Inside the War Room with Jordan Arcement: Part III
Editor’s Note: This is the final installment in a three-part series of conversations with senior scout Jordan Arcement, a Louisiana native who is at the heart of the success Virginia has had recruiting “The Boot” in recent years. Don't miss the first installment where Arcement talks about how he got to UVa and how the process works and the second part where he discusses several key recruitments Including Mike Hollins, Dontayvion Wicks, and Jonathan Horton.
Now, let talk about Brandon Williams. Brandon’s situation was a little different, right? His seemed like it was a little bit more traditional. Take me through the background with him and how that played out?
Yeah, his was much more traditional. Brandon goes to a profile school in New Orleans, Isidore Newman, and if I’m remembering right it had the most UVa students per capita in Louisiana. Coach (Kelly) Poppinga, he was in search for somebody else in this class and he asked me to and Coach Ricky (Brumfield) what we thought of Brandon. He really liked him and wanted to see if we could get him up here. So, we went to work. All three of us reached out and started trying to get him up here and it just so happened that the Mannings went to that school and Peyton’s wife went to UVa and they’re good friends. So, they were pushing for us UVa wise and Brandon’s neighbor actually flies a UVa flag. It was just a lot of signs leading towards us I guess. Getting to know Brandon, you could ask anyone, he’s a UVa fit. From how much he cares about academics to just coming from a high school that’s really similar to UVa. It didn’t take much, once we built that relationship and he realized what we were all about and how genuine this staff was when he came up here, he was pretty much sold. He was ready. That’s when you see the real benefit of profile schools. When you have a place that’s very similar to UVa and you get up here, it already feels like home.
Alright, let’s talk about Donovan Johnson. That was an interesting one, right? He was as pro-UVa publicly as any commit yet he was taking visits right to the end. Were you ever really worried that he might not end up at UVa?
Yes.
That was a pretty succinct response, man.
Donovan’s process, man. It just played out very differently. We got on that one early early, but he really started adding offers as he went along. He really improved from sophomore to junior year. His recruitment really took off. He and Coach (Nick) Howell, our defensive coordinator, really hit it off. That was one that was really a group effort between all of us. I think he really liked that he was getting recruited by our defensive coordinator and just having the Louisiana ties here helped as well. I think something else that Donovan really liked was leading that movement from New Orleans. Mike had set the precedent for Louisiana and he was kind of the leader of that group but most people from New Orleans consider New Orleans to be a place kind of all its own. He wanted to be someone different and set the tone and do something different and we really weren’t expecting him to commit on his visit. When he did I asked him why and he said he knew it was going to be hard and he wanted to be able to say he had earned everything he got. I really could respect that a lot. As his recruitment continued to kind of grow, he did take some visits and the whole time he was assuring us he was solid and that he was coming to UVa. But you never really know when a guy is on other visits. So, it was for sure a relief on National Signing Day when he put that Cavalier hat on.
Lastly in 2020, I want to talk about Demick Starling. Not Louisiana obviously but one you were very much involved with. That’s one of the best stories I’ve had a chance to tell, the whirlwind that was those few days for him right before Signing Day. In talking to him, it sounds like that was one that was especially unique. How long did you guys know about him? What was that process like for those of you in the recruiting office?
So Zach Bradshaw, a former player who works with us in the recruiting office, he put Demick in our system at some point. He was just looking at track times and was just really impressed with his numbers. So he ended up in our system and got kind of lost a little bit I guess. Coming into that last week, we had some guys we were looking at, had one coming in for a visit, that we felt really good about, and he ended up committing elsewhere. At that point, we thought we might be done for the class. So we just kind scrambled a bit and started searching the system and I came across Demick and we brought his tape back up and started going, again, from the preview to the movie and really watching the game tape and really digging in to see what we thought about him. Just between the footage of him dunking a basketball to him high jumping 6-foot-6, running a 10.7, his numbers were just off the charts. So that was probably Tuesday and once we did that, I called Coach (Marques) Hagans, got him to change his flight to Nashville to go there on Wednesday. Up to that, just having a relationship with Demick and talking to him about the process, speaking with his mother and coaching him up on UVa, it just so happened that one of his coaches had a tie to UVa, his cousin had previously played at UVa I think and he knew Coach Hagans and grew up watching him. So it was kind of cool how it all came together. I told Demick on his visit this, that his type of guys, those are my favorite parts about this job. Having the opportunity to change someone’s life. You have a chance to see a kid who didn’t really know where he was going to go and within three or four days he’s headed to UVa and going to sign a Power 5 offer. He’s set up to get a degree that’s worth so much not to mention playing high-level football. We really think he has a ton of upside and if he puts it all together he has the chance to play for a really long time. That was one of the cooler processes for sure.
