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In every new issue of Sooner Spectator, we ask coaching legend Barry Switzer to share his thoughts on a variety of topics, ranging from football to food to his favorite anecdotes. For the latest installment of King’s Corner, we caught up with Coach Switzer and asked him about the ins and outs of college football recruiting.

Sooner Spectator: Were you surprised at all to see the impact that OU’s Sugar Bowl win over Alabama seemingly had with so many recruits?

Barry Switzer: Well, we all knew the victory was going to be a tremendous plus for the program. But I think it’s hard to tell how many decisions that game actually influenced, just because I believe most kids had their minds made up way before then. I can’t see a lot of players waiting around to see of OU wins a bowl game or not and then basing their final decision on that outcome. I’m sure there were a few who were still trying to decide and that win certainly didn’t hurt matters. I think the fact that OU is recruiting so much nationally that those types of games are going to have a bigger influence on the overall perception of a team or program or coaching staff.

SS: OU has done a good job of keeping a good number of the top Oklahoma prospects here at home. How important is that to a program?

Switzer: You have got to get the best players from your own state, without question. Oklahoma is only going to produce a few potentially great ones every year, so you’ve got to do well with those kids. You always want that Oklahoma influence on your team because those kids are invested longer and deeper in your program. Of course, I took more Oklahoma kids during my time because I had more scholarships to work with. These days, Bob (Stoops) has to be a little more choosey when recruiting and signing those kids. He’s a lot more limited in what he can do close to home. But there’s no doubt that you always want to bring in the best Oklahoma kids when you have the opportunity.

SS: What’s the biggest difference between the way you see kids pick a program now compared to when you were at OU?

Switzer: I’m amazed by the how easily kids these days are swayed one way or the other. A lot of them are picking their schools based on where their girlfriend is going or the design of a team’s shoes or helmets or maybe even team colors. They aren’t picking their programs for the right reasons and you see it all the time. You better be making your choice based on the school, the program and the fact that you are going to be living there the next four or five years, at least. You need to look down the road and envision where you might be and what the unintended consequences of your decision might be.

SS: Is social media a good or bad thing where recruiting and players are concerned?

Switzer: It’s good to some degree because it gives you access to so much information and so many connections. But I also think it’s dangerous. There are probably more minuses than pluses when you evaluate how it works and how young players use it. Too many times, you see a young player or person make a decision to put something out there without really thinking it through. And then regret it, immediately. I know they try to educate kids on how to use Twitter and things like that, but you can’t be there to remind them in the heat of the moment or when they decide to be impulsive. Emotional decisions are usually the ones that come back to bite them. You need to sit back and evaluate that idea for a few minutes, sleep on it maybe. Don’t just fire something off without regard for what kind of reaction or response it’s going to bring. A lot of it is about being mature.

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