Northern Illinois coach Rod Carey paid no attention to what Scout, Rivals or any other recruiting service had to write about quarterback Drew Hare when he was coming out of high school.
All Carey knew was the coaching staff wanted Hare as a possible replacement for Jordan Lynch, the ultimate dual-threat star.
“He certainly was a must-have for us, and we certainly developed him, too,” Carey said of Hare. “Development is the No. 1 thing. You are recruiting kids at 18. If you throw an 18-year-old on the field against 22-year-olds, that’s an uphill battle. This five-star thing that’s out there, there are only a handful who make a difference (immediately).