GBK Recruiting Commentary: It Is Not Always About The Stars & Rankings
Back in 2013 at one of Army’s one-day summer football camps when Rich Ellerson was on the tail-end of his tenure as the Black Knights’ head coach, there were two linemen that truly caught our attention during that particular Saturday.
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There was this tall (6’6”), but yet undersized (260 lbs) player out of Charleston (SC) named Brett Toth (recruiting class 2014). He was a Rivals 2-star performer who was getting only a few looks as a Division I prospect and who would eventually commit to Army West Point. Then you had underclassman and 4-star O-lineman Tyler Carr (recruiting class 2014), who had tons of offers and the then 6-foot-5, 323 pounder would eventually ending up committing to Auburn.
“Tyler Carr hasn't done much here — at least not yet,” AuburnSports.com (Rivals.com) Publisher Jay Tate told GoBlackKnights.com. “He was a reserve in 2017 and played maybe 30 total snaps. There's still some question as to whether he's best at guard or tackle. Auburn has a new O-Line coach this season, so Carr may impress this new guy more than the old one. Honestly, I'd be surprised if Tyler ends up as a starter at any point. Strange things happen, though.”
In the case of Toth, his football career has been just the opposite, as he was the cornerstone upfront of an Army offense that lead the nation in rushing in 2017; he shined at both the East-West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl, which all lead to him being invited to the 2018 NFL Combine. Everything being equal, we actually might hear Toth’s name called on Draft Day.
However, we all know that there is so much that goes into the development of players, including the player himself. And needless to say, we aren’t stating some scientific fact or philosophy to suggest that Carr would have fared better at Army West Point as a player versus being at Auburn or that Toth would have made it as a starter at Auburn. Heck, if I were to guess and solely based on the NFL opportunity argument .... the Tigers of Auburn probably put more guys in the National Football League in one given year, than the Black Knights have done in a decade.
Our emphasis here is more directed to Army’s coaching staff and the development of their players than it does either Toth’s or Carr’s contribution to their respective programs.
ARMY’S STAFF’S RECRUITING & DEVELOPMENT PHILOSOPHY
Any member of the Army coaching staff will tell you that is clearly the most important thing for them as a group is to develop the guys they have, with the attempt to maximize their talents.
In essence, the staff may not get the finished product (4-5 star recruit), but with the players that do join the Black Knights’ football program it is to ensure that they can be the best possibly they can be.
What does that mean? Well, since Jeff Monken has taken over the program 4-years ago, essentially it means for players to play with great effort and to be tough players, which is what the head coach constantly preaches. When it comes down to it, that is what wins for the Army West Point football program. It may not be the name brand, but it’s the sum of the parts and everyone playing to those attributes that Monken and his staff constantly teach, which is the Army Black Knights’ brand ... ‘Great Effort & Toughness’.
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