Recruiting Reaction

For my first blog, I'm gonna lay out the Auburn Reaction to the crazy flip flopping we saw in recruiting this year.  Many people are both sides are accusing wrong doings by their rivals.  How else do you explain two Alabama locks switching to Auburn late in the process and then end up signing with Alabama?  Surely Auburn did something crooked to get them to switch and then Alabama took it a step further to get them back.  I have my suspicions, but doubt either side will be able to prove anything.  I believe there is a more realistic explanation .  Coach Gene Chizik is employing a smart tactic of marketing a completely different product than his rival.  While Alabama advertises “come here if you want to win championships” and takes a business type approach to football, Auburn offers “Come here and we’ll treat you like family” and wins championships while doing it.   Many Auburn fans would have you believe that Saban is a cutthroat tyrant coach who sees his players as assets.  He is relentless in his quest to win.  He does care about his players, but like a boss cares about employees.  If you don’t perform you are out.   His oversigning and record setting medical hardships are proof of that.  On the other side, many Alabama fans laugh at the idea of “Family” being a recruiting tactic. They couldn’t be more wrong.  Gene Chizik is marketing the one thing that makes Auburn different from other schools, a feel like your home family atmosphere.  Instead of oversigning , he saved a scholarship for a player who he knows can’t play this year (Shon Coleman).   Instead of a business, Auburn approaches football like college.  Let’s have fun, chest bump, wear hats backwards, and jump in the stands.  This is what caused the crazy indecisions this year.   The players had decided early on Alabama, but after witnessing that you can have fun and win championships, they wanted to go to Auburn.   The parents on the other hand had several years to get to know the Alabama coaches and the Auburn coaches were playing catch up.   This is why they were sold on Alabama and couldn’t see what their kids finally realized.  Even though Auburn lost the battle this time, I firmly believe we are winning the war.   The word is spreading that if you want to experience college, have fun, and win championships, come to Auburn.  If you want to experience work, be serious, and win championships, go to Alabama.  Guess what most teenagers will choose.  Three years ago, Nick Saban was the undisputed king of recruiting.  Now he is scrambling to save his prize “lock” recruits from signing with the “Family”.   The future looks bright.