There have been some discussions, as of late, about the recruiting struggles that Zach Arnett and the Mississippi State football coaching staff seem to be experiencing.
I’m not an expert in recruiting.
I tend to shy away from that sort of coverage for a number of reasons, including that I simply just do not care too much about the whole practice (and also all of the social media graphics that are produced are oversaturated and often absurd in the worst possible ways).
*Extreme Stephen A. Smith voice*
HOWEVER
I am familiar with ‘crootin and I’m familiar with Mississippi State and I’m familiar with nonsense. Which is why I’m finding a nonsensical way of fixing Mississippi State’s recruiting struggles with something else I’m familiar with:
AI.
I do a fair bit of AI work and prompt engineering for work. And so, I figured I’d experiment around and figure out how Mississippi State’s ‘crootin problems could be solved with AI.
And what is very clearly the best way to do that? By conversing with a generative AI model and asking it how it would improve Mississippi State recruiting. And here’s what I was given.
Table of contents:
- How AI can fix Mississippi State football recruiting problems
- Would AI be better at recruiting than the current Mississippi State football coaching staff?
- Using AI to overcome Mississippi State’s silly NIL struggles
- 14-steps Mississippi State should take to improve recruiting, according to AI
- Even AI is convinced we need to focus on NIL more
How AI can fix Mississippi State football recruiting problems
So, when asked about fixing Mississippi State football recruiting woes, here’s what an AI model proposed:
AI can be used to improve Mississippi State football recruiting in a number of ways.
One way is by identifying the best recruits for the team. AI can look at a variety of factors, including a player’s size, speed, strength, academic record, and character, to identify players who would be a good fit for the program. AI can also use data to create personalized recruiting pitches for each player.
This allows Mississippi State to reach out to recruits in a way that is tailored to their individual interests and needs.
Another way AI can be used to improve recruiting is by automating the process of evaluating recruits. This frees up coaches and staff to focus on other tasks, such as building relationships with recruits and their families. AI can also be used to track the progress of recruits and identify any potential red flags. This allows Mississippi State to make informed decisions about which recruits to offer scholarships.
Finally, AI can be used to create a more personalized recruiting experience for each player. This can be done by using data to create customized content for each player, such as videos, articles, and social media posts. This helps Mississippi State to connect with recruits on a more personal level and build relationships that could lead to commitments.
Overall, generative AI has the potential to revolutionize Mississippi State football recruiting. By using AI, Mississippi State can identify the best recruits, automate the recruiting process, and create a more personalized recruiting experience for each player. This will help Mississippi State to attract top talent and build a championship program.
Here are some specific examples of how generative AI can be used to improve Mississippi State football recruiting:
- The AI could use data to identify the best recruits for the team. The AI could look at things like a player’s size, speed, and strength, as well as their academic record and their character.
- The AI could use data to create personalized recruiting pitches for each player. This allows Mississippi State to reach out to recruits in a way that is tailored to their individual interests and needs.
- The AI could use data to track the progress of recruits and identify any potential red flags. This allows Mississippi State to make informed decisions about which recruits to offer scholarships.
- The AI could use data to create a more personalized recruiting experience for each player. This can be done by using data to create customized content for each player, such as videos, articles, and social media posts. This helps Mississippi State to connect with recruits on a more personal level and build relationships that could lead to commitments.
Of course, there are some challenges that would need to be overcome before generative AI could be used to revolutionize Mississippi State football recruiting.
One challenge is that the AI would need to be trained on a massive amount of data. Another challenge is that the AI would need to be able to make decisions quickly and accurately.
However, these challenges are not insurmountable, and it is likely that generative AI will play a major role in college football recruiting in the future.
– My AI model friend
That’s an AI model’s take on the matter.
But, to further explore how an AI model might actually perform in recruiting, I did some minor prompt engineering and started asking the model how it thought it would perform in comparison to the current coaching staff.
Here’s what that model had to say:
Would AI be better at recruiting than the current Mississippi State football coaching staff?
