How does much-maligned coach dominate recruiting?

	Depite guiding a program that has had two winning records this decade, Illinois coach has found a way to bring talented players to Champaign. AP
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Season's greetings. We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming of non-competitive bowl games and never-ending Rose Bowl buildup (did you know Michigan and USC are playing in the Rose Bowl? Of course you do, because you've probably watched at least 15 seconds of ESPN sometime in the past two weeks) to discuss an entirely different college football subject. It involves a coach whose team didn't even come close to reaching a bowl game this season -- which makes this man's latest achievement that much more remarkable.

I'm talking about Ron Zook, recruiting god.

Illinois has gone 4-19 in its first two seasons under Zook, but that hasn't stopped the former Florida coach from assembling a 2007 signing class that is currently ranked 12th in the country by Rivals.com. Last week, Chicago's Martez Wilson, the nation's second-ranked defensive end, committed to the Illini, spurning offers from USC, Notre Dame and Michigan. In doing so, he joined fellow top-30 national recruits Arrelious Benn, a Washington D.C. receiver considered the top prospect at his position, and Jacksonville, Fla., defensive tackle D'Angelo McCray among Illinois' 18 commitments. Only USC and Florida have as many highly ranked commits.

One question: How??? Seriously. How does he do it?

Zook's recruiting prowess has been well known dating back to his days as an assistant to Steve Spurrier from (1991-95). Back then, he was credited with recruiting many of the players that went on to star for Florida's '96 national title team. A decade later, the Gators are again playing for the national championship led by a core of stars (QB Chris Leak, WR Andre Caldwell, LBs Earl Everett and Brandon Siler, DEs Derrick Harvey and Jarvis Moss) whom Zook recruited as head coach.

But getting players to come to Florida, a program with great recent tradition and an abundance of in-state talent, is one thing. It's another altogether to get top-flight recruits from around the country -- guys who could play almost anywhere -- to come to Champaign, Ill., to play for a downtrodden program that's had two winning records in the past decade and hasn't won more than three games in a season since 2002.

Zook can't comment publicly about specific recruits until Signing Day (Feb. 7), but in a recent interview on Illinois' official Web site, he was asked the program's recruiting success in general. "It's all about people," said Zook. "Our players -- they're excited. They're looking forward to the direction our program is going ... When you've got a team like that, [recruits] feel that energy and that excitement, and there's no question in their minds that this program is going to get to where it's supposed to be."

That kids are buying this is a testament in itself to Zook's salesmanship.

Which brings us to the most fascinating element of all about the Zook recruiting phenomena -- the fact that, of all coaches, we're talking about Ron Zook. Career record: 27-33. This is the same guy who had a Web site calling for his firing before he coached his first game. The same guy who managed to post three straight five-loss seasons at Florida, a feat nearly as hard to pull off as three straight five-win seasons at Duke. The same guy who's quite possibly been the butt of more jokes among bloggers and message-board posters than any coach in the country, contributing to the cause with such memorable images as this and this.

Has there ever been a bigger discrepancy between a guy's perception among 17-year-old phenoms and that of the general public?

Speaking about his decision to go with the Illini over his more prestigious suitors, Wilson told the Chicago Tribune he felt comfortable with the Illini's coaching staff -- specifically Zook. "I like this dude," said Wilson. "He wasn't an uptight white coach."

And there you have it, folks. We here at the Mailbag wish Martez and his cohorts nothing but the best in Champaign, and may their not-uptight white coach lead them to the promised land.

More realistically, some other uptight coach will come in two years from now and reap the benefits of Zook's recruiting powers.