How Willingham, Bellotti and Wulff Sell Recruits

Andy Staples of Sports Illustrated has a fascinating piece about Cali H.S. QB Tate Forcier. Forcier and his folks have scanned, and uploaded to the Internet, all 21 offer letters that he's received from college coaches--including offers from Ty Willingham of Washington, Mike Bellotti of Oregon, and Paul Wulff of Washington State.

It is, as Staples points out, an interesting glimpse into how coaches sell their programs.

Willingham seems to emphasize personal development: "The mission of the football program is that you should become an outstanding person, student, and athlete. I am committed to these ideals and hope that they strike a chord with you and your family."

Bellotti's is much more businesslike, and contains no real pitch, just a statement of expectations--among them, "you must continue to perform up to your current standards on the football field." Yipes.

Wulff comes with the hard sell (and some creative capitalization): "When you combine World Class Academics with one of the Best Football Programs in the nation it is easy to see why you will have tremendous success during your career as a Cougar!"