[Spirit100]

What are your thoughts on how well coaches do marketing the talents of their athletes to colleges? Do coaches do all the work? Or a combination of parents and coaches? Or parents only? Contingent on how pro-active coaches are with identifying fit, and how well connected with recruiters.

Be mindful and inclusive of all levels: divisions 1-3, naia, juco.

[rustyankle]

Good question

[toussaints]

It starts with the kid showing his coach interest in playing in college. The coach gives the kid access to highlight film, helps the kid find schools, coach or athlete contacts that school, sends film and other stuff.

Then it's between the college coach and high school recruit. The high school coach can help the kid out by talking to college coaches, helping kid prepare for ACT, etc, which every high school coach should take the time to help out. When it's all said and done, the college makes and offer to the recruit, not the whole family, not the high school coach.

[Fly Like a Duck]

Also, high school coaches are upfront with college coaches (and, rightfully so, bc their rep is on the line, also ). I know many coaches who will send film to recruiters and if that school(s) is interested, that high school coach is up front and totally honest with the school about the young man (in this instance, if they are troubled.....school supsensions, any run ins with the law, etc).

Many kids across the state of Kentucky have the opportunities to go play at the next level, especially at the smaller levels, but many of them choose not go go in the end due to the commitment level that college football (all levels) requires. I can promise you that the kids at Lindsey Wilson, Union, Pikeville, etc. are working just as hard as the kids at UK, UL, WKU, etc.

[Spirit100]

Many players are discovered by college coaches and recruiters while watching teammates and opponents. I was the beneficiary of letters of interest based on the seniors being recruited the season prior. The cycle continues especially when good programs produce good football players consistently. It's also no accident the more competitive conferences get a lot more looks.

I also know many college programs will canvass all conference, city, region, and state teams. Especially if they have a history of success recruiting those areas. Good recruiters and college coaches also maintain good lines of communication with the high school coaches who consistently have success.

Having played division 3 football I couldn't agree with you more Duck. Although speed, strength and size can be measured, heart and will power cannot.

[Real Badman]

Most Colleges have 0-little interest in the film/email/phone calls they receive of players. You can breakdown every college in Kentucky and if anything HS coaches should send less. It's nice to see a superstar every now and then, but when you get 5'7" 134lb DB every week, it gets annoying and you lose much faith in the school/coach that sent said film. This is how pipeline relationships are built.

[Patch]

Most Colleges have 0-little interest in the film/email/phone calls they receive of players. You can breakdown every college in Kentucky and if anything HS coaches should send less. It's nice to see a superstar every now and then, but when you get 5'7" 134lb DB every week, it gets annoying and you lose much faith in the school/coach that sent said film. This is how pipeline relationships are built.

You are so right. Very important that the coach is honest about the information that he gives to the college staff, that reputation for telling the truth might be the difference in them opening the envelope or just putting it in "File 13" right away.

[papagrit]

I know that my kids have received letters from several colleges based on their testing scores. I don't know how the distant colleges get the information and know they play football, but, they have received interest from several Ivy League schools and upper echelon academic schools. The oldest got interest from several local colleges and universities and was offered by some of them as well.(Including EKU) He chose to play football out of state at a D3 school that has an excellent academic reputation. My point is this, if a kid has talent, schools will find them. If they have good grades and test scores, that is icing on the cake that will also get them into better schools where they can play football for fun. D3 schools don't give athletic scholarships, but my son's academic scholarship is considerable based upon his financial need. The first question asked at about every school we visited was "What are your grades?" followed by "What did you score on the _______ test?". Good grades and test scores give a kid so many more options if they have good athletic talent. I don't think we ever met a coach who's first business question deviated from academic questions. Performance questions usually followed much later.
One final thing. If you have a kid getting college looks, don't fall for the "You're my number 1 choice and are at the top of my list!" snow job that some coaches will throw at a kid. Make sure a kid you care for throws out a wide net because coaches will contact several kids for one or two spots and will choose the best options in the end and some kids will get left in the cold. It's a business decision for most of them. We had no idea how much until later in the recruitment process. My oldest was the number one choice according to the head coach of an Ivy League school last year on a visit in June. He told my son he already had a mentor picked out for him when he came to the school the next fall. My son loved the guy and decided that was the THE school for him. In September he was still getting called regularly, but in October the interest and phone calls dried up. When we called the assistant we had been talking to and asked if they were still interested in him or not, we were told that he would not be sponsored to attend the school by the football team. He wrote them off heartbroken and recast his net wider and wound up at a great D3 school. (Ranked academically 14th in the nation) What was funny was he was contacted by the Ivy League school around Christmas Day that year wanting him again. He told them he wasn't interested in them any more stating he wasn't going anywhere where he wasn't going to be treated honestly. If they had been straight with him telling him he might possibly get in with them if things worked out, he probably would be attending school in the Northeast now. Apparently their real number one choice decided they weren't his number one choice and he must have went elsewhere leaving my son as their next in line. Just don't let a kid you care for fall for only one school blinded to the other choices. Again, it is a business decision for them to pick their best options and after you deal with several coaches, you feel like a customer walking onto a car sales lot. My younger son will benefit from seeing how his brother was treated and will know better on what to expect. We as parents are also more wary and understand how the whole business works.
That's just my two cents worth on our experiences for some of you who have kids going through this now. Official visits are going on and important life changing decisions are being made by these young men during these months. My son would tell you, the day he called the coach of the program he picked was like getting a huge weight off his chest and he is happy as he can be where he is at. He now has contacted one or two kids here in Kentucky to tell the kids how happy he is where he is at. He is honest with them about his school and how he wound up there and his main advice is to cast a wide net and find the school that fits them and to not just buy into a coaches snow job.

