sternsgator: What is McElwain like when recruiting players? Do the players seem responsive to Mac? If not, why?

Appleby:

My situation was a little bit different. You can say I was technically recruited last year. That said, the way I went through it, being a fifth-year senior, the things that are important to me - I mean, I know the game. The recruiting ploys and the nice facilities and the gear, those didn't really make much of a difference, because as a fifth-year, you're trying to win and move on to the next level and be the best you can possibly be.

In everything that I've seen not just from Coach Mac but the entire staff, I can say this much. When you go through the recruiting process, there's all of fluff, crap, for a lack of a better term. Teams do whatever they've got to do to get you to sign, maybe. I never got a bigger sense of this staff, particularly led by Coach Mac, that cares about the player.

What the recruiting looks like day to day, how they talk to guys, what they do to sell the program, I really don't know. But I can say once the guys are here - once I got here - it's not like there's the recruiting act and once you sign on the dotted line and enroll in school, it's not like, "I don't recognize that coach anymore because he doesn't act like that anymore." I've heard a lot of stories from a lot of guys at a lot of different places where that happens. That doesn't happen here. These guys are exactly who they appear to be. What you see is what you get.

I can just tell you from my own experience. For better or for worse, there are a lot of coaches from around the country who guaranteed me a starting job when I was going through my transfer process. Coach Mac never did that. He was honest. He said, "Look, you're going to have a chance to compete and that's it. That's all I can guarantee you." You want somebody who's going to be honest, truly honest. It's rare. When you've got somebody like that, it's really special and you keep those relationships with those coaches for a long time.

For example, I talk to Coach (Danny) Hope from Purdue, who was the guy who recruiting. Coach John Shoop was my offensive coordinator at Purdue - he's one of my closest friends in coaching because of the way he opened up his family and the way that he was totally honest with me. He's one of my favorite coaches of all time, and I feel the exact same way in year one with Coach Nuss and Coach Mac. For better or for worse, it's not because they are better X's and O's and this or that, they're honest. They truly care about you. You're not just a pawn on a chessboard. That means a lot to kids.  Long-term, you end up getting the right kids and you're able to get the most out of them because those guys are willing to run through a wall for you.

That's why Coach Mac has been able to get so much out of his team.

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