Published Jun 29, 2020
Mitch Rodrigue lays out his recruiting philosophy
Justin Guerriero  •  CUSportsReport
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During a recent Zoom conference call with media, Colorado offensive line coach Mitch Rodrigue was asked about his philosophy with respect to recruiting and how he evaluates and offers players.

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Recently, Rodrigue landed his first offensive line commit in Jackson Anderson, a 6-foot-4, 280-pound guard from Mineola, TX. Rodrigue formerly coached Anderson's father, Leon, when he was a young graduate assistant at Southern Miss in 1989 and 1990.

He's also targeted Austin Barry, another 2021 offensive guard. Barry, like Anderson, is 280 pounds but stands at 6-foot-6. He recently named Colorado in a Top 5 and is expected to commit before the end of July.

Athleticism, Rodrigue said, is the number one trait he looks for in finding offensive linemen. Take a look at this recent video of Jackson Anderson running during a track relay: if Rodrigue was looking for athleticism in Anderson it would appear he found it.

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When asked about his recruiting philosophy and how he recruits, here's what Rodrigue had to say:

“I have been very successful, I think, over the last 30 years in picking offensive linemen. I’ve never had an opportunity to be in a Power Five school, but I’ve had four guys play in a Super Bowl, so I must be doing something correct."

"I like athleticism, number one. I’m going to find a defensive end that’s tall, rangy and maybe not as twitchy as an offensive lineman and we’re going to recruit him and make him an offensive lineman. I’m going to find a tight end that’s probably a bit too big for the position but he blocks well and I’m going to make him an offensive lineman. I’m going to find an undersized defensive lineman that are tall and rangy, but the key is athleticism. If you sign a fat guy that looks like me, then you’re going to get a fat guy. He’s going to be slow and won’t be able to move. But if you sign athletic guys, more (often) than not, you’ll wind up with a really good offensive lineman at some point, if they’re committed to the weight room."

"As far as getting those types of guys, I’ve always found that honesty is the best policy. I’m old school. I’m not into social media as much as other coaches are, and maybe I’m behind the 8-ball a little bit on that, but I’ve always found that genuine conversation, talking to mamas and daddies and being honest is always really good. I think I’ve always found it to be my philosophy that you create a relationship or a bond that’s so strong with a kid, that at the very end, he just doesn’t want to tell you know. That’s always been really good for me.”

Join the conversation on Rodrigue at Buff Nation, the premiere message board community serving countless Colorado fanatics.