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The Daily OrangeFB | No dirty tricks
Once accused of shady recruiting tactics, Ron Zook is seen by coaches and players as a talented, but clean recruiter
By Joel Godett
Posted: 9/12/07, 10:34 PM EST Section: Sports
"If you look at the programs that get upset when they lose kids, then those are the ones that are probably doing stuff because they have something more to lose," Jeffries said. "Ron Zook hasn't gotten all the kids he's recruited. You look at the other programs that complain and cry when they lose a player. Why take shots at Illinois because you didn't get him?"
All of those sentiments appear to be the case with Zook and his program. Mitchell went as far as recalling what his boss said when he was first hired. The assistant said Zook told his new staff there's one way to lose your job - cheating in recruiting.
So if Zook is clean, how is it that some of the best in the country spurn offers from the likes of Ohio State, Penn State, Southern California and Notre Dame to play at Illinois? Once again, it comes down to hard work, but also personality.
"When I talk to Coach Zook we rarely talk football," said Jeffries, who has sent three players to Zook at Illinois. "We rarely talk about the individual players. We talk about conversations about how my wife's doing and how the little things are going on. He's trying to have a relationship with you where you feel he's sincere about the questions.
"One question all coaches will ask me after they do all the 'busy' questions is how do they stand with the kid? Zook has never asked me that. That lets me know that he's really sincere about all the other things he's asking about."
Offensive lineman Graham Pocic noticed that same quality when Zook came to recruit him from Lemont Township High School in suburban Chicago. The three-star verbal commitment said the Illinois coach stood out because he never asked the same question twice - because Zook remembered the answer from last time.
Pocic also said Zook wasn't like most head coaches in that he didn't come off as so "high profile."
"A lot of other coaches…just don't like to deal with you," Pocic said. "Recruiting is always the assistant coaches dealing with it."
All of those sentiments appear to be the case with Zook and his program. Mitchell went as far as recalling what his boss said when he was first hired. The assistant said Zook told his new staff there's one way to lose your job - cheating in recruiting.
So if Zook is clean, how is it that some of the best in the country spurn offers from the likes of Ohio State, Penn State, Southern California and Notre Dame to play at Illinois? Once again, it comes down to hard work, but also personality.
"When I talk to Coach Zook we rarely talk football," said Jeffries, who has sent three players to Zook at Illinois. "We rarely talk about the individual players. We talk about conversations about how my wife's doing and how the little things are going on. He's trying to have a relationship with you where you feel he's sincere about the questions.
"One question all coaches will ask me after they do all the 'busy' questions is how do they stand with the kid? Zook has never asked me that. That lets me know that he's really sincere about all the other things he's asking about."
Offensive lineman Graham Pocic noticed that same quality when Zook came to recruit him from Lemont Township High School in suburban Chicago. The three-star verbal commitment said the Illinois coach stood out because he never asked the same question twice - because Zook remembered the answer from last time.
Pocic also said Zook wasn't like most head coaches in that he didn't come off as so "high profile."
"A lot of other coaches…just don't like to deal with you," Pocic said. "Recruiting is always the assistant coaches dealing with it."
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