Recruiting Questions

[Irish_Passion]

I wasn't sure where to put this, so Mods please move to wherever you see fit.

I was hoping to get some info from any of the people on the board connected to the recruiting circuits. My son (currently in 8th grade) has been playing FB since he was 8 y/o and has actually turned into quite the player. He just turned 13 and is 6'0 220 and runs his 40 @ 5.5 (which most 13 y/o can barely break the 5.0 barrier) and has played O-Line/D-line. I was personally a D1 scholarship player and he is much farther down the path than I was at 13, so I am hoping to start getting him some recognition.

The thing though is that recruiting has changed dramatically since I was an athlete being recruited. When I was recruited, I went to the local college summer camps and was offered scholarships there (still happens of course), but that was it. Once your name started circulating you would gather more and more offers. Nowadays, the press seems to start as young as 6th grade for these kids. My son's best friend is playing in a 14U All Star FB game by USA Football in Texas this week, and he has gained a lot of attention since starting the USA Football camp circuit two years ago. Obviously, I will have my son join the camps this summer, but because he is going into 9th grade, this will be his last year that he can do that circuit.

I have done a bunch of research on this but not quite sure what the best option is because each one of these camps is ridiculously expensive. I am already dropping 300/month for an athlete training center 2 times a week, so I would like to make the extra costs the most effective. If anyone has any suggestions on the best way to start getting an athletes name circulating the recruiting trail, I would love to hear each of them. PM me if you would like.

I am realistic and know that most kids don't get D1 scholarships, but my son has already been recruited by the local high schools and has been offered full tuition scholarships at one of best private catholic schools in the area. He gets plenty of attention locally, i just want to get him more nationally.

Thanks in advance.

 

[BobbyMac]

What city & state do you live in Passion?

 

[aubeirish]

I'm no expert by any mean, but making a solid highlights video would probably be a good idea. Put it on youtube, hudl, and send the link to as many schools/recruiters/recruiting experts as you want. Personally, I would start doing the video and wait to see how he does freshman and/or sophomore year before investing into expensive camps. It's hard to say with kids at this age who is going to be a D1 player or not as they are still very much growing into their bodies and potentials... Good luck. Hope to see your son in the blue and gold one day .

 

[IrishLax]

I don't want to waste a lot of time typing up a response that a lot of people could do a much better job on, but here are some bullet points:
-Stressing out this early isn't worth it all. Most recruiting doesn't kick into gear until someone has completed their sophomore year of high school. I remember this coming up on one of the networks and someone said "how do I get my kid on the radar?" and the response was "there is no "radar" until you've played high school football."
-Sending your kid to the best school with the best connected coach matters. A lot of recruiting is still done through HS coaches.
-The single best way to get a scholarship offer from a specific school is to camp there. But that doesn't really apply until later, and isn't a good way to get "exposure."

TLDR: Focus on getting him in to the right HS situation, and then worry about recruiting after he has varsity film.

 

[wizards8507]

Please, please, please, do not send your kid to a specific high school just for football unless that program also offers some quality academics. The percentage of middle schoolers who play varsity ball is small enough, let alone the fractions upon fractions of those who go on to FBS programs, FBS starting lineups, and NFL contracts. Don't jeopardize your boy's earning potential on the hope that he'll ever make a dime playing football.

Sent from my Galaxy Note4 using Tapatalk.

 

[gkIrish]

Make sure he goes to a HS where the FB is actually utilized at a high rate.

 

[Old Man Mike]

pre-high school ball, the most important thing for enhancing high level sport accomplishment is proper athletic training, particularly weight-training. My brother is an Olympic coach [THE US team] and began training young persons "out-of-his-garage" for whatever sport they wanted to focus upon. He has increased general explosiveness, and thereby speed, in all his trainees, and many have gone DI scholarship.

The second vital thing is when a young person has a particular sport and "position" in mind. Usually that means refining some position or sport relevant skill [like Tiger Woods hitting golf balls, or Peyton Manning throwing footballs.] Repetition and cleverness must be a mantra [think Pete Maravich drills in basketball; I used to shoot a minimum of 100 shots per day --- was a good shot, despite mediocrity else wise.]

But I'm an old prof, so I say: if you push kids too obsessively about anything, you create a "bent" kid. The most important thing for a kid is to grow up healthily normally as regards spiritual base and social awareness and values. Humility doesn't hurt. Cultivating mental skill and knowledge is crucial. If a kid isn't as first priority an ostensibly loved kid who is allowed to be a kid, and blessed with spiritual and social guidance, then no matter how many scholarship offers come we're stuck with some of the famous sports headliners that we'd rather not see.

I assume that you have that aspect at the center focus, but we regrettably sometimes miss the forest because of starring at just one tree. Notre Dame says: think 40 years, not four.

