Paul Hewitt's first recruiting pull at George Mason was getting Corey Edwards to stay

When a coach leaves a program the incoming recruits re-evaluate if they want to still honor their letter of intent. A new coach coming in has the difficult task of trying to get these kids to stay.  Vaughn Gray didn't seem to hesitate and said as soon as Paul Hewitt was hired that he would honor his commitment with George Mason.  Corey Edwards wasn't as quick to make that decision.  It was rumored earlier this week that Jim Larranaga had reached out to Edwards and asked if he wanted to follow him to South Beach. After the news got out Edwards story slightly changed and he said a Miami assistant coach merely asked him if he liked Miami. Then Edwards stated "in June I'm coming to George Mason".

Edwards was probably on the fence and then Coach Hewitt went to visit his family and being the stellar recruiter that he is probably eased any doubts he may have had about coming to George Mason post-Larranaga.  He's a quote from Edwards that shows how Hewitt's background could pay dividends for the Patriots' on the recruiting trails:

"Once I found out they hired him, it was real positive, knowing he was an ACC coach, he put guys in the league. He knows how to win, basically,” Edwards said. “He’s a great coach. He’s recruited the best, he’s coached the best.”

The fact that guys like Gray and Edwards decided to stay means that they see stability still in the program despite the coaching changes. Some Mason fans may have wanted a young up-and-comer assistant to take the reins but you know what, I doubt these kids would have stayed committed to the green and gold if that had happened.