"I can remember loving to recruit. I knew I was going to do my best. But traveling and recruiting doesn't appeal to me any more. It's not as much fun as it used to be"
About this Quote
The subtext is institutional: recruiting is the engine of college football power, but it’s also the most transactional, least coachable part of coaching. You can diagram a defense; you can’t diagram persuading parents, managing boosters, or projecting certainty year-round. Bryant’s language is plain, almost stubbornly unsentimental, which makes the admission sharper. He’s giving you the unromantic truth of mastery: even when you’re good at something, even when it made you, the repetition can turn it into travel, schedules, and small talk.
Context matters. Bryant’s era was already intense, but it predates today’s permanent recruiting cycle, media scrutiny, and monetized player movement. Read now, the quote feels prophetic: a legendary coach signaling that the sport’s labor is shifting from teaching to courting. “Not as much fun as it used to be” is nostalgia, yes, but also a quiet critique of a machine that asks its leaders to be recruiters first and coaches second.
Quote Details
| Topic | Career |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Bryant, Bear. (2026, January 17). I can remember loving to recruit. I knew I was going to do my best. But traveling and recruiting doesn't appeal to me any more. It's not as much fun as it used to be. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-can-remember-loving-to-recruit-i-knew-i-was-27404/
Chicago Style
Bryant, Bear. "I can remember loving to recruit. I knew I was going to do my best. But traveling and recruiting doesn't appeal to me any more. It's not as much fun as it used to be." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-can-remember-loving-to-recruit-i-knew-i-was-27404/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I can remember loving to recruit. I knew I was going to do my best. But traveling and recruiting doesn't appeal to me any more. It's not as much fun as it used to be." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-can-remember-loving-to-recruit-i-knew-i-was-27404/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.







