As he considered Georgia Tech as his possible college choice, Jakiah Leftwich did the usual things that a high-school prospect would do. The offensive tackle from Westlake High attended games at Bobby Dodd Stadium, went to a practice and got to know the coaches.
Those visits to campus gave him a window into coach Geoff Collins and his team, giving him more confidence in his decision.
“It was a big part of the reason (for committing), being there and knowing the coaching staff and knowing how they do it on game days, how they treat their players,” said Leftwich, a three-star prospect.
Contrast that with the experience of another celebrated in-state prospect expected to sign with Tech during the early signing period that begins Wednesday, Dacula High safety Kaleb Edwards. The three-star prospect had planned to make college visits in the spring, but never got the chance because of the NCAA’s ban on in-person recruiting because of COVID-19, including official and unofficial visits to campus and off-campus visits by coaches to see prospects. Unable to rely on visits to inform the process, he announced his commitment to Tech in July. Edwards has seen the campus, but never visited, and has yet to meet Collins in person.
Said Edwards of being recruited by different teams and coaches solely by virtual means, “It was really tough, actually, because you never know what you’re really getting over the phone.”
Collins’ second recruiting class – ranked 37th nationally and ninth in the ACC (247Sports Composite), along with five college transfers – is a mix of prospects with Leftwich’s recruiting experience and also Edwards’. About five of the expected signees will send in their letters of intent having had little or no face-to-face interaction with the coaching staff because of the recruiting restrictions.
When quarterback Chayden Peery of Castaic, Calif., was on a FaceTime call with Collins on Tuesday, the coach mentioned that when Peery arrives on campus in January as an early enrollee, it’ll be the first time that they’ll have met in person.
“It’s crazy, for sure,” said Peery, a three-star prospect. “I never thought that’d ever be a thing.”
The players gathered in the haul represent two routes by which coaches and recruiting staff were able to win prospects to Tech. One was the early identification of prospects, such as Leftwich, and the other was the staff’s ability to make connections through virtual means to secure commitments.
Edwards was leaning toward Duke in mid-March when the NCAA, along with canceling the remainder of its championships, instituted a ban on in-person recruiting that has been extended through April 15. It meant no visits to campus, no camps, no coaches coming out to watch games or practices or making in-home visits.
But the uncertainty created by the pandemic caused Edwards to more strongly consider staying closer to home at Tech, whose scholarship offer he announced in early April. From there, Jackets coaches, including safeties coach Nathan Burton, defensive coordinator Andrew Thacker and Collins, did what they could do. First, they called often.
“They called all the time, just being real with me, and we had real conversations,” Edwards said. “I picked up on their character.”
Edwards liked that they didn’t always call from the office.
“They were at their own house, they’re showing me their families, and I’m talking with their families,” he said. “They just showed me how they really were.”
Burton was the coach he spoke with most.
“He’s a good dude,” Edwards said. “You can tell he’s a family dude.”
Seeing that side of the coaches helped give him a better sense of the staff and made him more comfortable taking the leap to commit. It also helped him to interact with some players on the team to get their perspective.
“People are what make the place,” Edwards said.
Aside from a brief introduction to offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude when he made a trip to Peery’s school to watch him throw, Peery’s contact with coaches was digital. Collins and Patenaude conducted a virtual visit for him, a slide show that they voiced over. Peery got to know coaches and recruiting staff over Zoom meetings and FaceTime calls.
“They were just very insightful, and they did a good job of organizing them,” Peery said.
Through those means, Peery developed a relationship with the staff. Not ideal, the personalities came through.
“Talking to them, I felt like I was talking to an uncle or a family member,” Peery said. “It was really cool.”
For the majority of the class, though, Tech benefited from the high volume of scholarship offers that they issue and the number of unofficial visits that they conduct. Unofficial visits are a big part of Collins’ recruiting strategy. He is such a believer in his team’s culture that he has said that he encourages prospects to show up at a moment’s notice, so they know that they’re not being treated to a show. All that was prohibited this year.
In an AJC story from Jan. 30, Tech already had made 241 offers to 2021 prospects, according to 247Sports, which was second most in the ACC.
“Now, we’re actually to the point where we’ve been recruiting these 2021 kids for a while,” general manager Patrick Suddes said at the time. “They’ve been on campus a bunch of times. Some of these guys that come on campus have already been here multiple times.”
Leftwich, the Westlake offensive tackle, was among those whom Tech targeted early. When it came time to make a decision, Tech had a distinct advantage in that the recruiting shutdown prevented him from making more visits. Asked if he could have chosen a school that he hadn’t visited, Leftwich replied that, “I could, but it wasn’t the same as being there. And I didn’t want to make a blind decision.”
Making a visit helped him pick up on nuances of the staff. One that made a major impression, Leftwich said, was how well his parents were treated.
It gave him comfort that “they’re not just recruiting me, they’re recruiting my whole family,” he said.
Three-star defensive tackle Zeek Biggers from Salisbury, N.C., was one of the last prospects to visit Tech before the school closed its campus. Biggers stayed several hours, checking out facilities and meeting with coaches.
“It helped me a lot,” Biggers said. “I was already feeling Georgia Tech the most out of everybody else. I knew I wanted to go there, but the visit just helped a lot more.”
Hopefully in time, that will soon be a thing again, too.
