The football team may have only won two conference games last year, but the Clan made monumental strides towards becoming a competitive force in the GNAC. Nonetheless, entering their third season as a member of the NCAA, there’s still plenty of room for improvement. Last week however, the Clan took some early steps to do just that.
The Clan released their recruitment list for 2012, and without looking at any names, one thing became abundantly clear: the team wanted to get bigger. Size has unquestionably been one of the biggest downfalls of the Clan in their GNAC tenure, as they’ve been literally bowled over by the opposition.
“We physically aren’t the right size,” said Clan head coach Dave Johnson. “This year, the goal was to get bigger,” and that they did. Of the 38 new recruits, only eight are shorter than six feet tall, and there are a few athletes in particular whose physicality jumps off the page.
One of them is quarterback Reece Hack, a 6’5” Oregon native who has Division 1 talent. Quarterback play has been an issue for the Clan since their NCAA inauguration, and while it was much better last year (whether it was Trey Wheeler or Greg Bowcott at the helm), adding a raw talent like Hack provides the Clan with a potential star, or if nothing else, depth at the most important position in sports.
“[Hack’s] not polished, but [he’s a] really athletic quarterback,” said Johnson. As raw as he is, he’s got enough talent to make anyone do a double take. “I don’t know why the heck he’s coming here to be honest,” said Johnson, “but I think it was the quality of character in our locker room.”
Character has been something Johnson has preached since day one, and it showed in spades last year. When you add it to simple talent like that of Mack, only good things can happen.
Linebacker Jack Goodwin has both in spades, and that’s what put him on the Clan’s radar as early as November. Built like a truck, the 6’3”, 220-pounder “plays with an edge and intensity that will really help [the Clan’s] defense.
“We need guys that play with emotion,” added Johnson, “and Jack Goodwin is a guy who does that. Not only his physical stature, but the way he’s wired excites us. That’s going to help us.”
The Clan’s biggest weakness, apart from maybe size, has been their defense, so bringing in talented, physical specimens was not only a top priority, but one that the Clan addressed well. Goodwin is just one of many, but as a junior college transfer, he will be expected to contribute right away. Given his track record, that shouldn’t be much of an issue.
One of the most intriguing new prospects plays in the defensive backfield. Defensive backs are traditionally some of the smallest athletes on the field, and tall receivers can easily take advantage of the size mismatch. Cairo Messer-Barrow doesn’t have that problem, as the 6’1” corner doesn’t often have wideouts go over top of him, nor run past him.
“His ability to run, and be athletic, and match up not just size-wise, but speed-wise, with the guys we’re going to play against . . . will help make us a better team,” said Johnson.
It’s that type of player — big and athletic — that the Clan need to recruit in order to compete in the GNAC.
“The first question we asked . . . was, ‘would our opponent recruit this kid?’” added Johnson. “If the answer is ‘no’, [then] we need to fish in a different DNA pool.”
Apparently, Johnson and his coaching staff believe Hack, Goodwin, and Messer-Barrow, as well as the 36 other 2012 recruits are exactly those types of players — and the tape backs them up. Between hiring a new promising offensive coordinator and bringing in a strong recruiting class, the Clan look poised to continue their ascension in the GNAC.
