By Jim Lamar, DEMOCRAT SPORTS EDITOR
Rubin Carter had every reason to search for the quick fix.
The Florida A&M football program he took over in the summer of 2005 had plenty of holes on the depth chart thanks to the university's failed move to Division I-A, NCAA sanctions and a coaching change.
And though Carter said he knew he could reach out to the junior colleges to bring in a batch of ready-to-play upperclassmen who would apply a quick salve on the FAMU program, he chose a different path.
Carter ordered his coaching staff to tackle the high schools around the state and, in many cases, introduce the FAMU story to as many prep prospects as possible.
"It was tempting to say, 'OK, we've got to do this and do it right away,' ” Carter said. "But looking at the program where it was at the time and being down in talent, I thought we needed to build a strong foundation. We made the decision to say, 'Let's do it for the long run. Let's try to have some consistency. Let's do it year in and year out.'
"I know it's a different formula, but I think it's going to pay off in the long run."
Two years and three recruiting classes later, that long run appears closer to the finish line.
Carter's Rattlers open the season with a roster filled with his players - a core group of young men who came directly from Florida high schools and are in their first, second or third years in the program.
For Carter, the players he recruited who will see playing time this fall are the foundation of what he hopes to build at FAMU. He speaks passionately about their roles on this team.
"They are players you brought in who you stamped Florida A&M in their heart and their mind from day one," Carter said. "You let them know the code of conduct, the standards expected from them from Day One."
Getting those players in the program isn't a simple matter of picking and choosing top prospects from around the state and adding them to the depth chart. Carter has spent the last three years building - or re-building - relationships with the high school coaches around the state.
His first task: identifying the greater Big Bend area and then the rest of the state as his primary recruiting base.
"We're here so close to a lot of great high school programs and we're a part of a great community," Carter said. "We wanted to let these coaches know we understand they have talented players right here in this core area - this 100-mile radius. We wanted them to know we want those players to come here and be part of Florida A&M. They needed to actually see that.
"We actively recruit within that radius, especially in the city of Tallahassee and Madison County and all the other communities in our area."
That's not necessarily a radical departure from former coach Billy Joe's recruiting philosophy - or even Ken Riley's for that matter. The Rattlers have thrived through the years on local talent, including future NFL players Wally Williams, Earl Holmes, Terry Mickens, Robert Wilson and Gene Atkins (just to name a few).
While Carter remains complimentary of the job Joe did during his stint as the Rattlers' coach, he wanted to convince local coaches that his focus is more on recruiting the high schools.
It wasn't uncommon for Joe to bring in as many as a dozen junior-college or Division I transfers in a single recruiting class. Carter signed 27 high school seniors in his 2007 recruiting class - 25 from Florida schools.
"He's building for now and for tomorrow," said Ira Reynolds, the head coach at FAMU High. "Junior colleges last a year or two at best. You can get lucky on some recruits who can make an impact on your program. But you recruit from the high schools and you have them for four years. Now you're talking about building a bona fide program where you have them and you create stability.
"That's the environment coach Carter is trying to create and it shows in how he's recruiting."
Carter and his assistant coaches have spent the last three years hammering that point home at high schools around the state - and state coaches have apparently received the message. Among the signees in the 2007 recruiting class were players from some of Florida's most successful programs, including Palm Bay, Miami Southridge, Belle Glade Glades Central, Orlando Edgewater and Madison County.
In fact, the arrival of Madison County's D.J. Folsom, a highly regarded tight end/linebacker, marked a breakthrough of sorts for the Rattlers.
"Before coach Carter started recruited over here, our players never really thought of going to FAMU," Madison County coach Frankie Carroll said. "He's done a really good job of coming over here and getting our kids interested in FAMU."
Carter said targeting talent-rich programs like Madison County is a priority.
"We like the brand of football they play," Carter said. "The kids are used to structure. They are disciplined. They work extremely hard.
"There probably is no high school in the state that wants to play Madison County because they are so tough. That's a school we wanted to recruit and build some relationships. I know Florida State also recruits players from there. We want to get at least one or two players from there and develop kids from there."
It's not just Madison County. Carter said he's ordered his coaching staff to visit every high school in the state on an annual basis.
"Some schools have no players," Carter said. "Some may have one or two. But at some point in time, every school is going to have a player, so we try to hit every school. It's a lot of schools and it's a huge responsibility, but that's what we want to do."
Carter said the reception he and his coaches received this past recruiting season around the state was "phenomenal."
"We heard it from the coaches themselves. I couldn't get to every high school when I first arrived, but I was out personally visiting and seeing high school coaches the last two years," he said. "I wanted to let them know our philosophy was different and that we'd be here recruiting their players. We heard some comments that they hadn't seen FAMU in years or that it was good to see FAMU out recruiting their players."