When I asked if an AI model could be better at recruiting than the current Mississippi State football coaching staff, I wasn’t given a direct or decisive answer. I was, however, given the suggestion that AI could drastically improve what the Bulldogs are doing.
Here’s what an AI model had to say:
It is difficult to say for sure whether generative AI would be better at recruiting than the current Mississippi State football coaching staff. However, there are a few reasons to believe that AI could be an effective tool for recruiting.
First, AI can analyze a massive amount of data to identify high-potential recruits who may not be on the radar of traditional recruiting methods. This can help Mississippi State football identify and target recruits who could be a good fit for the program.
Second, AI can create personalized recruiting pitches that are tailored to each individual recruit. This can help Mississippi State football connect with recruits on a more personal level and make them feel like they are a good fit for the program.
Third, AI can track the progress of recruits over time and identify any potential red flags. This can help Mississippi State football make informed decisions about which recruits to pursue and which recruits to let go.
Fourth, AI can help Mississippi State football overcome objections that recruits may have about the program. This can help Mississippi State football close more deals and sign more recruits.
Overall, AI has the potential to be a powerful tool for improving Mississippi State football recruiting. However, it is important to note that AI is not a magic bullet. It is still important to have a strong recruiting staff in place who can build relationships with recruits and sell them on the Mississippi State football program.
Here are some challenges that AI will face in recruiting:
- Data privacy: Generative AI would need to be trained on a massive amount of data, including personal information about recruits. This could raise privacy concerns.
- Bias: Generative AI could be biased in its recruiting decisions, if it is trained on data that is biased. This could lead to Mississippi State football recruiting recruits who are not a good fit for the program.
- Human element: Generative AI cannot replace the human element in recruiting. Relationships between coaches and recruits are important, and AI cannot replicate these relationships.
Despite these challenges, generative AI has the potential to be a powerful tool for improving Mississippi State football recruiting. If used correctly, AI could help Mississippi State football identify and sign more high-quality recruits. This could help the team improve its on-field performance and achieve its goals
Overall, generative AI has a number of advantages that could make it a more effective recruiter than the current Mississippi State football coaching staff. However, it is important to note that generative AI is still under development, and it is not clear how effective it would be in a real-world recruiting setting.
– My AI model friend
There’s a pretty bold claim in there to state that AI could be more effective at recruiting than the current MSU coaching staff. That’s pretty bold and I won’t defend it.
But, you know, at least it’s confident in its abilities? Maybe we could all learn a thing or two about healthy self-confidence?
Using AI to overcome Mississippi State’s silly NIL struggles
One other area in which Mississippi State football seems to struggle right now is NIL. For many, NIL is a bit of a taboo concept. It’s something that some want to stay away from, even though that’s where the sport is going and will be going for the foreseeable future.
And for some reason, Mississippi State has limitations with its NIL budget that other SEC schools don’t seem to have.
So, let’s address those issues. But, you know, let’s address them with AI.
How can the Bulldogs improve their recruiting by using AI to overcome NIL limitations?
Mississippi State has a smaller alumni base and a lower overall budget than many of the other SEC schools. This means that the Bulldogs have less money to spend on NIL deals.
Mississippi State fans and alumni may also be less interested in NIL than other SEC fanbases and alumni bases, which creates limitations for Mississippi State recruiting.
Despite these limitations, Mississippi State can still improve its recruiting by using AI. Here are a few ways that AI can be used to overcome NIL limitations:
- Identifying high-potential recruits who are not interested in NIL: AI can analyze a massive amount of data to identify high-potential recruits who may not be interested in NIL. This can help Mississippi State football identify and target recruits who are more likely to be interested in the program for other reasons, such as the school’s academics or its location.
- Personalizing recruiting pitches: AI can create personalized recruiting pitches that are tailored to each individual recruit. This can help Mississippi State football connect with recruits on a more personal level and make them feel like they are a good fit for the program.
