such as wide receiver Dwight Jones Jr., athlete Greg Little and defensive tackle Tydreke Powell. Still, UNC signed just four of the state's top 20 prospects. The core of the class came from national recruiting efforts. Remarkably, Davis convinced the nation's top defensive tackle, Marvin Austin, to leave the Washington, D.C., area. He also tapped New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida and California for talent.
Of the Tar Heels' four commitments in the Class of 2008, just one – quarterback Braden Hanson – is a North Carolinian.
Why the seeming shift to more of a national focus on recruiting? While the state of North Carolina is producing more talent than in the past, there are other things to take into account. In recent years, Mark Richt and Georgia have gotten a foot in the door and are making a habit of poaching some of the state's top talent. The Bulldogs have signed five four-star prospects since the Class of 2004 and nine prospects rated three stars or higher.
Many North Carolina prospects in the western part of the state are open to hearing from Tennessee, a program that has had success recruiting in North Carolina.
Recently, the biggest threat has come from South Carolina and Clemson. Last year alone, the Gamecocks signed eight from North Carolina, including five of the state's top 11 prospects. Clemson also had success, signing three of the state's top seven prospects last year.
But it's not only added competition in-state that drives the national focus. UNC recruiting coordinator John Blake is one of the best in the business and has confidence that he can recruit anyone from a Marvin Austin to a Darrell Scott. Davis and Blake are looking to land bigger fish.
If Davis has success on the field at North Carolina, perhaps UNC will be able to think about running those schools out of the state while also having more success outside of North Carolina. But right now, the Heels are working outside in, so to speak.
O'Brien seems to be charting a different course at N.C. State. Whereas fans initially were thrilled at the Florida speed Amato was importing, it turned to criticism of his in-state recruiting efforts (or lack thereof) as the losses piled up. O'Brien appears to be basing his recruiting strategy on building relationships with high school coaches in North Carolina. Not a flashy guy, O'Brien's straight-shooter style could play well with in-state recruits, particularly in the more rural areas of the state.
In the short time he had to fill out the Wolfpack's Class of 2007, O'Brien wasn't able to make much of a splash in-state. The Class of 2008 appears to be different, though: Of N.C. State's 12 commitments, eight are from North Carolina, including the top two in-state prospects: five-star athlete Brandon Barnes and linebacker Terrell Manning.
While the rivalry between UNC and N.C. State may take on more of a civil tone under Davis and O'Brien, expect the two to butt heads on the recruiting trail over several prospects before Signing Day. Both are in the mix with safety Spencer Adams of Matthews (N.C.) Butler, although Clemson and Florida seem to have the edge. Athlete E.J. Abrams-Ward of Thomasville, N.C., offensive lineman R.J. Mattes of Concord (N.C.) Robinson and athlete Adrian Jones of Laurinburg (N.C.) Scotland – all of whom are uncommitted and ranked among the top 10 prospects in the state – are high on the list of both programs.
The state of North Carolina has been raided by outside programs for years because of UNC's lack of on-field success and N.C. State's focus on outside talent. While both programs are now struggling to win games, look for some interesting recruiting battles to brew over the years between Davis and O'Brien. And keep an eye on the differing recruiting strategies of each program.
Mike Farrell is a recruiting analyst for Rivals.com.
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