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Miami conducts live Web cast of Signing Day

Miami University's head football coach Michael Haywood talks to a recruit signing his National Letter of Intent Wednesday Feb. 3, 2010, at Yager Stadium in Oxford.

Staff photo by Nick Daggy Miami University's head football coach Michael Haywood talks to a recruit signing his National Letter of Intent Wednesday Feb. 3, 2010, at Yager Stadium in Oxford.

ENLARGE PHOTO

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By Pete Conrad, Staff Writer Updated 8:03 AM Thursday, February 4, 2010

OXFORD — National Letter of Intent signing day was a mixed bag for head coach Michael Haywood and his Miami University football program, a busy bag of delight, relief, confusion and a little anxiety.

“It’s like Christmas,” said Carl “Bull” Reese, Miami’s veteran defensive coordinator who has been through it many times.

But none were exactly like this day.

This one took place in two connecting offices inside Yager Stadium loaded with lights, cameras, microphones, lap tops and the all-important fax machine.

As the calls and signed faxes from recruits came in, the radio broadcasting team of Steve Baker, Tim Bray and Terry Bridge were trying to set a world record for most interviews during a six-hour span as Miami conducted what is believed to be the world’s first live Web cast of the event.

It was complete with updates, promos and even guest appearances from many of the athletic department’s other heavy hitters. At one point athletic director Brad Bates, basketball coaches Charlie Coles and Maria Fantanarosa and hockey coach Enrico Blasi all were present.

Just out of range of the microphones, little dramas were being played out.

At 9:34 a.m., Miami running backs coach KiJuan Ware was on the phone with Willie Culpepper, a running back from San Antonio, Texas.

“You just made me the happiest man in Oxford,” Ware spoke into the phone.

A few minutes later Ware explained that Culpepper was “the fastest kid we have on the board. He’s a special player .... That was a group effort getting him.”

Earlier, Haywood took a call from Travis Williams, a cornerback from Cooper City, Fla.

“Hey, that is outstanding man,” Haywood said. “We can’t wait to get you up here.”

It was a speech that was repeated, with some variations, many times during the morning.

Nerves can be a little on edge, though.

“Over half of (the recruits) have signed and faxed them in,” Reese said around 8:30 a.m., “and then you start worrying about the ones who haven’t gotten in. You have kids who change their minds and decide to go somewhere else.”

The Miami defensive coordinator added that despite all of the effort involved in recruiting, sometimes a walk-on player will join the team and have just as big of an impact as a highly touted recruit.

“Recruiting is an art, it’s not a science,” he said. “You can’t measure a guy and say it’s going to work.”

Mike Pearson, Miami assistant athletic director for media relations, coordinated the Web cast part of the event. His six-hour schedule was divided into five-minute segments.

A 15-minute sample: 8:40 a.m., Jude Killy about Miami’s Red & White Club; 8:45, fourth recruit, Mason Krysinski, Haywood on Krysinski; 8:50, Haywoood answers “tweets”; 8:55, Ellie Zabielski (Miami assistant director of promotions), guest/segment.

“The first hour we were hoofing it pretty good,” Pearson said about 90 minutes into the Web cast. “We’re back on schedule now.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or pconrad@coxohio.com.