Scott's Recruiting Philosophy Has USF Set Up for Success
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, JUNE 29, 2020 – Building game-changing rosters is crucial to any college football program's success, and expert recruiter
Jeff Scott has a brilliant master plan for the Bulls.
After helping Clemson transform into a perennial powerhouse, USF's new head coach is taking an inside-out approach to reeling in top-level talent for the Green and Gold.
It all starts in the Bay area, which is represented in Division I annually by close to 100 players who went to high schools not far from USF's main campus.
"It's kind of like we say, 'Where do you go buy your groceries?' Typically, most people go buy their groceries at the grocery store nearest to you," Scott said. "It makes sense to stay in your geographic region kind of as your first priority."
Stout offensive lineman
Cesar Reyes (Tampa) and super productive running back
Brian Battie (Sarasota) added much potential to USF's 2020 signing class that was being put together pretty much on the fly. Hired in December, Scott was just starting to assemble his USF staff while still coaching for AAC champ Clemson, which made its fifth straight College Football Playoff appearance and second consecutive trip to the national title game with Scott as co-offensive coordinator.
Once USF's new coaches all united in Tampa, Scott laid out a unique blueprint for recruiting the Bay. The 121 high schools within a 100-mile radius of Tampa were divided up among 10 full-time coaches. Each coach got 12 schools, with the exception of safeties coach
Wes Neighbors who received 13.
"I think the benefit for the University of South Florida and for our program is that the area that we're in has so much talent and ability," Scott said.
By now, every high school coach in the Bay area knows what the new era of the Bulls is all about.
"Really, I wanted all of our coaches to have schools and relationships in this Bay area. That's one way we're able to have great communication with them anytime we have camps or clinics," Scott said. "…Those (high school) coaches can have one person they know that they can call and contact anytime they have a young man they feel can help us at South Florida. That's gone really well."
Once a commitment is made, #BayMade Bulls can enjoy the benefits of convenience when it comes to heading home when they want and having their families highly involved in the close-knit USF community.
"A mom can get in the car, a dad can get in the car in the morning and drive to see their son play on a Saturday, and then drive home," Scott said.
Covering the Rest of the Sunshine State and Beyond
Using a trusty map, and some more math, USF's staff divvied up more high school locations for recruiting priority No. 2 – the rest of the Sunshine State.
Scott calls the Bulls' home base a true advantage for full-time coaches traveling to 10 different areas reasonably fast.
"Being in the middle of the state, we can get to Miami in less than three-and-a-half hours, or we can get to Jacksonville in less than three-and-a-half hours," he said. "There's not many schools in our state that have the ability to get to so many places in a short amount of time."
That certainly helped the Bulls build relationships with 11 players from Florida in their 2020 signing class.
"As a program, there's so much talent here in the state of Florida that we would be crazy to be driving past all those schools to be signing a lot of players out of state," Scott said.
By now, Bulls fans know Scott's staff members are very willing to go the extra mile and bring in more talent from beyond the state lines.
Great gets in the 2020 class included quarterback
Cade Fortin (Suwanee, Ga.), South Carolina receivers
Sincere Brown (Charleston) and
Omarion Dollison (Columbia), along with transitioning tight end
Holden Willis (Greenback, Tenn.).
"Each of our coaches are assigned a part of an out-of-state area as well, out in the bordering states here in the Southeast, where we may have relationships," said Scott, who makes sure his staff keeps an eye out for talent nationwide as well.
It's All About Relationships, and the Right Fit
As Bay area high school coaches know, Scott's staff is all about taking the time to really get to know potential signees who can help USF be great on and off the field.
"At the end of the day, you gotta have a brand, you've gotta stand for something. We're going to out-relationship people and we're gonna recruit the right type of young man who fits
our culture," recruiting coordinator/cornerbacks coach
Jules Montinar said. "We try to do our research with the high school coaches and the people in the neighborhood to find out about a young man's character and see if he can fit our program."
Aside from strong character and football skills, USF is looking for potential Bulls with a genuine drive to be solid student-athletes, even before college.
"Are they going to school? Are they taking care of their business? Are they prepping for the ACT? Are they prepping for the SAT? Are you serious about academics?" Montinar said. "If the answer is yes, let's go. If the answer is no and you're willing to work, we'll work with you. If the answer is no, and we've got guys not serious about their academics, it makes it really hard for us."
Bulls Are Also About Skills, Measurables, Intangibles
Winning championships is a lot easier when a program has dynamic standouts who can affect the game with an explosive play at any time.
Look what Clemson accomplished with Scott, a two-time ACC recruiter of the year, since 2008. Amazing feats include six ACC titles, eight division titles, five straight College Football Playoff trips (2015-19), four CFP Championship game appearances (2015-16, 2018-19 seasons) and two national titles (2016 and 2018 seasons).
In an effort to make more magic happen at USF, Scott and his coaches are looking for gifted players who really fit their football profile.
At the skill positions, big and fast Bulls are a huge plus.
"I like a bigger receiver who can go up and get the football whenever it's thrown to you. Those 50-50 balls, you want them to be 80-20 balls," wide receivers coach
Xavier Dye said. "Those are things we look for, guys who can sink their hips, get in and out of breaks, who play the game within the game, and has some football savviness to him."
Montinar hears all about it from Scott and Dye in staff meetings, and wants to do something about it.
"If they're trying to get the bigger 6-4, 6-3 wide receivers, well I need a cornerback who is able to run, who's got some good size to them, who can play blocks," the competitive position coach said.
"In today's age, a lot of offenses, they're running the perimeter runs, the RPOs, a lot of the plays are going to the perimeter, so you've got these big wide receivers who are blocking these DBs," Montinar continued. "You just throw a bubble and, if you let them, they'll go up and down the field on you if you can't stop them."
Strong, athletic and tough Bulls are welcome in the trenches, especially if they're consistent, or "predictable."
"If you're predictable, that means we know what you're gonna be 100 percent of the time," offensive line coach Alan Mogridge said. "We can predict, 'Hey, we're gonna put you in the game. It's gonna look like this. We take our eyes off of you living on campus, it's gonna be this.'"
Success with the 2020 class and beyond is showing the Bulls' new staff mean serious business when it comes to building a consistent winner.
"I think the response that we've gotten from the high school coaches and from the recruits and their families has been very strong," Scott said. "I think they can feel the energy and excitement that surrounds our program right now and that there's a lot of really good things ahead of us as a program."
About USF Football
The USF football program first took the field in 1997 and completed its 23rd season (20th at the FBS level) in 2019. The Bulls have posted 15 winning seasons, earned 14 All-America selections and 29 first-team all-conference selections and has seen 30 players selected in the NFL Draft. USF has made 10 bowl games appearances (going 6-4 in those games) and posted a program record six straight appearances from 2005-2010. The Bulls most recently made four straight bowl appearances from 2015-18 and posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017, logging a program-record 11-2 mark in 2016 while finishing both seasons ranked in the Top 25. USF spent a program record 20 straight weeks ranked in the Top 25 during the 2016 and 2017 seasons and reached as high as No. 2 in the national rankings during the 2007 season.
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