If the motivating factor is to get the ultimate student-athlete experience, that’s something we have to find out on the front end. “What we would call hot-button issues - what is going to get this person out of bed every day at 6 a.m., ready to attack the day? If his motivating factor is to run out onto a field in front of 100,000 people on Saturday, this is not going to be the place for him. “Identifying what the young man is looking for is important,” he said. Thomas has gone 126-21 and advanced to the NCAA Division III championship game twice. Caruso said a player’s talent is only part of the equation when he decides who to pursue. (John Autey / Pioneer Press) THE CARUSO VALUEĬaruso, 45, is entering his 14th season as the Tommies’ coach in that time, St. And just the experience we can offer student-athletes overall.” St Thomas head football coach Glenn Caruso, entering his 14th season, hikes the ball during practice at O’Shaughnessy Stadium in St. A little bit of it is the institutional value. “So, I definitely feel we can be competitive in recruiting. Thomas is extremely competitive when it comes to offering financial aid packages,” Esten said. In turn, the majority of those received academic scholarships. In that sense, the Tommies will use the Ivy League as a model and, in some instances, will be recruiting against the Harvards and the Yales for talent.Ĭaruso and Esten are confident the Tommies have the right formula when it comes to first identifying and then getting commitments from players who otherwise would be playing college football on a Division I scholarship.Ĭaruso said “the vast majority” of players in his first Division I recruiting class turned down at least partial athletic scholarships. Similarly, Tommies football coach Glenn Caruso emphasized that choosing the Pioneer League came down to what was best for the university, not just the football program.įrom a recruiting standpoint, the Tommies face the challenge of attracting Division I talent without the carrot of a football scholarship. “When you look at the opportunity to get into markets in Southern California, New York, Florida, Charlotte, Indianapolis and everything in between, to engage with our alumni, the media, and to recruit, it gives us a different type of opportunity and advantage.” “But in the end, we felt rather than the Missouri Valley not being something, we felt the Pioneer was the better fit for us as we make this transition.
Thomas vice president/director of athletics Phil Esten said. “The Missouri Valley is arguably the best FCS conference in the country, so that would have been a pretty heavy lift,” St. Thomas athletics and school leaders ultimately agreed that the opportunities presented by the Pioneer League were too appealing to turned down. While there are those who saw the Missouri Valley Conference, which includes FCS powerhouse North Dakota State, as a good fit, St. The only other non-scholarship Division I conference is the Ivy League, the two outliers sharing a dedicated commitment to academic excellence within its athletic pursuits. Thomas’ move from Division III to Division I athletics is that it will be offering athletic scholarships in all sports except one - football. Tommies football will compete in the Pioneer Football League, which comprises like-minded, primarily private schools from coast to coast.
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