There was a time not to long ago when football fans would tune in to see what elite prospects their schools would sign the first Wednesday in February. Recruiting is now a 365 day a year process. The year-round nature of recruiting means that there is a lot to follow depending on where you are in the cycle.
The Class of 2012 can sign National Letters of Intent beginning Feb. 1, 2012. But that's not the only important date in the college football recruiting calendar. Here are some of the key dates in the football recruiting process.
- Aug. 1 -- Nov. 28: Evaluation period
- Sept. 1 -- Juniors can receive written offers
- Nov. 29 -- Jan. 30: Contact period
- Dec. 16 -- Jan. 15: Junior college transfer
- Feb. 1 -- April 1: Signing period
- April 15 -- May 31: Evaluation period
HOW DO I GET RECRUITED?
“The size of your high school and success of your team does make a difference.” Many college recruiters will cite examples of successful college players from smaller high schools. They are factual. However, when you look at the statistics, 80% of the college players come from 20% of the high schools. College recruiters only have so much time to recruit. They tend to concentrate their attention on successful programs in larger high school where the competitionis more difficult.
So how can I get noticed if I am from a small high school with a 3-6 record in my junior and senior years?
Each Division I university has a total of 85 scholarships for prospective football players. This usually means there are between 20 and 25 scholarship for new students each school year. If you analyze it by position, it usually means no more than two new players for each position.
Don’t place all your efforts into one college or university. A football program’s need at your position may already be met. Get data on currently recruited athletes at your position. For example, pay $9.95 /month subscription to Scout.com and collect all the info you need by position at the university of your choice.
There are many different types of colleges and universities. Some very high quality universities have different criteria for selecting players. Some great football powers have average academic programs. Depending upon your career interests, goals and abilities both academically and physically, you should contact different types of colleges and universities.
SHOW INTEREST
The easiest thing to do is have your high school coach call the college of your choice at the end of your junior year. If a coach will not call, you must call the college yourself. Ask for the recruiting coordinator and describe who you are. Be sure and ask them about their screening criteria for your position. If you come close to meeting their criteria, send them an edited video tape of several games for their review. Stay in touch and keep visible.
ATTEND COLLEGE CAMPS
Having identifi ed the 3-5 colleges where you might like to attend and play football, select two or three and make arrangements to attend their summer football camps. Make sure to inform the coaching staff that you will be attending their camp. This is most effective.
Camps can serve four different purposes:
• Skill Development
• Social experience with athletes from other high schools
• Showcase your skills to selected college coaches
• Distribution of your personal stats and performance
If you are borderline on the physical criteria for playing college football, attending at least one highly visible “showcase camp” could be very useful. At least one major university in your region will invite in college coaches from various Division I, II and III colleges to participate as the staff and also to observe the athletes. It is a very effective way to get noticed by college coaches at all levels. Most camps are large ranging in size form 200 to 1000 athletes. Small group sessions are a part of all camps. Prices will vary significantly for a four or five day camp. You should call the university and get information on the summer camp.The quality of the camp staff is one issue in your choice of a camp. Staff can vary from high school coaches, assistant college coaches and college players. Development camps that focus on teaching the fundamentals of the sport should be used to prepair you for camps and upcoming season. Showcase camps are often limited to 11th and 12th graders. Showcase camps can be very intense if not intimidating. There is not necessarily a lot of teaching. Athletes are there to show off their talents and they do it very well.
COACH’S RECOMMENDATION
College recruiters are always looking for high school coaches to recommend players. But they really want your coach to recommend players from other teams in your league. Since your coach has an emotional attachment to his own players, college recruiters know that your coach will be more objective about players on other teams. Get to know other coaches if it can be done naturally. However, you still should make sure that your own coach is willing to help if you meet the criteria to play college football somewhere. Don’t leave this to chance. Work out a specific program with your head coach. You should do as much of the work as possible but it will be worth it.
COMMUNICATE
If you are interested in a specifi c college, write to the coach who handles your position. Initially send him a letter describing who you are with a plan for the rest of your high school football career. Write him at least once aevery six months and update him on your progress. If he becomes interested in you as an athlete, this will say a great deal about your ability to plan, to be disciplined and to succeed. Don’t be bashful about telling a coach what you have accomplished. It ia also a good idea to call occasionly. Please remember depending on your age and time of the year he may not be able to return your call. My advice is to call until you reach him!
Sophomore Year
Select three more colleges in your region to visit. Select one friend to go with you this time. You should also ask to talk to a department chairman in one major that you may be interested in when you attend college. Select colleges that meet some of the criteria you may have developed to make a final decision. Student-athletes should continue to practice their interviewing skills. Parents should be asking no more than two or three questions per interview.
Junior Year and Senior Year
Using the criteria you have developed over the last two years, select four institutions. Do not ask a friend to go with you. You should go alone. This is not practice. You want the admissions offi cer to be focused on you. After six previous site visits, you should be more comfortable. You should know many of the right questions to ask. You should be able to read between the lines at times. You will begin to sense when a coach or an admissions counselor is misrepresenting the college. You should set up an appointment with a fi nancial aid representative in case you do not get an athletic scholarship. You should visit during the week and stay over night. Now you can visit at least three classes at each college. You should talk to one faculty member in your proposed major. You can sometimes stay over night in a dorm with a student-athlete and discuss the football program.
"Making the Goal College Bound Football Player" Jason C. Wilkie & Dr. Bill Wilkie
