BeaversEdge.com spoke to Oregon State's Director of Player Personnel Vince Guinta for an interview about Oregon State's 2017 class and much more. Check out the in-depth Q&A segment below and come back Wednesday to read Part II.
More: Report Cards - OSU's 2017 offensive signees | BeaversEdge Q&A: Telly Lockette | Oregon State class of 2017 superlatives
What was your guys' take on the whole saga of Trajon Cotton's recruitment? It seemed to go back and forth between Oregon State and Colorado down to the wire.
Guinta: "I feel like we had a good relationship built with Trajon. It goes back a couple of years. I felt like we had a good rapport with his family. We had a lot of different staff members involved. Obviously, coach Baldwin did a great job. A lot of it goes back to just sticking in there as the ups and downs came. He's one of those guys that we kept in touch with because we think so highly of him. It swung back around to where he was feeling it, and we were feeling him. It was a good fit at the end."
How happy are you guys about getting Aidan Willard?
Guinta: "Really happy with Aidan. You can never underestimate the power of a player who really cares about your program. This was his dream school; this is where he wanted to be. He will be a young man that will excel here, because he'll always work, and he'll always care about this place. That will be contagious with the other kids. If he talks to a kid from the east coast, Aidan will tell him about how it was growing up being a Beaver fan and tells you stories about wearing Derek Anderson jerseys. That kind of thing is really cool and helps build your program from within."
Justin Gardner is an underrated guy and maybe a bit of a project. How high are you guys on Gardner and how he'll be able to develop?
Guinta: "We went out to a satellite camp, the Minorities Coaches Association camp, and that camp was off the charts. It was run so professionally. There were so many kids there. We were able to identify him at that camp, and he stood out right away. He's everything you're looking for. He is long, has good quickness, and then when you meet him and find out about him off the field, he's everything you're looking for there too. He's smart, he does well in school, and he's a hard worker. He fits exactly what we were looking for in this class, and I'm surprised he didn't more attention [from colleges]. Now, he's not inside the loop in Atlanta. He's from the outskirts there. He maybe didn't get as much attention as if he was an intercity Atlanta guy. But that worked out really well for us, because we think he'll be a really good player."
I also think Kaleb Hayes is going to be a really good player. What do you guys think about Hayes?
Guinta: "Kaleb Hayes is another satellite camp guy. We have a good relationship with the coach there at San Gorgonio. He has a long history with a few guys on our staff. Shemiah Unutoa-Whitson was from there last year. Kaleb came to our camp, and he was a tremendous athlete. He ran a 4.4 [40-yard dash], and he was explosive in the drills. You couldn't not offer that kid if you saw him at that camp. It was a no brainer, and then to see the season that he had his senior year did not surprise us. He had such an explosive year. They won their district and went into the playoffs, and he was such a big part of that. A lot of teams put their best athlete at quarterback, because he handles the ball the most. He understands the game well, so he'll make a nice transition over and really be able to understand the game maybe more than someone who just played only corner leading up to college."
Is continuing to find talent at satellite camps something you guys plan to do in 2017?
Guinta: "The NCAA legislation that they proposed will change things a little bit. I think it's critical for us to have opportunities to go to those camps. We'll always look for ways to maximize the opportunity to see players. We're up in the northwest corner of the country, so the more time we get to go evaluate young men, the better. Those camps are very, very valuable. I know the rules will change a little bit this year - where they're able to have [the camps], how many days you're able to spend out. Part of our plan is to maximize those opportunities and hopefully get a chance to see more kids. It really paid dividends for us this year."
Oregon State signed Josh Bowcut and recruited other guys throughout the recruiting cycle that will be taking an LDS Mission Trip after they complete high school. Do you guys see a lot of benefit in recruiting those kids even though they can be recruited by other schools when they come back?
Guinta: "Yes. There will always be a place for those young men in our program. All you have to do is look at Gus Lavaka. He's a classic example of what can happen and the positive benefits of a mission. When he went away on his mission, he was under-recruited and didn't have much attention. He came back after two years much more mature, and the mission does amazing things for those young men as far as their character and things like that. So when he comes back, the next thing you know, he's starting as a true freshman on our offensive line, which is very, very difficult. In Josh's case, he's a hair under 6-foot-6 and 280-pounds. When he comes back, he might be 330-pounds, and you might have a big time offensive lineman on your hands. He might come back a little skinnier, and Josh is twitchy, so he might come back and be a defensive end or outside linebacker. Their body develops, and you get a more mature player after those two years. It's something that coach Andersen has always been familiar with, and our staff has a history recrutiing missionaries. We'll always, always recruit some of those type of guys."
How do you guys envision Quantino Allen in your offense?
Guinta: "Because of his body type, he is naturally very strong and explosive. He is very, very fast. He has the kind of body that will allow him to have the chance to play early. You won't have to worry about him being physically strong enough out to be out there. That will be a big advantage for him. He is a dynamic player, and you can see a guy like Tino coming out right away and playing on a lot of the special teams. He'll have the chance to do things on offense because of his combination of speed, strength, and explosiveness. You can't have enough guys like that on your team. He checks a lot of boxes off when it comes to potential impact for your team."
Coach Phillips will obviously be recruiting in Texas, and we've heard that he'll be recruiting some in Louisiana. What about coach Rushing? Will he be recruiting an area or more of just specific defensive backs that you guys like?
Guinta: "We will always recruit by area. That will be our primary and our base. We will always start in Oregon and in the Pacific Northwest. We will expand from there; we want to do a great job in the Pac-12 region, especially in California. You have to succeed in California if you're going to succeed in the Pac-12. From there, we're going to put [coaches] in areas based on relationships and personalities that fit. Coach Lockette will always hold it down in south Florida. You can't ask for a better recruiter in south Florida than Telly Lockette. Coach Rushing comes from the Central Valley of California. He has a lot of Pac-12 experience, so he's a natural fit in California. The same is with coach Hall; he is from California and has a lot of experience there. Those guys will do a great job. From coach Andersen's side of things, he hires guys who are great recruiters that recruit in the areas that we want to be in. Once we get through the initial run of spring ball and evaluations - as you get into the fall and into December and January - that's where the position coach and the coordinator and the head coach really come in. We don't just recruit someone with one coach. It'll be two or three, maybe even four guys, once you really get into the cycle with us."
Part II will include Guinta's thoughts on OSU's two new running back signees, Polynesian recruiting, Dave Baldwin's success in recruiting the 2017 class, and a couple of funny stories from the recrutiing trail.
More: Report Cards - OSU's 2017 offensive signees | BeaversEdge Q&A: Telly Lockette | Oregon State class of 2017 superlatives
