Andy Vaughn: We're looking for tough, competitive recruits
New Director of Player Personnel Andy Vaughn met with the media for the first time after Thursday’s practice.
He recounted how he first worked with Manny Diaz at Middle Tennessee State.
“The opportunity came up, it’s one I jumped on,” Vaughn said.
Vaughn, of course, is tasked with helping make this Cane roster championship caliber.
“Really what we’re looking for is guys who can translate (Diaz’s) vision of what a Miami Hurricane should be over to the field - the passion for the game of football, the willingness and ability to compete, the toughness, all those things he talks about,” Vaughn said. “The main things we’re looking for: Competitiveness, toughness, passion, how much does he love playing football? It takes a different kind of guy to be successful here. If we can find a guy that has those qualities I think we’ll be alright.”
Vaughn, asked how helping recruit at Miami is different from other places he’s been, said, “Not many places I’ve been you’re going to have multiple five stars just pop in every day for practice,” he said. “Everywhere else I’ve been you have to find those guys and talk them into coming on campus. You can probably walk out here on the street, throw a rock and hit a couple of them. The quality of talent nearby in this area makes it a little bit easier, but everyone in the country knows that so we have to fight more battles than maybe other schools would because this is our home turf, we have to protect it. Everybody knows this is where the players are. We have to build those relationships, cultivate those relationships with the coaching staff - make them realize `You don’t have to go somewhere else to represent someone else’s city when you can do that here.’”
* Vaughn said the Paradise type camp under Manny Diaz will be held at some time in late June, but there is no set date for it yet.
* Vaughn said "it's a group effort" when it comes to scanning the transfer portal.
"The portal can be a really good thing if you manage it the right way," he said. "We have to make sure those guys fit the Miami profile, what a Hurricane should be. As long as we figure those things out early in the process it can be a very valuable thing.
"We're on there every day, know what we want, what we're looking for, positions of need that we have."