- Tracking the progress of recruits over time: AI can track the progress of recruits over time and identify any potential red flags. This can help Mississippi State football make informed decisions about which recruits to pursue and which recruits to let go.
- Overcoming objections: AI can help Mississippi State football overcome objections that recruits may have about the program. This can help Mississippi State football close more deals and sign more recruits.
– My AI model friend
Those are fine, but that’s not a real plan of action. So, let’s develop a plan of action.
14-steps Mississippi State should take to improve recruiting, according to AI
I gave the AI model a few parameters to work with, one of which included helping the Bulldogs recruit well enough to win the SEC within two seasons. Here’s the plan that the AI model generated for that.
Here is a 14-step, comprehensive plan for overcoming Mississippi State football’s recruiting limitations so that the Bulldogs can win the SEC within two seasons:
- Hire a top-tier recruiting director. A good recruiting director can make all the difference in a program’s success. They should have a proven track record of success and be able to build relationships with top recruits.
- Create a strong NIL program. NIL has become a major factor in recruiting, and Mississippi State needs to have a strong program in place to compete with the SEC’s big spenders.
- Focus on academics. Mississippi State has a strong academic reputation, and this should be a selling point to recruits. The program should make sure that recruits are aware of the academic opportunities available to them.
- Improve the facilities. Mississippi State’s facilities are not as good as some of the other SEC schools. The program should make plans to upgrade the facilities in order to attract top recruits.
- Win games. The best way to recruit top players is to win games. Mississippi State needs to put together a winning program in order to attract the best recruits.
- Get involved in the community. Mississippi State should get involved in the community and show recruits that they are committed to the area. This will help the program build relationships with recruits and their families.
- Use social media effectively. Social media is a powerful tool that can be used to reach out to recruits. Mississippi State should use social media to promote the program and its athletes.
- Attend high school games. Mississippi State coaches should attend high school games to scout recruits. This will help them get to know the recruits and their families.
- Host recruits on campus. Mississippi State should host recruits on campus to give them a tour of the facilities and introduce them to the program. This will help the recruits get a feel for the program and see if it is a good fit for them.
- Offer scholarships early. Mississippi State should offer scholarships to recruits early in the recruiting process. This will show recruits that the program is interested in them and that they are a priority.
- Be patient. Recruiting is a long process, and it takes time to build a successful program. Mississippi State needs to be patient and persistent in its recruiting efforts.
- Stay positive. Recruiting can be a frustrating process, but it is important to stay positive. Mississippi State needs to believe in itself and its ability to win.
- Have a plan. Mississippi State needs to have a plan for recruiting. This plan should include goals, strategies, and timelines.
- Evaluate the process. Mississippi State needs to evaluate its recruiting process on a regular basis. This will help the program identify areas where it can improve.
If Mississippi State can follow these steps, it will be well on its way to winning the SEC within two seasons.
– My AI model friend
Even AI is convinced we need to focus on NIL more
All of this was a lot of fun, right? What a fun little experiment to fix Mississippi State football recruiting issues. We fixed Mississippi State recruiting! Right?
Well, I mean, not really. I don’t know who needs to hear this. I don’t have any quick solutions for fixing all of these recruiting woes that the Bulldogs are currently experiencing.
And neither does AI.
AI is great and I use it regularly for my job (and around here on the blog, as many of you might already know), but it doesn’t have a quick fix for this solution. NIL is going to be foundational for recruiting efforts moving forward. That’s the world we live in.
And Mississippi State has to get up to speed with regards to that issue. Otherwise the Bulldogs will get left behind. Seeing that MSU is currently ranked No. 42 in the country with its 2024 class, something should probably change soon.
Yes, it’s early. Sure, MSU can gain recruiting momentum if they start winning regularly. Okay, the Bulldogs have plenty of time to turn things around. And hopefully things will improve throughout the course of the season.
Otherwise, we might need to start asking AI for more ideas on how to fix things.
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