Coach Chris Ash has done a lot of impressive things in his first month on the job, but in the long run, few may be more important than building and strengthening pipelines to some long-neglected talent hot spots.
It happens every year in late January and early February, just before signing day: recruits flip, or in some cases, the school decides the kid isn't a good fit.
How a coaching staff scrambles to fill last-minute vacancies speaks volumes about its philosophy, and perhaps its place in the college football hierarchy. For schools not named Ohio State or Alabama, which can always go out and poach a three or four star player from a less dominant program, the end-game of the recruiting season often involves offering kids who are looking at or committed to FCS or lower schools.