On Recruiting Issue, Don’t Mess With Texas

SAN DIEGO —  Probably inadvertently, Washington Coach Rick Neuheisel hit on something of a sore subject during a news conference Thursday when he spoke about the reputation of his Holiday Bowl counterpart, Texas’ Mack Brown, as a recruiter.

Brown obviously is a good recruiter, but he hears about it so often when opposing coaches discuss his qualities that he wonders if some of them are implying that he wins more because of his players’ talents than his coaching.

“Coach Brown is the best recruiter in the country,” Neuheisel said. “That’s why we don’t go to Texas [to recruit]. We’re not going to get anybody anyway.”

Actually, Neuheisel also has a good reputation as a recruiter.

Texas defensive end Cory Redding, a junior defensive end from Houston, said Neuheisel almost enticed him to go to Colorado. But on the weekend Redding visited Boulder, Neuheisel announced he was leaving to coach Washington.

“He was a cool guy,” Redding said. “He said he would take me whitewater rafting.”

The hosts of a San Diego radio sports talk show surprised Brown during an interview Thursday morning, proclaiming that his bio in the Texas media guide says he is a Madonna fan.

Brown had some fun with it, but not too much. Setting the record straight, he said he doesn’t give Madonna much thought one way or the other.

“You don’t want to joke too much these days about your resume,” he said later. “It’s a sore subject in the coaching profession.”