re: How do you replace Craig?

quote:

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Can Thomas be titled as 'recruiting coordinator' to allow himself to recruit, even if not an on the field coach?

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I don't know the rules, but I don't see why Austin Thomas couldn't be the recruiting coordinator-- even if he wasn't allowed to recruit. Recruiting coordinator is more like being a sales manager than a sales rep. The role itself is about gathering intel on quality prospects, assigning territories and responsibilities, coordinating efforts to maintain contact with prospects via letters, email/text/calls/social media, organizing the board of priorities for who should get offers, coordinating times when coaches can visit recruits and when recruits can visit LSU, and so on.

A good recruiting coordinator doesn't even have to be a good recruiter. They just take the burden of the administrative and planning/coordinating efforts off the shoulders of the coaches, so everyone on staff is on the same page and the other coaches can do the real sales/recruiting work and coach their positions. And I think sometimes earning that title can be a way that the head coach rewards good assistant coaches with greater responsibility (read: promotion and raise) to keep them from moving on... not entirely dissimilar to assistants getting associate head coach type titles.

As I was reading this thread, I was curious when Thomas' name would come up. It was my understanding (from this board... I'm as far as can be from an insider) that Thomas was Frank Wilson's right hand man and helped Wilson a ton with regards to his recruiting coordinator duties. If true, he likely already has a good idea of how to run that facet of the program.