The easiest thing a newly hired head coach can do to win the support of a fan base is to publicly declare their intention to recruit the best in-state high school players to play for their college program.
In December, Ryan Day made it a point in his first press conference to send a message to both players and coaches in the state, saying it will be the team's "first priority to recruit Ohio football players." More than a year prior, Chris Holtmann said the basketball program will work to "close the borders and dominate the state of Ohio in recruiting.