Two-Minute Drill with recruiting guru Phil Kornblut
You are the guru of recruiting in South Carolina. How, when and why did you become involved in recruiting?
"I started following recruiting in the early 1980s and jumped into it full time in 1984 when SportsTalk started. One of my primary responsibilities was to cover recruiting, and the S.C. Radio Network gave me the resources to do just that. With high school and college football so big in the state, it just made sense to provide fans around the state that kind of information they really couldn't get anywhere else. And at that early point in my career, it was really a break for me because it gave me an identity around the state."
You seem to talk or write about recruiting every day. What do you do on the day after National Signing Day?
"Nothing changes after signing day. We are already fully involved with the 2013 class, so we just continue to make the phone calls to those prospects and their coaches. The entire recruiting calendar has moved forward several months, so the 2013 commitments will start to occur with the upcoming junior days and the spring recruiting."
Who is your all-time favorite recruit, and why?
"That's tough because there have been so many good kids I've talked to over the years. I would have to say one that stands out the most is Todd Ellis. He was a high-profile recruit in the early years of following recruiting, and the interest was off the charts. And he and his parents handled the process with great professionalism. The day he committed to South Carolina, we must have had more than 2,000 phone calls to the office. It was then we knew this recruiting thing had a major following."
Who is this year's top player in South Carolina, and how does he and this year's class compare to last year's?
"Most feel the state's top player in the 2012 class is Lexington wide receiver Shaq Roland. He is a special talent both in football and basketball. I would not be surprised if he started from the first day at USC. This year's class in South Carolina was a good one with about 35 Division I prospects. But it does not match the marquee attractions of last year's when you had nationally top-rated players like Jadevon Clowney, Brandon Shell, Phillip Dukes, Everett Golson and Justin Worley."
Who are some of the names we will hear about next year?
"Some of the top prospects for 2013 will be offensive linemen Bryce King and D.J. Park of Dillon, receiver Mike Williams of Lake Marion, athlete Tramel Terry and linebacker Gerald Turner of Goose Creek, linebacker Devaris Brunson of Lake City, defensive lineman Michael Hill of Pendleton, defensive end Jaylen Miller of Gaffney, running back Harold Atkins of Carolina Forest, and athlete Mychal Moody of Conway."
Every sport other than football has an early signing date. Do you favor an early signing date in football?
"I would be in favor for the sole reason that kids who want to make an early decision can be locked in to their school, and the school won't have to continue to recruit them for several more months. That would end the recruiting stress on those players. Of course, there are risks both ways. What happens if a commitment gets hurt during the season? Do you honor the scholarship if you're a coach? And what happens if there's a coaching change? Does the player honor the commitment?"
How exact of a science is recruiting?
"Well, I've jokingly called it an inexact science. Let's don't forget, we are dealing with teenagers trying to make one of the most important decisions of their lives. These are the same young men who can't decide how to wear their hair on a daily basis, so trying to figure out what's in their mind regarding a college can be futile. And don't forget, they are dealing with grown men who morph into salesmen and whose sole purpose is to convince them to play for their school. So, scientific, it is not. It's more like blackjack. Sometimes you hit on a winning number, but more often than not, you bust."