So, as you look toward the 2021 class, how does it compare to 2019 and 2020 not just in terms of the kids you’re looking at but also the feedback you’re getting from them? Coming off a Coastal title, playing in the ACC Championship Game, playing in the Orange Bowl, what’s the response been like from the class of 2021 kids?
I think it’s been a learning curve of sorts for everybody, going into Year 5 with the staff coming from BYU and the way the recruiting style was a little bit different. I think we’re getting more and more dialed in each class and especially with the success, that’s helping dial it all in as well. I would say that 2021, since I’ve been here, this is definitely the furtherest along we’ve been ahead in terms of the response we’re getting from the kids and in terms of gettin highly-touted players to come on a visit. The buzz around our program continues to grow. So now it’s really all about those relationships and continuing to build those, continuing to show who we are and that we are a family-first program always. I think that’s worth a whole lot. At the same time, you’ll come here and get a world-class degree and be able to grow not only as a player but as a man. Coach (Bronco) Mendenhall does an unbelievable job and he’s one of the best men, best leaders, that I’ve ever been around. The proof is in the pudding. I think if we keep doing what we’re doing, on and off the field, we’ll have another really, really good showing in this class.
In terms of what you do, obviously the NCAA is a tough ship to turn on a dime. It takes a while for them to adapt and change. I know one of the things that’s out there is the idea that the NCAA could allow schools to have a personnel member or two from a program actually out on the road recruiting. If that comes to pass, I would imagine that would be a big change for you. What do you think of that potential change and what that world would look like?
I think it’s going in that direction. We go to personnel conventions and they talk about that a lot. For me, since I’ve been in this industry I’ve just always tried to find my niche whether it be a director or a coach or whatever it may be. I was inspired by a guy, Bryan Carrington who is at Texas and made the “30 Under 30” and was the only personnel member to make it. He’s really made his mark as a recruiter because families and kids can really relate to him. His story sounds similar to mine and kind of showed me the way to do what I love and now I’m chasing it. People really are my passion and I believe that this is my purpose, to have a platform to help change people’s lives in a positive manner. I came from a single-parent household and if I didn’t have sports, coaches, mentors, and a praying mom I probably wouldn’t be right here right now. So, really my goal is to be on the cutting edge of changing college football and prove that you don’t have to be an on-the-field coach to be an elite recruiter. I’m willing to put people skills, relationship building, and strategic thinking up against anyone. I’m really passionate about this and I’m willing to put forth the time and effort it takes to find the players to help us win an ACC championship and I hope this is just the beginning for people in roles like mine and if we can get on the road, that would help a lot. Relationships we build through the process, they would be even more powerful if we could go there and sit in living rooms or watch these kids at practice. We get a good sense of who they are watching film but you can’t beat an in-person evaluation. Coaches do a whole lot of coaching and when they’re out there, they do a great job of relaying the information. But if they could do their part in terms of coaching college athletes and let us do our part in terms of doing in-person evaluations and not to mention spending time with these players and their families, that would be tremendous. So, yeah, I hope this is only the beginning and that it continues to grow. I hope I’m on the cutting edge of it.
Last one and I’ll get you out of here on this. You’re always talking to kids about coming to Charlottesville but how much do you miss home? Do you consider yourself a Virginia guy now? How’s that transition treated you now that it’s been a couple of years?
Yeah, it feels like home. As a kid whenever I would meet people who traveled a lot or lived in different places, that was always something that intrigued me. I mean, I had only been really in just one spot outside of some vacations someplace. I had never lived anywhere else. I kind of look at it as an extended vacation but it’s definitely different and I’m still learning. It’s cool to see the mountains, it’s cool to have hills. It’s cool to see the leaves change. It’s cool to have a bear in my backyard, know what I mean? It’s a lot of stuff that’s real different, man. The first time I was here and it snowed, I was like a kid in a candy store. Everybody else was just trying to stay warm and meanwhile I’m outside taking pictures and looking up in the sky because I had just never experienced seasons before. In Louisiana, it’s hot. It gets a little cold but man nothing like this. The leaves are either green or everything’s dead. You don’t have much difference in that. So, I’d say I feel at home now and it’s been real good here and the family atmosphere that we have and the relationships that I’ve built, they will last a lifetime. So, I’m very happy and very thankful to be here.
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