MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Less than three weeks into his first full-time coaching job, West Virginia’s Tyron Carrier prepares for his first recruiting trip, where some of a college assistant’s most important and unseen work occurs.
For an orientation, the 28-year-old will take a ride-along with running backs coach Ja’Juan Sieder through south Florida. Seider has been recruiting that talent-soaked area for six years after spending eight seasons as a high school coach there.
“I’m going to make sure he’s not thrown to the wolves,” Seider said. “Give him the do’s and don’ts, and kind of show him the way.”
Among the teaching points: How to make inroads with new coaches, how to evaluate a practice, and how to spot “big-picture” players aside from your position. Plus there’s that thick NCAA compliance guide to absorb—for instance, when does a “bump” turn into a recruiting violation?
“You’re eager to go get that relationship, so you want to make sure you not pushing the envelope too far and getting yourself in trouble,” Seider said.
As a graduate assistant at Baylor last year, Carrier was prohibited from off-campus recruiting, the nuances of which can make or break a coach’s career. Even a tremendous teacher must wield a presence in high school weight-rooms and the homes across his recruiting territory in order to sign quality athletes.
Carrier’s inexperience with this could be fodder for negative recruiting, especially when he’s in his native Houston vying against more regionally recognizable programs from across Texas and Oklahoma. Instead, Carrier contends being young will benefit his connections with high school prospects.
“I’m 28 and I just got through playing, so I understand the struggles and everything they’re going through,” he said.
“I’m 28 and I just got through playing, so I understand the struggles and everything they’re going through. A lot of these schools sell dreams, but I’m going to give you reality. I’m going to give you the truth.”
— WVU assistant Tyron Carrier
An undersized two-star recruit who signed with Houston to become a top-five all-time receiver in the FBS, Carrier rails against entitlement and believes players will trust his straight-fired perspective .
“I’m a guy who had to work for everything I have,” he said. “If I walk into a household and they’re not willing to work or they think everything is going to be handed to them, that’s not how it works in life, period.
“A lot of these schools sell dreams, but I’m going to give you reality. I’m going to give you the truth.”
Baylor’s Art Briles, who was at the University of Houston in 2007 and became the only major-college coach to offer Carrier a scholarship, lauded him this week for having “a great soul and a great spirit.” Briles said he was “tickled pink” to see Carrier land a spot on WVU’s staff and added “I also think he’ll be able to help recruit in Houston too.”
That’s certainly the hope of Dana Holgorsen, who turned to the young coach this month after 21-year coaching veteran Lonnie Galloway left for Louisville.
Accompanying Seider could be doubly beneficial because Florida is once more brimming with top receiver talent. Ultimately, helping the new guy make introductions is only a step before Carrier must design his own approach.
“You’ve got to be your own guy and you’ve got to figure out what makes you tick,” Seider said. “You’ve got to have your own magic.”