 

[dwshade]

Great post Mike.

 

[Irish_Passion]

Thanks for all the responses fella's. I agree with all of them, and no my son its going to go to the private school. I was just using it as a reference to getting noticed locally.

I do believe it is way to early to start anything, but my wife is all on my ass about his friend getting invited to these all star games so i figured i try to see if I am missing something. I am totally cool with waiting till the high school stuff, but want to make sure that I am not doing everything I need to since the recruiting stuff has changed so much since I played.

Also, we are in Omaha NE so the visibility is tough anyways.

 

[Irish_Passion]

pre-high school ball, the most important thing for enhancing high level sport accomplishment is proper athletic training, particularly weight-training. My brother is an Olympic coach [THE US team] and began training young persons "out-of-his-garage" for whatever sport they wanted to focus upon. He has increased general explosiveness, and thereby speed, in all his trainees, and many have gone DI scholarship.

The second vital thing is when a young person has a particular sport and "position" in mind. Usually that means refining some position or sport relevant skill [like Tiger Woods hitting golf balls, or Peyton Manning throwing footballs.] Repetition and cleverness must be a mantra [think Pete Maravich drills in basketball; I used to shoot a minimum of 100 shots per day --- was a good shot, despite mediocrity else wise.]

But I'm an old prof, so I say: if you push kids too obsessively about anything, you create a "bent" kid. The most important thing for a kid is to grow up healthily normally as regards spiritual base and social awareness and values. Humility doesn't hurt. Cultivating mental skill and knowledge is crucial. If a kid isn't as first priority an ostensibly loved kid who is allowed to be a kid, and blessed with spiritual and social guidance, then no matter how many scholarship offers come we're stuck with some of the famous sports headliners that we'd rather not see.

I assume that you have that aspect at the center focus, but we regrettably sometimes miss the forest because of starring at just one tree. Notre Dame says: think 40 years, not four.

Thanks for the reply OMM, love it and agree 100%. I do not want to push my son to do anything other than handling his weight training because that will be a skill needed for the rest of his life. That being said, it is a struggle to find quality training outside of what I provide to him personally for training for a specific position in Omaha Nebraska.

 

[Irish#1]

Let him be a kid first. You may not think you're pushing him, but you are. Trying to get him into camps, going to a training center are all non-verbal actions that are pushing him. If you ask him, he'll tell you "No you're not" because he doesn't want to disappoint you.

I have a granddaughter who is a junior in HS. She has D1 BB talent and size. She's been to camps, played travel ball for several years, been watched by ND, IU, Fordham and others. She has received letters from D1 schools. She is not playing now because it wasn't fun anymore. She always told her dad everything was fine, but she confided in grandma that it wasn't fun anymore and didn't want to play. Dad had no clue because she didn't want to disappoint him. She still plays volleyball and enjoys it. I think it's primarily because dad is just a spectator.

 

[koonja]

Sit ups.

 

[BobbyMac]

Sit ups.

I'm willing you all my vbucks.

Koon out 'cruitin for the class of '20... while bustin' down mattresses in his spare time.

Zero italics.

 

[Irish#1]

No need to be sorry, I agree. I told myself that i was not going to push him at all and I have actually gotten into arguments with my wife about this very thing. This is 100% about him, and the second he feels that I am pushing him, I feel he would come to me. What I have done is tell him what it takes to play at a high level. So i tell him that if he "wants to play D1 then he needs to work out , eat right, etc..) But i leave the decision 100% up to him!

As I previously mentioned, he probably wouldn't come to you for fear of disappointing you.

Not trying to be an as$, but your statement right there tells me you are putting pressure on him. Kids these days know what it takes. Personally, I would back off and see what happens. Stop the expense of the training for a month. If he really wants to do it, he'll ask you about going back.

 

[NDWorld247]

My son's best friend is playing in a 14U All Star FB game by USA Football in Texas this week, and he has gained a lot of attention since starting the USA Football camp circuit two years ago. Obviously, I will have my son join the camps this summer, but because he is going into 9th grade, this will be his last year that he can do that circuit.

Something doesn't sound right here. There is no USA Football game this week and their program runs through HS so your son would have several more opportunities to participate. Are you referring to FBU?

 

[BobbyMac]

Passion,

Besides the film avenues mentioned, I'd look for a recruiting / production company that covers your area like Under the Radar or D1 Bound when and if his film is to that level. Get to know people who run sites in your quad state area that cover high school football like IndianaPreps or CalPreps. I'm sure there are some there in NE because football is king.

As far as the camp scene for you is pretty interesting area. Camp at Lincoln and at Ames both nearby and cover two different conferences. If he's good/big enough to catch their eye, he'll be on the radar of recruiters from Texas to NY city via the B1G and Big12.