[E's Army]

Bill Mike Runyan is a genius promoting his kids. 5 of them made honorable mention all state and they only had 2 wins.

[Spirit100]

I know that my kids have received letters from several colleges based on their testing scores. I don't know how the distant colleges get the information and know they play football, but, they have received interest from several Ivy League schools and upper echelon academic schools. The oldest got interest from several local colleges and universities and was offered by some of them as well.(Including EKU) He chose to play football out of state at a D3 school that has an excellent academic reputation. My point is this, if a kid has talent, schools will find them. If they have good grades and test scores, that is icing on the cake that will also get them into better schools where they can play football for fun. D3 schools don't give athletic scholarships, but my son's academic scholarship is considerable based upon his financial need. The first question asked at about every school we visited was "What are your grades?" followed by "What did you score on the _______ test?". Good grades and test scores give a kid so many more options if they have good athletic talent. I don't think we ever met a coach who's first business question deviated from academic questions. Performance questions usually followed much later.
One final thing. If you have a kid getting college looks, don't fall for the "You're my number 1 choice and are at the top of my list!" snow job that some coaches will throw at a kid. Make sure a kid you care for throws out a wide net because coaches will contact several kids for one or two spots and will choose the best options in the end and some kids will get left in the cold. It's a business decision for most of them. We had no idea how much until later in the recruitment process. My oldest was the number one choice according to the head coach of an Ivy League school last year on a visit in June. He told my son he already had a mentor picked out for him when he came to the school the next fall. My son loved the guy and decided that was the THE school for him. In September he was still getting called regularly, but in October the interest and phone calls dried up. When we called the assistant we had been talking to and asked if they were still interested in him or not, we were told that he would not be sponsored to attend the school by the football team. He wrote them off heartbroken and recast his net wider and wound up at a great D3 school. (Ranked academically 14th in the nation) What was funny was he was contacted by the Ivy League school around Christmas Day that year wanting him again. He told them he wasn't interested in them any more stating he wasn't going anywhere where he wasn't going to be treated honestly. If they had been straight with him telling him he might possibly get in with them if things worked out, he probably would be attending school in the Northeast now. Apparently their real number one choice decided they weren't his number one choice and he must have went elsewhere leaving my son as their next in line. Just don't let a kid you care for fall for only one school blinded to the other choices. Again, it is a business decision for them to pick their best options and after you deal with several coaches, you feel like a customer walking onto a car sales lot. My younger son will benefit from seeing how his brother was treated and will know better on what to expect. We as parents are also more wary and understand how the whole business works.
That's just my two cents worth on our experiences for some of you who have kids going through this now. Official visits are going on and important life changing decisions are being made by these young men during these months. My son would tell you, the day he called the coach of the program he picked was like getting a huge weight off his chest and he is happy as he can be where he is at. He now has contacted one or two kids here in Kentucky to tell the kids how happy he is where he is at. He is honest with them about his school and how he wound up there and his main advice is to cast a wide net and find the school that fits them and to not just buy into a coaches snow job.

Thank you for sharing your sons recruiting journey papagrit...great information. Continued success for him and best wishes for your younger who will undoubtedly benefit from big brothers insight.

[chicken_hawks101]

Today's football world, is about one thing and one thing only. A kids COMBINE results. About 5 percent of his whole football career plus his COMBINE results is what college coaches are looking at.

[toussaints]

^I'd add grades and location to that as well, which are tiebreakers for most colleges when deciding who to offer between several prospects that are very similar.

[Old War Horse]

Combines are another tool for recruiters to use, players attending camps in order for college coaches to see them first hand is another good tool. High School coaches with Hudl can now exchange film with college recruiters much easier.

[chicken_hawks101]

Yes, I agree. When I posted I thought grades were a given but yes, You are correct. Most schools can squeek kids in with around a 2.0 and 17 on the act, through colleges academic probation. Then after the first semester there off probation and good to go.. BUT its all about combines now. If you have size and speed, they can teach you any position.

