When large, well-known colleges and universities recruit student-athletes, there's no problem getting them to accept. Even schools with religious connections, such as Notre Dame, have little trouble finding athletes. But when a school is both small and religious, recruiting athletes can be a difficult process.
"We do face some challenges, but we have been able to overcome those," Morthland College Athletic Director Buddy Foster said. "As a recruiter, we just have to do our homework to make sure we are finding those athletes that fit in a small private school setting."
Foster became the new athletic director at Morthland almost a year ago, leaving Southern Illinois University where he was an assistant softball coach and recruiting coordinator. He has more than 20 years of experience in coaching and was looking to move into administration. He took over a growing program, which has in the past two years added football, women's volleyball and women's basketball.
While starting new programs might cause some pressure to find athletes, Foster said that there are still high standards to being a Morthland athlete.
"We are looking for students who have experienced academic success in the classroom, are good citizens, are either Christian or open to being exposed to the Christian walk, and who want to continue their athletic career beyond high school," he said.
On a website Morthland has set up for recruiting, there is a list of the "Five C's of Patriot Athletics." Those are: Christ, Character, Commitment, Community and Competition. It's also emphasized that student-athletes are expected to be students first, then athletes, with the classroom being the top priority.
The sport that is likely to draw the most interest at Morthland is football. The football team will be facing something of a second beginning. After a first season that saw the school's first win (a 32-20 win over Greenville College on Oct. 19, 2015), coach Mike Rude decided the young program needed a younger, more energetic coach, and resigned to focus more on health and family. Michael Popovich, head coach at Mount Zion High School, was named the new coach in February.
Foster said that despite the challenges of both a new coaching staff and the aforementioned focuses, recruiting saw a marked improvement.
"Recruiting took a big step up in the level of athletes the football staff has brought in this year," Foster said. "With the new coaching staff in place, I think you will see a more offensive style game that will be exciting to watch."
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