Also, you are 2 hours at most from the DII dynasty at NWMS. I'd camp there and maybe MoWest who has great camp facilities thanks to the Chiefs. There is nothing wrong with having MIAA coaches recruiting your kid. Every recruiter from the MIAA wants to be coaching at a P5 school someday, when they have a kid they know is above their level, they tell 5 of their friends at bigger schools for future favors.

Lastly, if the Power 5's never come and you want a better education than the MIAA schools, don't forget Drake. They play in the Pioneer, an awesome low major DI conference that travels from San Diego to Florida to New York with stops in Chicagoland, Indy, Dayton, N. Carolina....and Kentucky.

Cover your bases, recruit schools, camp at different levels. You've been there. In the end it comes down to does your skill set match your body at the level of play you are shooting for. There are some great 6-2, 275 lineman receiving a free education in FCS and DII who if they had been 6-5, 310 would have played anywhere in the country.

Good luck and enjoy the ride!

.

 

[Irish_Passion]

Something doesn't sound right here. There is no USA Football game this week and their program runs through HS so your son would have several more opportunities to participate. Are you referring to FBU?

Yes its FBU, but its sponsored via USA Football.

 

[Irish_Passion]

As I previously mentioned, he probably wouldn't come to you for fear of disappointing you.

Not trying to be an as$, but your statement right there tells me you are putting pressure on him. Kids these days know what it takes. Personally, I would back off and see what happens. Stop the expense of the training for a month. If he really wants to do it, he'll ask you about going back.

As I was typing that response, I knew that was what the response was gonna be. He probably does feel pressure because everybody tells him that he's gonna be just like his dad, but its not me pushing him. The training was his ask, and my only push to him was that if we are gonna pay for it, then he better be doing it 100% cause I am not paying 3 bills a month for him to socialize. Completely understand your stance though and appreciate the candidness.

 

[Irish_Passion]

I'm no expert by any mean, but making a solid highlights video would probably be a good idea. Put it on youtube, hudl, and send the link to as many schools/recruiters/recruiting experts as you want. Personally, I would start doing the video and wait to see how he does freshman and/or sophomore year before investing into expensive camps. It's hard to say with kids at this age who is going to be a D1 player or not as they are still very much growing into their bodies and potentials... Good luck. Hope to see your son in the blue and gold one day .

Thanks Auberirish! I have started to compile video from this past season and the camp investment stuff is my biggest headache. Im not sure what camps to actually send him too. There is so much material out there for skill positions but very little on the line, at least in the midwest. I have taught and will continue to teach him stuff for the line, but I lack a lot of the training supplies to do everything myself. If anyone is aware of specific training for the line in the midwest, or more specifically Nebraska/Iowa, please PM me.

 

[NDWorld247]

Yes its FBU, but its sponsored via USA Football.

It's definitely not sponsored by USA Football. There's no affiliation whatsoever. FBU is a money grab and a "circuit" I would definitely stay away from. USA Football offers something much different.

As for what camps to attend, I think Crusader gave some good advice regarding college camps when the time is right, but your son is still very young. His focus right now should be on academics and development, not "exposure".

 

[Irish_Passion]

It's definitely not sponsored by USA Football. There's no affiliation whatsoever. FBU is a money grab and a "circuit" I would definitely stay away from. USA Football offers something much different.

As for what camps to attend, I think Crusader gave some good advice regarding college camps when the time is right, but your son is still very young. His focus right now should be on academics and development, not "exposure".

Most of these things have seemed like a money grab, but all I know is the same guy responsible for the USA Football here in town, is the same guy running the FBU program.

All in all, the thread pretty much summed up everything for me as I thought. I thought it was still far to early (thats been my stance with the wife), and most everybody agreed, so I will just continue to let the chips fall where they may, just wanted to do my due diligence since this crap has changed dramatically when I was being recruited.

Thanks for all the replies!

 

[BobbyMac]

It's definitely not sponsored by USA Football. There's no affiliation whatsoever. FBU is a money grab and a "circuit" I would definitely stay away from. USA Football offers something much different.

As for what camps to attend, I think Crusader gave some good advice regarding college camps when the time is right, but your son is still very young. His focus right now should be on academics and development, not "exposure".

While you obviously should never lose focus on academics and make sure you are good enough to get into even the top P5 schools via their relaxed qualifications for athletes, you do have to accept that most kids are out there playing 7v7, camping as much as possible, affiliated with performance-programs and taking unofficials every weekend they can while pushing their name via social media in any way possible too.

