Hooker: Kiffin has tools to shine at recruiting

Here's a suggestion for handling the naysayers who disagree with Tennessee's decision to hire Lane Kiffin as its 21st head football coach.

Just sit back and listen as they say the 33-year-old coach is too young, too inexperienced and not a Tennessee guy.

Then sit back, take a moment and say "Yep, but he sure can recruit."

Debate over. You win.

Because there's nothing Tennessee needs more than a great recruiter.

If the debate does continue, offer up the following points:

No. 1 - Youth should only help Kiffin recruit. Who better to relate to a high school prospect than a former player who isn't nearly old enough to be a father figure?

No. 2 - Kiffin may not have a ton of experience but he has great experience. Ever seen those NFL-talent laden Southern California teams? Kiffin helped build them.

No. 3 - Kiffin is indeed a Tennessee guy if you truly understand what that means. It means you eat, sleep and breathe recruiting.

"That was really the first thing I was looking to is what's this coach's recruiting record and what's their plan?" said athletic director Mike Hamilton, who introduced Kiffin at a press conference Monday at Neyland Stadium. "He had a plan from the outset."

His plan centered around recruiting nationally, based off another plan he saw in 2005.

When USC coach Pete Carroll promoted Kiffin to recruiting coordinator, Carroll said it was time for the Trojans to recruit nationally and not just rely on California.

Only it wasn't USC that was going to recruit nationally, it was Kiffin.

Carroll put his young go-getter in charge of the other 49 states while the rest of the USC staff continued to focus on talent-rich California.

Before Kiffin became the king of frequent flier miles, he helped land Patrick Turner, the highly touted receiver from Nashville who chose USC in a fierce recruiting battle with UT.

With Kiffin at the recruiting helm, USC reeled in eight out-of-state prospects in 2006 and six in 2007. Those classes ranked first and second in the nation, respectively.

The pitch was simple: Want to play right now?

Other schools say it (including UT in the past), but the Trojans had an incredible track record to lean on thanks to several sensational underclassmen such as Reggie Bush, Mike Williams and Dwayne Jarrett.

"Once you get that in place, it gives you the ability to go anywhere to get any guys no matter whose backyard they're in," Kiffin said. "That's why Patrick Turner's not here today."

Kiffin's "play now" mantra is so important that he has already challenged UT's current players to step it up in spring practice before the 2009 class gets on campus next summer.

And remember Kiffin isn't just a former ace assistant recruiter. He has been a recruiting coordinator.

That, he said, makes all the difference for a first-time college head coach.

"Some guys go to be head coaches and are never recruiting coordinators - that's a big jump," Kiffin said. "If you go from just a small area and all of the sudden you become the head coach, that's a hard thing to do."

As for now, recruiting at Southern Cal is much different than recruiting at UT.

The Vols have only gone to two bowls in the last four seasons. The Trojans are perennial BCS Bowl participants, having played in the Rose Bowl the past three years and the Orange Bowl before that.

Yet that wasn't always the case. In Carroll and Kiffin's first season at USC in 2001, they went 6-6 and lost to Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Nevertheless, USC hauled in a signing class ranked 11th by Rivals in 2002.

And when it comes to other facets of recruiting, Kiffin likes his new gig.

"When I walked in today and saw these facilities, they're unbelievable right now," Kiffin said. "Walk into SC (Southern Cal). You wouldn't believe it. We didn't have anything."

Kiffin also likes UT's recruiting reputation.

"When I went to USC and we started recruiting, every major kid in his junior year - when he doesn't really know (where he's going to school) yet - had Tennessee in their top five," Kiffin said. "There's name recognition here."

Kiffin calls his experience and youth a perfect fit to be a great recruiter at UT.

"It usually doesn't happen," he said. "Usually, you're young and inexperienced or you're old and experienced."

Moments after wrapping up his press conference, Kiffin was off to visit with the top prospect in the state, receiver Marlon Brown from Harding Academy in Memphis.

"That means a lot," Brown said in a telephone interview with the News Sentinel.

Kiffin's only recruiting weakness could be his appeal. If he has success at UT, opposing recruiters will ask prospects just how long will it be before a Carroll-less USC or an NFL team comes calling?

Kiffin again had an answer.

"My agents won't like me for saying this but I'm not going back to the NFL," he said. "Not because of what I think of it but because of what I think of Tennessee and being at this place."

Eat, sleep and breathe recruiting? Sounds like Kiffin can speak it, too.

Dave Hooker covers recruiting. He may be reached at hookerd@knoxnews.com.

Josh Ward contributed to this report.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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