[Spirit100]

Combines for high schoolers...please do tell more for those of us unfamiliar with the concept?

[Real Badman]

College will host their own camps, usually invite only. Other than that Nike, Under Armour and other big sports names usually host them national.

[chicken_hawks101]

Their is a ton of combines for high school kids every year. Every college in Kentucky puts a combine, included are test of there 40 time, vertical jump and shuttle drill. Its costs around 10-30 bucks to enter. Kids come from every where, these colleges make some money and kids come to them. Also nike, under armour, russell athletics put on these combines. Typically there called clinics , they teach them something about there position and test them at the end. Almost every college camp has these.

http://www.nationalunderclassmen.com/Vie...=205238564
http://athletics.kcu.edu/node/2405
http://highschool.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1324118
http://www.bluegrassrivals.com/forum/sho...post548047
http://gridirondigest.net/index.php?/top...st-combine
Just a few links out of 30 or so..
If you have grades, these combines are NOW the #1 thing your player/ child can do to be noticed. Its an epidemic.

[Old War Horse]

I know a young man from a very small school who attended EKUs camp between his sophomore and junior year without any invite. After the camp, EKU recruited and ended up offering the young man. Any way for a player to get visibility in front of college coaches is a plus, in my opinion.

[Spud6]

Where I'm from, for the most part the coach does the work because he knows a lot of college coaches. But now parents sending their children to camps in the summer are probably the most important thing!

[sportscritic]

If you think it's up to the high school coach about colleges your all wrong. It's up to the kid and the parents. The coach can only do so much but in this day in time parents think their kid should be playing for USC when they should be looking at NAIA schools. My uncle runs a recruiting agency, it's been pretty successful getting kids to NAIA but D1 is very difficult. If your wanting to go to college and play you must go to every camp the college has for multiple years. You have to go above and beyond.

[thsrocks]

it is not the coach's job to find scholarships for their players. This is the job description of a college football recruiter.

[BIGman88]

it is not the coach's job to find scholarships for their players. This is the job description of a college football recruiter.

You are right, but if that High School Coach is worth anything he will help his student athletes get into a college program somewhere.

My oldest son played for Campbell County High School. He did not start his senior year but got a lot of reps. His coach told him if he wanted to play college ball they would do anything and everything they could to help him. They did...

That to me is a great coach. Season is over now lets prepare for next year but help those that helped us get into college.

[nky]

It's not the high school coach to find a scholarship for the player. The player must take an active role in the process. THe coach can help in steering them in the correct path but the kid has to take the point.
He does this by making sure his grades and GPA are top notch (don't bother if either is low). A solid ACT score goes along way(21+).

Any senior can play at the next level there are lots of levels to play but you may have to travel far to play or pay out your nose to attend a school.

Kids and parents who blame their high school coach why junior didn't get a scholarship just sicken me

[DevilWatcher]

My son is a freshman and wanting to play college ball as well. He went to his first combine last year at KCU honestly just to get his feet wet. It was fairly small but well organized. Most kids there were older and looking to go to KCU. My son is average but there are a lot of small schools I think he could play at but they don't offer summer camps for all grades. Just senior camps. Hard to get in the system in a small school when they are do small not to have camps. His grades are good and got a 21 on his ACT in 6th grade so we are hoping to get a foot in the door academically to some of these smaller schools.

[Real Badman]

18 will get you academically eligible at any NAIA school, however each school has specific standards to apply.

[Belfry0304]

I don't know if it's been mentioned, but all-state and awards such as don't make a bit of difference to most coaches. A friend of mine was told by EKU they weren't interested in that stuff, and in place of highlight films wanted full-game films from him.

[DevilWatcher]

I could see that. I mean if I was a coach I would not only want to see your good plays but what you did in between also. I had a friend that was 5'9...180lbs..quick and strong but the college coaches told him "I can make a lot recruits fast and stronger but I can't make you 6'2"." Lol

[toussaints]

something important to remember as a possible recruit is "what can i offer to the program?" everyone on the team is a good football player, everyone on the team wants to be there. What do you offer to the program that they could use? why should we give you a chance? if you're really good and have the size to handle yourself, they'll come get you. but if you need an extra advantage, think about those things

[uglyfootball]

I agree that the student/athlete and his family are so actively involved these days that the coach's role is not the same as it was years ago. The players have access to Hudl and other electronic media sources and can create their own recruiting highlights. Some are linking their video segments from their combine workouts.

[wkyhollywood]

Small school athletes and parents have to work twice as hard to get noticed. In our case the coaches have too many other things on their plate, so it is up to us the parents. It sounds like letters and highlight DVDs are a waste of time..., so combines, emails, and phone calls are likely the way to go.