From the podcast: Gerry Byrne on recruiting and perceptions

Harvard head coach Gerry Byrne joins the "Chasing The Goal" podcast to kick off our recruiting series. (Seamans Media)

On this week’s episode of New England Lacrosse Journal’s “Chasing the Goal” podcast, hosts Kyle Devitte and Jack Piatelli welcomed Harvard head coach Gerry Byrne into the studio as the first guest in a new series on college recruiting. 

Byrne is one of the most celebrated defensive minds in the game and is entering his first full season in charge at Harvard. Prior to being appointed to the Crimson in late 2019, Byrne spent 13 years at Notre Dame as the defensive coordinator.

In 2020, Harvard went 2-2 in the shortened pandemic season and last year the Ivy League did not sanction league play, so most of the teams did not compete.

With the 2022 season on the horizon, Harvard is looking to get back to the Ivy League tournament once again.

The full podcast can be accessed below and is available on all major platforms. If you enjoy it please leave a rating and a review.

This podcast is sponsored by the University of Nebraska High School. For more information on UNHS, visit highschool.nebraska.edu/nelj.

Jack Piatelli: One of the misconceptions about the recruiting process is that coaches can start contacting their recruits in the fall of their junior year on Sept. 1. A lot of players and parents have the perception that that day is “signing day” — but it’s just the beginning of the recruiting process, right?

Gerry Byrne: I think when you look at Sept. 1, it’s like the Oklahoma land rush.  They blow a horn and everybody runs out to try and plant their flag. Sometimes it’s the school that has 10 or 11 guys that they like and we’re going to go full-court press to get some of those guys. Those guys have some percentage of the top 100 players and some of those players want to go to those schools.

So, it can happen really quickly. Sometimes Johnny and school X were meant to be. Maybe it’s a family connection or a geographic or scholarship program that fits everyone. So that happens within the first two weeks of Sept. 1. Certainty on the coach’s side meets interest and desire on the player’s side.

Kyle Devitte: When you see a player flip their commitment, what is your thought on that as a coach?

GB: There are two things there – one is the (transfer) portal and the other is the right that people have to go to the school that they want to go to. I’m a Libertarian in that way, meaning I went to college already. I believe that 16- and 17-year-olds can choose where they want to go. I believe that a 21-year-old that wants to transfer should do it if that’s what they want.

I think it’s funny when people are talking about the transfer portal and they’re maligning it: “Oh, this generation can’t deal with disappointment!” First of all, you don’t know what the situation is. Maybe they don’t like their team. Maybe their locker room isn’t great. Maybe their relationship with the coaches isn’t that good. Maybe he wants to play. Maybe he can go to another place and play and study what he wants to do.

It’s so easy to go on these platforms and malign these young people for transferring. Presuming that someone is leaving because they’re not playing yet. That may be true, but even if it is true — what’s wrong with that?

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