Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images
Trying to scoop another program’s players is the coaching equivalent of ratting on someone for looking at a classmate’s paper during a test.
The recruiting process is an arduous one involving painting on a permanent plastic smile to court little shit kids who think they’ve already made the league, traveling to all corners of the country, sending snail mail, buying their mother’s Range Rovers, secretly funding relatives’ laundromat businesses, the list goes on and on.
A coach is only as good as the players on his roster, so if you mess with his roster, you mess with his livelihood. Hawaii head football coach Nick Rolovich knows this and he ain’t going to let newly-appointed Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith poach his guys.
Rolovich shared some evidence on Twitter that Oregon State was actively trying to recruit his players.
https://twitter.com/NickRolovich/status/992340819817320448
Rolovich is displaying his paranoia here–although Oregon State hasn’t had a winning record since 2013 and finished a dismal 1-11 last season, his Rainbow Warriors finished 3-9 last season after a .500 season the year before and a Hawaii Bowl victory.
As a spectator, I’m all for shameless unabashed poaching. It’s provocative, IT’S WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT!
[h/t Larry Brown Sports]