Salisbury University Football head coach, Sherman Wood, has coached at Salisbury for 18 years. Wood is the all-time winningest coach in program history with a record of 130-63 and has won five conference titles. During his time at Salisbury, Coach Wood has led the Sea Gulls to seven NCAA tournament appearances, the ECAC Southeast Bowl Championship, the ECAC South Atlantic Bowl Championship four times and the ECAC Southwest Bowl Championship.
Wood has been named the Empire 8 Coach of the Year twice and received the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Region I Coach of the Year award as well.
During Wood's head coaching years, Salisbury has achieved 84 players on the All-ACFC and All-Empire 8 first teams, earned 23 conference Player or Coach of the Year awards, and has produced 215 all-conference players.
Before his time at Salisbury, Wood coached for six years as the head coach at Bowie State University and as an assistant head football coach at Virginia Union University.
What is the most important quality you look for in a recruit?
GPA and SAT/ACT scores. We have higher admission standards than most and we don't look at a film until we see grades.
What is the best way for a recruit to get on your radar?
When should an athlete contact you, what is the best way? (age, grade, time of year, email, phone, or other)
Spring of Junior Year. Phone and email are fine.
What are your expectations for incoming players in the classroom, in the weight room, and on the field?
Our high admissions standards take care of the classroom. We know kids come from all different backgrounds in the weight room so we don't get concerned with that until they get here. With that being said, the better prepared they are in the weight room, the sooner they can compete.
What are the do's and don'ts of being recruited?
Do: Be honest.
Don't: Get hung up with levels and wanting to tell everyone you signed on Twitter.
What is the best advice you can offer a recruit?
Go to a school that is selective. If there are no standards going in, what does it mean when you come out?
What really jumps out to you when reviewing a recruit's highlight tape?
Do they make plays? Effort.
What are the main do's and don'ts for a recruit's highlight tape?
Please, please, please don't stop the play in the middle to spot-shadow yourself.
When do you recommend recruits put together and share their highlight reels? Is it best to make their highlight reel during offseason, in the middle of season, or after each game?
After Junior year, mid season of Senior year, and after Senior season.
What advice do you have for recruits who get turned down by their dream schools? What are their options if they don't gain the recruiting attention they desire?
Kids go to Division 3 schools and have better experiences than many at scholarship programs.
How big a factor is social media when recruiting players? What advice do you have for athletes regarding social media?
It makes me cringe when I see how narcissistic kids are today.
Image courtesy of: WRDE-TV
* Originally published on June 12, 2017, by LRT Staff