Long before the age of the internet, I camped at IU, Purdue, ND from 5th-8th grade, then 5 Star, Prep Stars, BC and McDonald's All American basketball camps in high school. I played in national AAU events with an Indiana traveling team before they were more important than high school. I had more offers than guys you've heard of in the NBA because I worked the system harder than them... mostly at the time because we could afford to. This was just before Nike & Adidas started bankrolling basketball via the Sonny Vacarro model.

Point is, you have to do both. Screw the thinking that you may burn the kid out. If he's cut out to be at a P5, everyone there is doing the same thing. Maybe they are more cut out for lower divisions of college athletics or none at all. You will never know unless you go all in, THEN you will naturally find your place in the system.

.

 

[NDWorld247]

Most of these things have seemed like a money grab, but all I know is the same guy responsible for the USA Football here in town, is the same guy running the FBU program.

That explains the confusion. A lot of these national programs contract people at a local level. Nationally, there's no connection between the two. There's actually a lot of bad blood.

While you obviously should never lose focus on academics and make sure you are good enough to get into even the top P5 schools via their relaxed qualifications for athletes, you do have to accept that most kids are out there playing 7v7, camping as much as possible, affiliated with performance-programs and taking unofficials every weekend they can while pushing their name via social media in any way possible too.

Long before the age of the internet, I camped at IU, Purdue, ND from 5th-8th grade, then 5 Star, Prep Stars, BC and McDonald's All American basketball camps in high school. I played in national AAU events with an Indiana traveling team before they were more important than high school. I had more offers than guys you've heard of in the NBA because I worked the system harder than them... mostly at the time because we could afford to. This was just before Nike & Adidas started bankrolling basketball via the Sonny Vacarro model.

Point is, you have to do both. Screw the thinking that you may burn the kid out. If he's cut out to be at a P5, everyone there is doing the same thing. Maybe they are more cut out for lower divisions of college athletics or none at all. You will never know unless you go all in, THEN you will naturally find your place in the system.

.

I agree you have to do both at some point, but his son is in 8th grade. There will be a time to go all out for "exposure" but not this offseason.

 

[Irish_Passion]

While you obviously should never lose focus on academics and make sure you are good enough to get into even the top P5 schools via their relaxed qualifications for athletes, you do have to accept that most kids are out there playing 7v7, camping as much as possible, affiliated with performance-programs and taking unofficials every weekend they can while pushing their name via social media in any way possible too.

Long before the age of the internet, I camped at IU, Purdue, ND from 5th-8th grade, then 5 Star, Prep Stars, BC and McDonald's All American basketball camps in high school. I played in national AAU events with an Indiana traveling team before they were more important than high school. I had more offers than guys you've heard of in the NBA because I worked the system harder than them... mostly at the time because we could afford to. This was just before Nike & Adidas started bankrolling basketball via the Sonny Vacarro model.

Point is, you have to do both. Screw the thinking that you may burn the kid out. If he's cut out to be at a P5, everyone there is doing the same thing. Maybe they are more cut out for lower divisions of college athletics or none at all. You will never know unless you go all in, THEN you will naturally find your place in the system.

.

For all we know my son is done growing @ 6ft, although id like to think that @ 13 he still has a few more inches in him. I was 6'4 290 as a senior in high school, so we will see. Regardless, Im sure he will end up big enough to have his education paid for by somebody if he so chooses, whether thats DI or FCS or DII, whatever. I just want to make sure that I am doing everything I should be doing to give him his best opportunity to do whatever he wants to do. I am stressing the want/desire to him versus telling him that he is required to do these things.

 

[Irish_Passion]

I'm no expert by any mean, but making a solid highlights video would probably be a good idea. Put it on youtube, hudl, and send the link to as many schools/recruiters/recruiting experts as you want. Personally, I would start doing the video and wait to see how he does freshman and/or sophomore year before investing into expensive camps. It's hard to say with kids at this age who is going to be a D1 player or not as they are still very much growing into their bodies and potentials... Good luck. Hope to see your son in the blue and gold one day .

He has already been groomed

 

[Booslum31]

At least while your son is young, make sure he plays other sports. This will help him to develop into a complete athlete. I know that I would never have gotten a shot at the NFL had I not played basketball and ran track. WAAAAY to young to specialize...later on there will be a lot of pressure to specialize. I'm sure you are monitoring whether this is HIS dream...he's got to want it more than everyone around him wants it. Good luck to him!

 

[BobbyMac]

He has already been groomed

Passion,

You look a lot better in Irish Blue than Aggie Crimson!

:smilewink

...and that boy of your's looks like Tommy Kraemer in 8th grade! I predict a free education in his future!


.

 

[Irish_Passion]

Passion,

You look a lot better in Irish Blue than Aggie Crimson!

:smilewink

...and that boy of your's looks like Tommy Kraemer in 8th grade! I predict a free education in his future!


.

The internet is a scary thing....