“Getting him to come back … I’d say he’s my first five-star recruit,” Stuckey laughs. He goes on to explain that he didn’t sweettalk Thornton, but took an authentic, tough-love approach to persuade his gifted receiver. Essentially, Stuckey leveled with Thornton, telling him that he wasn’t yet ready for the next level, but that with Stuckey’s tutelage, he’d eventually get there. The self-proclaimed “coachable” pass catcher heeded his coach’s advice and committed himself to becoming the best prospect he could be.
“[Athletes] have heard so many people give them empty promises for so long,” Stuckey continues. “If you tell them one thing and your actions back it up, that means something. They hear the recruiting and people telling them what they want to hear, but if you’re brutally honest in a loving way, it makes a big difference to them. That’s what it was with Ty. It wasn’t in a degrading or demeaning way. It’s in a loving way. ‘I’m telling you so you can be better, because I want…