Recruiting-101′s Reader Mailbag #2

With a ton of question coming in week after week, we decided it was a great time to put together another mailbag from Recruiting-101.  These are real question by families trying to navigate through the athletic recruiting process.  If you have questions, please add a comment to this article and we will consider using it for our next mailbag.  Onto the question.

First, thank you for providing a great resource for high school athletes. I understand the need to point out a player in a highlight film but what about the full game tapes coaches later request? Do these full game films also need to be edited; marking the player on each play?
-Brent

As always, the nice words are appreciated.  However, this definitely is an interesting question.  I have heard parents allude to it but never really come out and ask.  I have always pushed having the athlete on the highlight film circled in order to have the coaches know where they are.  The highlight video, in 90% of situations, is going to be the first thing that the coaches will watch.

If they like the abilities of the athlete and want to do further evaluation, they will watch the full game.  My feeling is that if they are going to spend thirty minutes watching your full game, then they will get a feel for you on the field and know where you are at.  Because of this, don’t worry about marking the player on the full game.  That would take a lot of time!

I was just invited to an Elite Lineman’s Challenge for the top O-Line/D-Line prospects in the nation. If I don’t attend this, will this hurt my chances of staying on the radar of the colleges that have been sending me mail?
-Kurt

It doesn’t matter what camp you attend.  Unless the combine is free and close to home, it is a waste of time.  College coaches are not longer legally able to go to any combine/camp.  So save your money and go to college camps during the summer.  These will help you a lot more than any camp that has the words elite, national, or super duper in the headlines.

What if I never played in high school but I’m very good?
-Deejay

I hate to rain on your parade but if you didn’t play the sport in high school, chances are slim you can play in college.

Talk about gray shirting a bit. It is coming up more and more and not very well understood. Thanks.
-Frank

I broke this subject down two years ago in an article.  Click here to read the entire thing that should help answer any grayshirt questions.

I am a father of a senior OL highschool kid. I wish that we have know this site & had subscribe to this site. My son did not start until last 6 mos. ago and has improved tremendously and can compete to the next level but we did not learned about video’s or anything, until one of his teammate got a scholarship from UCLA & Stanford. Then had told him to send out videos and it was kind of late in the season (Dec09) that we start sending but these senior guys had already been committed. Most of the coaches kept on saying if he is interested to go to college for free and my son being big at 295lbs and 6’4″ procastinated and did not take action until yesterday, when he saw his friend signed the contract of LOI. Ques: is it too late for my son to be considered to even go to Div-1 or Div1aa school at this time of the season? I know that schools have until April-2010 to fill out their roster. Please advice- very desperate father!!!
-Frank

I have always said that the earlier you get started with recruiting (after having varsity experience), the better you are off in the athletic recruiting process.  It doesn’t matter the sport.  Yes, schools do have a while to sign athletes to a Letter of Intent but they don’t for a number of reasons.  Very rarely is an athlete that far under the radar and then suddenly they come out of nowhere to sign.  Usually, what happens is that a kid is expected to go Junior College because of grades but then qualifies with a strong ACT/SAT score.  Once that is done, he may then sign.

But with Division I schools normally out or low on scholarship offers, these coaches are not focusing on anything in the Class of 2010.  What they are doing is looking ahead to coming classes, trying to get these juniors on campus, and view their tape.  I have seen a Big Ten school sign a kid in March but the chances of that happening are very, very slim.  I would look much more at the smaller schools or potentially walking-on.

Well I am a bit confused about all these statements about D 3 schools not offering scholarships. If anybody wants to check the school websites for the D 3 schools, you will find that many offer scholarships. There are also a lot of NAIA schools that do as well. So again, why does everybody keep saying D 3 can’t offer scholarships. I think it is a school preference from the way it looks.
-Jamie

Division III schools can offer academic scholarships.  They cannot offer you a cent for athletics.  Basically the tuition package they give you at a Division III school is the same regardless if you play sports or not.  The same cannot be said if you get a scholarship at a Division I, II, or NAIA school.

I know that there has been some debate about this but I have heard multiple situations where Division III schools can find more academic money and more scholarships for their top recruits in order to help them compete for them.  I have seen it over and over so while it may be illegal, it happens all the time.  That is why shopping around offers is important.

We thought the D-3, NAIA stuff would really get rolling after NCAA signing day, but it seems to be closing out.  What is the situation?
-Karyn

I had to edit this question a little bit but wanted to get this one out to readers.  All college football programs are doing everything that they can to end the recruiting process as soon as possible.  The early they get it done, the better for them so they can focus on their current teams.  Obviously Division III athletes cannot sign but once they submit a deposit, that is almost like a signed Letter of Intent according to the coaches.

NAIA schools have scholarships so once they get a feel for who is going above them, they are going to really start pushing the offers and do what they can to get information.  I know one NAIA school that had multiple kids signed before Signing Day because they want to get things completed as early as possible.

The Division III schools have to wait a little longer because of financial information but the earlier they finish, the better.  With the Division I timetable being sped up, expect that to drip down into Division II, III, NAIA, and Junior College programs.

Got any questions? Ask them in the comments and I’ll try to include them in a future reader mailbag.

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