Once again, Joker Phillips has Operation Win making headlines in the south. The new attitude he’s brought to our football program has everyone talking and the progress he’s made on Kentucky’s 2011 recruiting class has them talking even more.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Here’s an excerpt from jacketsonline.com….
[QUOTE]In just more than six months as coach, Phillips has commitments from 14 prospects for the 2011 recruiting class. That includes highly regarded defensive back Glen Faulkner and defensive tackle Clint Tucker, both of East St. Louis (Ill.) High.
This time last year, the Wildcats had two commitments.
“This is exactly what we envisioned,” Phillips said of the Wildcats’ fast start. “We want to be a top-10 program, and to be a top-10 program, you’ve got to recruit.
“When I hire coaches, the No. 1 thing I ask is, ‘Can he recruit?’ Second is, ‘How is he as a teacher?’ Third, I want enthusiasm and passion for Kentucky. I’ve got to sell the coaches first. They have to have passion for the plan we have in place.”
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Hmmm… Does that sound familiar? It almost sounds like Joker’s focus on recruitment is straight out of the Calipari handbook. If only he can find an offense that would be the football equivalent of the dribble drive.
Regardless the offense for next season, it’s obvious things will be different. Joker seems to have made all the right moves over the summer and his new coaching staff is already paying dividends.
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“We’ve got to be persistent in selling our message,” Phillips said. “The kids will continue to hear our message and hear it the same way from everybody that delivers it. We’ll be winning in the classroom and in the community. We’ll be model citizens, and make no bones about it, we’ll win on the football field. We’re not going to take a backseat to anyone.”
You can’t hope to beat SEC East powerhouses on the field if you back down on the recruiting trail. Phillips vows Kentucky won’t be meek. He will aggressively recruit the state of Kentucky and target Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and Alabama, too.
“We want kids to have to tell us ‘no,’ ” Phillips said. “And if we get a ‘no,’ that will give us a chance to go on to the next [recruit]. I tell our coaches, ‘Go get the ‘no.’ ”
So far, though, he has received a lot of yeses.
“When we first hit the road, the response was great,” Martin said. “A lot of high school coaches and players have a great relationship with Joker. When I go to Atlanta, Nashville, Knoxville, I’ve been received well. I knew Kentucky recruited there, but I didn’t know how deeply entrenched Joker was.
“You know, kids hear about big-name coaches, but sometimes the names get so big the kids don’t feel comfortable. Joker’s personality makes you feel comfortable and he’s a players-type coach. It’s not hard to sell Joker Phillips.”
Martin said he sees similarities in Kentucky now and Tennessee before it surfaced as a national power in the mid-’90s.
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You can read [URL=”http://georgiatech.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1102488″]the complete article here.[/URL]…
WOW! That’s something to think about. I know we never want to be Tennessee, but to think we’re on the verge of finally being a serious contender for an SEC Championship is something to be excited about.
