When the high school football season wrapped up, Michael Santini of Leland High School in San Jose got to work putting together his best football film to distribute to 15 college football programs.
It wasn’t until early January that he noticed serious calls coming in from scouts. Cal Poly was on the late train because new head coach Tim Walsh had just been hired and had a small team of coaches to aid him in recruiting. But once he assembled most of his staff, they made sure to target Santini.
“They just kept calling me, telling how much they loved the film,” Santini said. “And on my list, that pushes them up higher.”
After the season was over, he put together a daily two-hour workout routine with his younger brother to prepare for the beginning of a college football career. But pressure to choose a program was mounting as he saw a barrage of commitments on television after Christmas.
“It’s kind of like, ‘When am I going to figure this out?'” Santini said of the long process. “It gets to a point where you just want it to be over and you just want to know where you’re going.”
But he kept in mind his high school coach’s advice:
“It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t get too excited about something, keep your head on right and have thick skin, because some coaches are going to tell you, ‘You’re not what I’m looking for,'” his coach told him.
For new co-offensive coordinator Bryan Cook, Santini was just what he was looking for, so he made an in-house visit.
“It was actually kind of awkward because (Cal Poly) just got set up with their coaching staff before they visited me. Normally, I would ask recruiters about the school, but (Cook) probably knew as much as I did at the time,” he explained.
What Cook lacked on information about Cal Poly was made up with a visit to the campus.
“The school pretty much pitched itself,” Santini said. “It seems like a relaxed and good environment, plus the weather’s awesome.”
Walsh said that many recruits were sold on visits to the campus.
“We’re at a place like Cal Poly that can sell itself. That’s one reason why I decided to coach here, because it’s a great academic institution that gives us the opportunity to recruit the best student athletes,” he said.
During Santini’s tour of Cal Poly, he met with the coaches, advisers and learned about the academic programs.
The visit last week made Santini come to a quick realization that he wanted to play for the Mustangs.
His commitment was bad news for other schools gunning for him, like UC Davis, which got a phone call from Santini shortly after informing them he wouldn’t be making the trip.
Once he committed, Walsh made a stop at his San Jose home, where he was reaffirmed as a good fit to play linebacker for the defense Cal Poly wants to run.
He will be joined by his high school teammate Amir Tadros, who also committed to play on the defensive line.
It’s a procedure that repeats itself day and night, up and down the state, culminating in the Feb. 4 signing day.
During the day, recruiters visit the players to scout the best fits for their teams. Those that make the cut get a night in-house visit to include the parents in the decision making.
“We want mom and dad to ask as many questions as they can,” Walsh said. “We spend (a lot of) personal time with the student athletes.
“You work from seven in the morning to 10:00 at night to find the right fits for your program. You put a lot of wear and tear and miles on the car,” Walsh said about the process.
It all took shape once football season ended for Santini, but for the coaches, it’s a year-round search for talent that the new coaches at Cal Poly had to squeeze into 17 days.
Walsh said the motivation to sustain long workdays is the desire to be a great coach and the biggest reward of watching his student athletes flourish.
“Good players make good coaches,” he said. “You can be the best coach in the world, but without good players, you’re not going to win many games.”
Recruits
Duke deLancellotti
QB
San Clemente, CA
San Clemente HS
Fred Gaines
RB/DB
Chowchilla, CA
Chowchilla HS
Sullivan Grosz
DL
Fresno, CA
San Joaquin Memorial HS
Geoff Hyde
C
Anaheim, CA
Esperanza HS
Ken Johnston
QB
Carmel, CA
Carmel HS
Johnny Millard
DB
Dublin, CA
Foothill HS
Vince Moraga
QB/DB
Oxnard, CA
Pacifica HS
Brock Morris
OL
Redlands, CA
Redlands HS
Chris Pinto
P/K
Salinas, CA
Salinas HS/ Monterey Peninsula College
Xavier Ramos
DB
Ventura, CA
St. Bonaventure HS
Bijon Samoodi
RB/DB
Anaheim, CA
Servite HS
Michael Santini
RB/LB
San Jose, CA
Leland HS
Amir Tadros
OL/DL
San Jose, CA
Leland HS
Gabriel Umoh
FB
Inglewood, CA
Morningside HS
Tim Vizzi
WR/DB
Moorpark, CA
Moorpark HS