Changes on the recruiting trail for Bryan McClendon
May 20, 2018
Life as a recruiter is a little different for South Carolina football offensive coordinator Bryan McClendon.
Gone are the days where he navigates his way through the month of May focused solely on his regional areas, which include several spots around South Carolina and Georgia. That’s what comes with the territory when you’re charged with the duty of running the team’s offense.
“Just because now I’ve got to go see a lot more of the offensive guys in general,” McClendon said, “So those guys that are either no-brainers that we’re trying to make sure the coordinator came and saw you, or those guys we’re kind of on the fence on whether we offer them or not.”
Last week, McClendon visited Gamecocks recruits in Los Angeles, San Antonio and Louisville, Ky. He’s spent the last several days bouncing around Georgia, which, of course, includes spots around his hometown of Atlanta.
“I don’t even need a GPS,” McClendon said. “I just get on the road.”
He’s not quite as familiar with California, though he did spend some time pounding the recruiting trail in the Golden State while working as an assistant coach at Georgia. South Carolina’s 2019 quarterback commit, 4-star Ryan Hilinski, is from the Los Angeles area.
“Quarterbacks kind of are different. They don’t mind traveling,” McClendon said. “What I’ve kind of come to do is to start to ask, ‘Who are some of the other schools that you’re high on?’ And if they say a bunch of SEC schools, we’ve got a shot.
“If they’re naming all the Pac-12 schools and all that other stuff, this kid is not going to turn down all that to come east for one school, but that’s no different than recruiting in general now. You’ve got to make sure that you’re using your time wisely because you don’t have a lot of it.”
Whether a recruit is from California, South Carolina, Georgia or South Dakota, there’s one factor that holds true in every case.
“Once it gets down to it, recruiting is about relationships,” McClendon said, “So you just try to do as good a job and make sure that you’re getting good relationships and fostering those relationships.”
May 20, 2018
Life as a recruiter is a little different for South Carolina football offensive coordinator Bryan McClendon.
Gone are the days where he navigates his way through the month of May focused solely on his regional areas, which include several spots around South Carolina and Georgia. That’s what comes with the territory when you’re charged with the duty of running the team’s offense.
“Just because now I’ve got to go see a lot more of the offensive guys in general,” McClendon said, “So those guys that are either no-brainers that we’re trying to make sure the coordinator came and saw you, or those guys we’re kind of on the fence on whether we offer them or not.”
Last week, McClendon visited Gamecocks recruits in Los Angeles, San Antonio and Louisville, Ky. He’s spent the last several days bouncing around Georgia, which, of course, includes spots around his hometown of Atlanta.
“I don’t even need a GPS,” McClendon said. “I just get on the road.”
He’s not quite as familiar with California, though he did spend some time pounding the recruiting trail in the Golden State while working as an assistant coach at Georgia. South Carolina’s 2019 quarterback commit, 4-star Ryan Hilinski, is from the Los Angeles area.
“Quarterbacks kind of are different. They don’t mind traveling,” McClendon said. “What I’ve kind of come to do is to start to ask, ‘Who are some of the other schools that you’re high on?’ And if they say a bunch of SEC schools, we’ve got a shot.
“If they’re naming all the Pac-12 schools and all that other stuff, this kid is not going to turn down all that to come east for one school, but that’s no different than recruiting in general now. You’ve got to make sure that you’re using your time wisely because you don’t have a lot of it.”
Whether a recruit is from California, South Carolina, Georgia or South Dakota, there’s one factor that holds true in every case.
“Once it gets down to it, recruiting is about relationships,” McClendon said, “So you just try to do as good a job and make sure that you’re getting good relationships and fostering those relationships.”