Rubin Carter had every reason to search for the quick fix.
The Florida A&M football program he took over in the summer of 2005 had plenty of holes on the depth chart thanks to the university's failed move to Division I-A, NCAA sanctions and a coaching change.
And though Carter said he knew he could reach out to the junior colleges to bring in a batch of ready-to-play upperclassmen who would apply a quick salve on the FAMU program, he chose a different path.
Carter ordered his coaching staff to tackle the high schools around the state and, in many cases, introduce the FAMU story to as many prep prospects as possible.
"It was tempting to say, 'OK, we've got to do this and do it right away,' ” Carter said. "But looking at the program where it was at the time and being down in talent, I thought we needed to build a strong foundation. We made the decision to say, 'Let's do it for the long run. Let's try to have some consistency. Let's do it year in and year out.'
"I know it's a different formula, but I think it's going to pay off in the long run."
Two years and three recruiting classes later, that long run appears closer to the finish line.
Carter's Rattlers open the season with a roster filled with his players - a core group of young men who came directly from Florida high schools and are in their first, second or third years in the program.
For Carter, the players he recruited who will see playing time this fall are the foundation of what he hopes to build at FAMU. He speaks passionately about their roles on this team.
"They are players you brought in who you stamped Florida A&M in their heart and their mind from day one," Carter said. "You let them know the code of conduct, the standards expected from them from Day One."
Getting those players in the program isn't a simple matter of picking and choosing top prospects from around the state and adding them to the depth chart. Carter has spent the last three years building - or re-building - relationships with the high school coaches around the state.
His first task: identifying the greater Big Bend area and then the rest of the state as his primary recruiting base.
"We're here so close to a lot of great high school programs and we're a part of a great community," Carter said. "We wanted to let these coaches know we understand they have talented players right here in this core area - this 100-mile radius. We wanted them to know we want those players to come here and be part of Florida A&M. They needed to actually see that.
"We actively recruit within that radius, especially in the city of Tallahassee and Madison County and all the other communities in our area."
That's not necessarily a radical departure from former coach Billy Joe's recruiting philosophy - or even Ken Riley's for that matter. The Rattlers have thrived through the years on local talent, including future NFL players Wally Williams, Earl Holmes, Terry Mickens, Robert Wilson and Gene Atkins (just to name a few).
While Carter remains complimentary of the job Joe did during his stint as the Rattlers' coach, he wanted to convince local coaches that his focus is more on recruiting the high schools.
It wasn't uncommon for Joe to bring in as many as a dozen junior-college or Division I transfers in a single recruiting class. Carter signed 27 high school seniors in his 2007 recruiting class - 25 from Florida schools.
"He's building for now and for tomorrow," said Ira Reynolds, the head coach at FAMU High. "Junior colleges last a year or two at best. You can get lucky on some recruits who can make an impact on your program. But you recruit from the high schools and you have them for four years. Now you're talking about building a bona fide program where you have them and you create stability.
"That's the environment coach Carter is trying to create and it shows in how he's recruiting."
Carter and his assistant coaches have spent the last three years hammering that point home at high schools around the state - and state coaches have apparently received the message. Among the signees in the 2007 recruiting class were players from some of Florida's most successful programs, including Palm Bay, Miami Southridge, Belle Glade Glades Central, Orlando Edgewater and Madison County.
In fact, the arrival of Madison County's D.J. Folsom, a highly regarded tight end/linebacker, marked a breakthrough of sorts for the Rattlers.
"Before coach Carter started recruited over here, our players never really thought of going to FAMU," Madison County coach Frankie Carroll said. "He's done a really good job of coming over here and getting our kids interested in FAMU."
Carter said targeting talent-rich programs like Madison County is a priority.
"We like the brand of football they play," Carter said. "The kids are used to structure. They are disciplined. They work extremely hard.
"There probably is no high school in the state that wants to play Madison County because they are so tough. That's a school we wanted to recruit and build some relationships. I know Florida State also recruits players from there. We want to get at least one or two players from there and develop kids from there."
It's not just Madison County. Carter said he's ordered his coaching staff to visit every high school in the state on an annual basis.
"Some schools have no players," Carter said. "Some may have one or two. But at some point in time, every school is going to have a player, so we try to hit every school. It's a lot of schools and it's a huge responsibility, but that's what we want to do."
Carter said the reception he and his coaches received this past recruiting season around the state was "phenomenal."
"We heard it from the coaches themselves. I couldn't get to every high school when I first arrived, but I was out personally visiting and seeing high school coaches the last two years," he said. "I wanted to let them know our philosophy was different and that we'd be here recruiting their players. We heard some comments that they hadn't seen FAMU in years or that it was good to see FAMU out recruiting their players."
Photos by Glenn Beil/Democrat
