One of the things we already know about new Washington State defensive coordinator Alex Grinch is that he's a plus-recruiter who specializes in the Southeast recruiting territory and Georgia, in particular. He also has experience recruiting in Texas, among other regions.
Grinch had a very successful run as a recruiter at Missouri, eventually leading the point on three-star athlete Tavon Ross, who picked Missouri over offers from Alabama, Georgia, Miami and others coming out of the 2014 class. Ross' head coach at Bleckly County (Ga.) High School says Grinch was as good as it gets.
"I think he's outstanding. Amazing," Bleckly County (Ga.) coach Tracy White told the Columbia Tribune. "They get off the beaten path. We're in the center of [Georgia], which is very rural, and most people get off an airplane in Atlanta and never leave the area and get what they want.
"He found Tavon early. He stays in contact, comes and visits any time he's in Georgia. I think he's a great recruiter. He's an excellent recruiter. I like the way he does it."
Grinch also helped find Hershey (Pa.) defensive tackle Harold Brantley in the 2012 class. According to the Columbia Tribune, Grinch used his connections made at New Hampshire to lead the Tigers' staff towards Brantley who, as a redshirt sophomore, is one of the top defensive lineman in the SEC.
In the 2013 class, Grinch landed three-star quarterback Eddie Printz, who many believe will be the next great quarterback at Missouri. The Marietta (Ga.) Lassiter product, who redshirted in 2013 and won the backup quarterback job last fall, was ranked the No. 32 pro-style quarterback in the 2013 class and picked the Tigers over offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Florida State, UCLA and many others.
Washington State inside receivers coach David Yost, the Tigers' former offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator, also had a hand in landing Printz. But, in addition to Printz and Ross, Grinch has landed verbal commitments from three-star athlete Thomas Wilson and four-star receiver Nate Brown over the last two years.
Wilson, a 5-foot-10, 176-pound safety out of Buford (Ga.), was rated the No. 27 safety in the 2014 class and picked Missouri over offers from Arizona, Kansas State, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Tennessee, West Virginia and many others.
Brown hailed from Suwanee (Ga.) South Gwinett and was rated the No. 49 receiver in the country, earning him a 5.8 four-star rating. He picked the Tigers over offers from Georgia, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Vanderbilt and several others.
In the current class, Grinch led the point on one known Missouri verbal commit, T.J. Warren, a cornerback from Conyers (Ga.) Rockdale County. Warren, a 5.5 three-star prospect, picked Missouri over offers from Georgia Tech and Indiana. He has yet to officially visit Missouri and with the Cougars still in the market for a cornerback in this class, he's one to watch.
Three Missouri targets, who were recruited by Grinch, are set to officially visit Missouri this weekend and their recruitment remains open -- Dublin (Ga.) receiver Terez Hall.
There may be one early connection between Grinch and Washington State, and that is Moultrie (Ga.) Colquitt County running back Sihiem King, who officially visits Washington State on January 23. King and Grinch have been in contact earlier in this cycle, however the Tigers never officially offered King and he's now down to Wake Forest, West Virginia and Wazzu.
Washington State has started to recruit the Southeast a lot heavier in the last few cycles, particular in 2015, where in addition to King, the Cougars have extended offers to 10 prospects in Georgia alone. It can be expected that Grinch will use those ties to recruit the Southeast while at Washington State.
All in all, PowerMizzou.com associate editor Pete Scantlebury says that while his defensive coordinator abilities are the unknown at this point, Grinch will be an immediate impact guy on the recruiting trail with a track record of success.
"But, regardless of that unknown, he's a bright, energetic young coach, who will be an asset on the recruiting trail. He REALLY made a quick impact on Georgia, an area Missouri never really recruited before the SEC move."
This post was edited on 1/14 4:53 PM by Britton Ransford
Grinch had a very successful run as a recruiter at Missouri, eventually leading the point on three-star athlete Tavon Ross, who picked Missouri over offers from Alabama, Georgia, Miami and others coming out of the 2014 class. Ross' head coach at Bleckly County (Ga.) High School says Grinch was as good as it gets.
"I think he's outstanding. Amazing," Bleckly County (Ga.) coach Tracy White told the Columbia Tribune. "They get off the beaten path. We're in the center of [Georgia], which is very rural, and most people get off an airplane in Atlanta and never leave the area and get what they want.
"He found Tavon early. He stays in contact, comes and visits any time he's in Georgia. I think he's a great recruiter. He's an excellent recruiter. I like the way he does it."
Grinch also helped find Hershey (Pa.) defensive tackle Harold Brantley in the 2012 class. According to the Columbia Tribune, Grinch used his connections made at New Hampshire to lead the Tigers' staff towards Brantley who, as a redshirt sophomore, is one of the top defensive lineman in the SEC.
In the 2013 class, Grinch landed three-star quarterback Eddie Printz, who many believe will be the next great quarterback at Missouri. The Marietta (Ga.) Lassiter product, who redshirted in 2013 and won the backup quarterback job last fall, was ranked the No. 32 pro-style quarterback in the 2013 class and picked the Tigers over offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Florida State, UCLA and many others.
Washington State inside receivers coach David Yost, the Tigers' former offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator, also had a hand in landing Printz. But, in addition to Printz and Ross, Grinch has landed verbal commitments from three-star athlete Thomas Wilson and four-star receiver Nate Brown over the last two years.
Wilson, a 5-foot-10, 176-pound safety out of Buford (Ga.), was rated the No. 27 safety in the 2014 class and picked Missouri over offers from Arizona, Kansas State, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Tennessee, West Virginia and many others.
Brown hailed from Suwanee (Ga.) South Gwinett and was rated the No. 49 receiver in the country, earning him a 5.8 four-star rating. He picked the Tigers over offers from Georgia, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Vanderbilt and several others.
In the current class, Grinch led the point on one known Missouri verbal commit, T.J. Warren, a cornerback from Conyers (Ga.) Rockdale County. Warren, a 5.5 three-star prospect, picked Missouri over offers from Georgia Tech and Indiana. He has yet to officially visit Missouri and with the Cougars still in the market for a cornerback in this class, he's one to watch.
Three Missouri targets, who were recruited by Grinch, are set to officially visit Missouri this weekend and their recruitment remains open -- Dublin (Ga.) receiver Terez Hall.
There may be one early connection between Grinch and Washington State, and that is Moultrie (Ga.) Colquitt County running back Sihiem King, who officially visits Washington State on January 23. King and Grinch have been in contact earlier in this cycle, however the Tigers never officially offered King and he's now down to Wake Forest, West Virginia and Wazzu.
Washington State has started to recruit the Southeast a lot heavier in the last few cycles, particular in 2015, where in addition to King, the Cougars have extended offers to 10 prospects in Georgia alone. It can be expected that Grinch will use those ties to recruit the Southeast while at Washington State.
All in all, PowerMizzou.com associate editor Pete Scantlebury says that while his defensive coordinator abilities are the unknown at this point, Grinch will be an immediate impact guy on the recruiting trail with a track record of success.
"But, regardless of that unknown, he's a bright, energetic young coach, who will be an asset on the recruiting trail. He REALLY made a quick impact on Georgia, an area Missouri never really recruited before the SEC move."
This post was edited on 1/14 4:53 PM by Britton Ransford
