Already known as one of the top college baseball recruiters in the nation, FIU coach Turtle Thomas decided to add another elite recruiter to his staff Tuesday.
Thomas hired long-time friend and former Tennessee head coach Rod Delmonico to become the Golden Panthers top assistant coach.
''I've been quietly waiting on Rod for a long time,'' Thomas said. ``He's always done a great job recruiting South Florida and the state and he knows the game as well as anyone.''
In his first year at FIU, Thomas assembled the No. 15-ranked recruiting class in the nation for 2009. Among state schools, only the University of Florida (No. 12) was ranked higher.
With Delmonico, who consistently had top 10 recruiting classes at Florida State and Tennessee, the Golden Panthers just got better.
''This is a great opportunity to help Turtle turn FIU into something special,'' said Delmonico, who has known Thomas for more than 30 years and coached with him at Clemson. ``FIU has always been a place that can be great. I've spent a lot of time recruiting South Florida. This is a hotbed for talent.''
Besides assisting in recruiting, Delmonico will coach the infield, baserunning and be Thomas's bench coach.
Delmonico, 49, was an assistant at FSU last season. Before joining the Seminoles, he was the Vols coach for 18 years compiling a 699-396 record and three College World Series appearances. Delmonico is the winningest coach at Tennessee.
With Delmonico coaching the FIU infield, Golden Panthers assistant Sean Allen was named the pitching coach.
