Indiana University Athletics
Wilson and Staff Build Connections through Recruiting Process
2/3/2016 8:04:00 PM | Football
By: Tori Ziege, IUHoosiers.com | Twitter
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Kevin Wilson had a story to tell at Wednesday's National Signing Day press conference.
In fact, he had several.
From the recruiting trail that led him to 6-foot, 260-pound athlete Tyler Natee to getting stuck within a few-block radius searching for the high school of Brooklyn wide receiver Taysir Mack — Wilson seemed to have a special anecdote regarding every player in the 21-man recruiting class.
The stories all seemed to indicate one thing. Wilson is excited about Indiana's 2016 commits.
"We are very pleased with this class," he said. "The coaches did a great job building relationships. There is a lot of trust and communication that goes into recruiting, and we did some good work."
A car helped Wilson close the deal with Texas offensive lineman Mackenzie Nworah, who — get this — is a prince in the Nigerian royal family.
When meeting with the family of Florida wide receiver Phil Benker, Wilson's wife assisted as interpreter because Sabine, Benker's mother, was born in Germany, where Wilson's wife did a six-month exchange.
The connections Wilson made with his future players were undoubtedly unique.
But across the board, there were a few common denominators that set the tone for the 2016 class, which focused more on the offensive end.
"Over the last couple of years, the majority of our classes featured players on the defensive side of the ball," Wilson said. "We are counting on those players… to contribute big time next year. You are always recruiting a year or two ahead, and this year was a little more offensive oriented."
All-in-all, Indiana added 12 players on offense, seven on defense and two athletes. The class featured players from nine different states, including six from Ohio, four from Florida and three from Texas.
When Wilson was told it was IU's lowest-rated class since 2012, he laughed.
Why? Because All-American players Tevin Coleman, Jason Spriggs and Dan Feeney — as well as Nate Sudfeld, the best statistical quarterback in program history — belonged to the 2012 class, just to name a few.
Wilson would take that any day.
"It's not about where you start, but where you finish," he said. "Recruiting is one phase of the deal, the next phase is development."
Wilson doesn't recruit to the ratings. He's recruiting bodies. In particular, Wilson likes the length and athleticism of this class, which features only two players — defensive back Khalil Bryant and running back Cole Gest — under 6-foot.
The first player Wilson mentioned by name was offensive lineman Cory Cronk, who was an all-conference catcher on the Lafayette Central Catholic baseball team.
He followed that with mention of defensive lineman Allen Stallings IV, a four-time wrestling state qualifier who Wilson said he would love to see go up against rising junior linebacker Tegray Scales.
"I want kids that play (multiple) sports," Wilson said. "The more kids compete, the better they will be."
The last story Wilson had to share was about Gest, who Wilson described as an explosive, pure running back out of Lyndhurst, Ohio.
Wilson shared a text he received from Gest stating that he wanted to talk numbers, as in uniform numbers. Wilson had other ideas.
"I'm thinking 1275 yards and 12 TDs as a frosh," he said. "How do you like that?"
Wilson chuckled, "He's actually one of my favorite guys.
"They all are."
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Kevin Wilson had a story to tell at Wednesday's National Signing Day press conference.
In fact, he had several.
From the recruiting trail that led him to 6-foot, 260-pound athlete Tyler Natee to getting stuck within a few-block radius searching for the high school of Brooklyn wide receiver Taysir Mack — Wilson seemed to have a special anecdote regarding every player in the 21-man recruiting class.
The stories all seemed to indicate one thing. Wilson is excited about Indiana's 2016 commits.
"We are very pleased with this class," he said. "The coaches did a great job building relationships. There is a lot of trust and communication that goes into recruiting, and we did some good work."
A car helped Wilson close the deal with Texas offensive lineman Mackenzie Nworah, who — get this — is a prince in the Nigerian royal family.
When meeting with the family of Florida wide receiver Phil Benker, Wilson's wife assisted as interpreter because Sabine, Benker's mother, was born in Germany, where Wilson's wife did a six-month exchange.
The connections Wilson made with his future players were undoubtedly unique.
But across the board, there were a few common denominators that set the tone for the 2016 class, which focused more on the offensive end.
"Over the last couple of years, the majority of our classes featured players on the defensive side of the ball," Wilson said. "We are counting on those players… to contribute big time next year. You are always recruiting a year or two ahead, and this year was a little more offensive oriented."
All-in-all, Indiana added 12 players on offense, seven on defense and two athletes. The class featured players from nine different states, including six from Ohio, four from Florida and three from Texas.
When Wilson was told it was IU's lowest-rated class since 2012, he laughed.
Why? Because All-American players Tevin Coleman, Jason Spriggs and Dan Feeney — as well as Nate Sudfeld, the best statistical quarterback in program history — belonged to the 2012 class, just to name a few.
Wilson would take that any day.
"It's not about where you start, but where you finish," he said. "Recruiting is one phase of the deal, the next phase is development."
Wilson doesn't recruit to the ratings. He's recruiting bodies. In particular, Wilson likes the length and athleticism of this class, which features only two players — defensive back Khalil Bryant and running back Cole Gest — under 6-foot.
The first player Wilson mentioned by name was offensive lineman Cory Cronk, who was an all-conference catcher on the Lafayette Central Catholic baseball team.
He followed that with mention of defensive lineman Allen Stallings IV, a four-time wrestling state qualifier who Wilson said he would love to see go up against rising junior linebacker Tegray Scales.
"I want kids that play (multiple) sports," Wilson said. "The more kids compete, the better they will be."
The last story Wilson had to share was about Gest, who Wilson described as an explosive, pure running back out of Lyndhurst, Ohio.
Wilson shared a text he received from Gest stating that he wanted to talk numbers, as in uniform numbers. Wilson had other ideas.
"I'm thinking 1275 yards and 12 TDs as a frosh," he said. "How do you like that?"
Wilson chuckled, "He's actually one of my favorite guys.
"They all are."
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