Charlie Waters

[PonyPower]

Did everyone see Charlie Waters last night on TXCN?

I'm torn on Charlie. There's no doubt he was a great player. The media, even the Hansens of the world who hate SMU (perhaps even the Morning News?) would jump on his bandwagon, at least at first. (Morning News credo: First SMU loss justifies the DMN for covering Horns and Ags only for the rest of the year). But the Hansen types would jump ship immediately if he didn't win a lot. So the media coverage, at least at first, would be great.

His presence with alumni/boosters also would be terrific. Most SMU alums remember Waters as a great player. Seems like he's a thoughtful man with considerable charm and appeal, and those two things would make him a hit with the boosters. Chances are he'd get some more alumni to come out and see the team, and might generate donations that could cover his salary.

My area of concern is in recruiting. His charisma is above question, and his gentle, good ol' boy demeanor undoubtedly would play well with recruit's parents, especially those who remember him as a great player. But I can't imagine he'd be a huge hit with the kids (Charlie, if you get the job, go get Darrin Johnson to switch his commitment back to SMU!) Just didn't seem like a coach kids will relate to. I have no doubt the man can coach, but whether he can get the players to come to SMU is something I don't know.

Overall, the interview Bob Sturm did was good. Charlie clearly wants the job, and I have no doubt he'd work very hard at it. But I'm just not sold on his recruiting talents. DiNardo recruited Kevin Faulk and Anthony McFarland to LSU. Bustle recruited Michael Vick to Virginia Tech. South Carolina's recruiting class was considered excellent, and Skip Holtz is said to be a big part of the recruiting machine there. Can Waters keep up?

[PK]

I understand your concern, but a lot of the initial recruiting is done by the assistant coaches is it not? The HC gets involved when it is time to close the deal. Am I off base here. I've never been recruited or involved with recruiting so I'm not sure, but I thought every one was excited about coach Ringo as a recruiter. When Cavan recruited Hershel Walker, Cavan was not the HC at Georgia. They talk about Mack Brown's good recruiting, but how much of that is actual "recruiting" and how much is just who he is? Most parents are old enough to know who Charlie Waters is and parents do have an influence on their kid's decisions.

It's a tough call guys.

[Mac]

PonyPower and PK make great arguments. I do think that Waters will have some influence with parents and they will know that their kids will be in good hands. But, who knows if kids will like him, respect him, and ultimately want to play their hearts out for him.

It is known that the Head Coach isn't the one who is making all the trips to recruits houses but he ultimately is the drive behind everything. He is the head salesman who is suposed to make things work. I also think that Waters will have so much energy from being out of the game for so long that he will take the initiative to do more recruiting. Maybe this is just what the man needs and he will give it all he has. I don't think anyone is questioning his work ethic or dedication to the job. If he gets the job.

I am all for Waters if does what we all think he can do: bring back media coverage, get top of the line recruits, fill our bad [deleted] stadium, and win ball games.

I am still big on Skip Holtz.