Gene Chizik details recruiting differences at UNC, impact of NIL

Gene Chizik recognizes recruiting has changed with the advent on NIL, but the barebones of the art form are still the same for the North Carolina defensive coordinator.

During a press conference earlier this month, Chizik spoke about the differences in recruiting since NIL became official, and how he gets the job done on the trail.

“It’s a whirlwind. It’s been interesting for me to learn the nuances now. I mean, obviously it’s different when you’re having NIL discussions and you have — there’s a lot of different things on the table that weren’t there before. But I still think the fundamentals of recruiting haven’t changed,” began Chizik. “These kids that are interested in North Carolina, the lion share of these guys want a great education. They want a chance to be able to play and win at the highest level. And they want the chance to go and play in the NFL. I mean, that’s never changing.

“So, I think one of the things Coach [Mack] Brown has done here, just like he did when we were together at Texas. He’s brought in some fantastic talent, because the culture is right, and it’s all about relationships. That’ll never change. People are going to talk about the NIL, and we know that there’s influence with all these other factors out there, but normally, normally speaking, recruiting is still about relationships, and it’s still about developing those relationships and making sure that these guys know that when you come here, we can develop you as a player. That’s been a huge emphasis with us when we start talking recruiting. We talk about, don’t tell them you’re going to develop them. We have to show them how.

“So, we’ve spent a lot of time with recruits coming in defensively on, tell me how we’re going to develop them. Don’t tell me you’re going to develop them, show me the plan to develop them. What does that look like? So, when you have relationships, you can show that you have the ability to develop these guys and get them where they want to be at the next level, and you throw in this amazing education that this university provides, then it makes recruiting easier. Never easy, but easier.”

Continuing, Chizik added that all NIL discussions are taken care of by another department, so Chizik is able to speak strictly football with the recruits he’s trying to get to bring their talents to the program.

“I think what Coach [Brown] has done is he’s done a great job of — we have silos of people that handle that, and that great for us,” added Chizik. “We’re never in those — I haven’t had one discussion with one human about that. I mean, that’s not our wheelhouse, right? That’s for somebody else who actually has an expertise in that.

“Our job is to again, develop relationships with these guys, show them how we can develop them and show them that they’re going to have an opportunity to come to North Carolina to win. That’s kind of what we hang out hat on defensively— well, everywhere, but especially defensively.”

Everybody has had to adjust their recruiting since the advent of NIL, and Gene Chizik’s strategy with North Carolina is one of the most interesting. Time will tell how it works out for the Tar Heels, but it’s evident the program has a plan.