University of North Carolina Athletics
Blake More Than A Recruiter
August 9, 2007 | Football
Aug. 9, 2007
By Lauren Brownlow
Just mentioning the name of their new defensive line coach John Blake causes seniors Kentwan Balmer and Hilee Taylor to exchange a knowing look and smile, shaking their heads. Taylor had just one word to describe Blake: `freak.'
"That's not bad," he added quickly.
"Coach Blake is an energy guy. You know you can count on him for energy any time you're down," Balmer said. He's out there running around, getting in people's faces, jumping around like he's one of the boys. He's out there dancing before practice and just having fun."
Last season, Balmer and Taylor said the defensive line often found themselves struggling under the stifling heat. With the high-energy Blake bouncing around the practice field, it's been easier to forget about the 100-degree heat index in the middle of the afternoon. "He does a great job of motivating us: `Don't let the heat beat you. Go out there and just take every day as a day you can get better'," Taylor said.
"You've got to encourage them. They've got to know that you care before you get in the heat," Blake said. "It's important that they understand that you care about them and you love them, then when you get after them, they know you're doing it for their well-being and you're trying to help them be the best they can be."
Blake is manning perhaps the most experienced unit on the team, and the one with the highest expectations. In addition to his line duties, Blake is also Carolina's associate head coach and recruiting coordinator.
But one challenge Blake did not have with his new defensive line was name recognition. He spent three years with the Dallas Cowboys (1993-95) and won two Super Bowls, in the process sending five members of his defensive line to the Pro Bowl in his three seasons and tutoring the likes of Charles Haley, Russell Maryland, Chad Henning, Leon Lett and Jim Jeffcoat.
From 1998-2002, Blake ran a camp in the summer called `Chance to Advance' that worked mainly with defensive linemen. His work with high-profile NFL linemen like Dwight Freeney and Jason Taylor is a strong part of that reputation that preceded him and what caused Kentwan Balmer to refer to him as "the world-renowned John Blake."
"I trust him with all my heart. Anything he tells me to do, I'm going to go out there and do it my hardest. He coached great guys and he has a great reputation and he lives on that every day," Taylor said. "He wants us to know everything that he knows. He's not one of those coaches that hold out. He knows what it takes to be at the next level and have a successful career."
Blake's name in college football is synonymous with great recruiting. The Wall Street Journal named Blake one of the nation's top three recruiters and American Football Coaches Quarterly dubbed him the top recruiter in the country.
As head coach at Oklahoma from 1996-98, he recruited the majority of the starters on its 2000 national championship squad and later signed a top-five class at Nebraska as an assistant there in 2005. He got off to a strong start at Carolina by playing a key role in the signing of Carolina's top recruit, defensive tackle Marvin Austin.
But Blake is more than just a great recruiter - even though he wouldn't give away his recruiting secret, it doesn't hurt that once he gets the guys in school, he becomes a father figure, a mentor and a friend as well as coach.
"I think there is a fine line between coaching and friendship. I respect the friendship and will always be a great friend, but mainly as a leading father figure. The most important thing is that I can talk to them on any level," Blake said. "If they need a friend, they can come to me. I'm not a friend in that I hang out with them. I'm a friend where they can come to me for anything, not just football. It's a personal deal, for their personal life and their spiritual life. That's what I pride myself on, and I think the football takes care of itself."
Lauren Brownlow is the managing editor of Tar Heel Monthly.
