Yesterday, I talked about changing the offensive and defensive schemes you run to help hasten the rebuilding process with a program. I think you can take that a step further, because using a different scheme than everyone else can help recruiting. West Virginia is a good example of this; they were able to big a powerhouse program in the Big East that competed nationally under Rich Rodriguez because of their willingness to be unorthodox in the offensive and defensive schemes they utilized. Running a pure spread option offense of his own design, and a 33 Stack defense that no one else ran in the Big East, Rodriguez was able to lead the Mountaineers to three Big East championships, and back-to-back Top 10 rankings in the final polls, a first for West Virginia.

Rodriguez was able to do this because the schemes he ran were different from everyone else he was playing, so he was able to pinpoint and recruit different athletes than everyone else. Rodriguez mined Florida, Maryland, Texas, and Alabama for talent. He was able to add to the small number of recruits West Virginia produces each year by recruiting on a national scale. As a result, Rodriguez was able to bring in Pat White from Alabama and Steve Slaton from Pennsylvania to play in his offense at QB and RB, respectively. Slaton and White supercharged Rodriguez's offense, helping catapult them from a regional power in the Big East to the powerhouse that was able to run circles around Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

Running the 33 Stack on defense is actually an advantage for West Virginia, because they are only looking for a limited number of true defensive linemen in recruiting, and can put athletic linebackers and defensive backs everywhere else on the field. It is much easier finding athletes who can run, who you can develop into players, than finding difference makers to play defensive line.

You can even make a decent argument that programs that do not enjoy powerhouse status within their state and region should not run 'traditional' or orthodox schemes, especially on defense. For example, Oklahoma State just hired defensive guru Bill Young to run their defense. I am a huge fan of Young, and think he will be an excellent addition to the OSU program, but I can't help but think that OSU might be better off hiring someone from Tulsa to put in a 33 Stack scheme. Regardless of how much money Boone Pickens gives to their athletic department, Oklahoma State is always going to be second-fiddle to Oklahoma when pursuing in-state recruits. This means that if OU and OSU both run an even front scheme, like a 4-3 or a 4-2-5, they will both be pursuing the same defensive tackles and defensive ends in recruiting, and OSU is going to lose most of those battles. Their choice in scheme assures that they will be behind Oklahoma in recruiting. However, if OSU decided to go with an odd front, and run a 3-4 or a 3-5-3 defense, they would be able to lessen their need for standout defensive linemen, and concentrate more on pursuing athletes who fit their scheme. Switching schemes to something different from Oklahoma would make recruiting a lot easier for Oklahoma State.

Similarly, a rebuilding program can benefit in recruiting by running a different scheme than everyone else, because it will simplify recruiting for them, and allow them to pinpoint athletes their opponents aren't looking at or can't use in their scheme.