Recruiting questions

stafford · January 22, 2014, 08:33:16 AM

Visited a D3 school with my son recently. Went for the campus tour, admissions informational session, etc... Really, just went to see the school. On the visit form, checked the box to meet with a coach.

In the admissions office, some of the coaches dropped by and said hello and told us we would meet with them after the tour. Saw the facilities, talked with the OC, etc.. Nice visit. This visit was initiated by us, but it now seems as if my son is on their radar by making contact with them first. I'm aware of enrollment driven programs, but, I've got a couple of general questions:

1. Do D3's usually get recruits as a result of the player expressing interest?
2. Do D3's usually wait until NLI's are signed at D2's and D1's in February to get serious about talking to players?

02 Warhawk · January 22, 2014, 09:45:37 AM

I know there's a ton more people on this board with more knowledge about this than me. But I believe most D3 recruits are sought after by the coaches. I would think this process starts as early as December and January. Probably even sooner for those programs that don't make the playoffs. However, I believe there still is a good amount of student athletes who show up at preseason tryouts, or who come knocking on the coaches door expressing interest, who weren't on the coaches radar.

That's one thing that I've always wondered about when it comes to DIII recruiting. Realistically, DIII coaches have to know their place in the recruiting world. I wouldn't think they would waste their time going after Blue Chip players out of high school. Obviously those players will go on to accept scholarships at the DI level. I've always been curious on where the coaching staff draws the line on players they can "realistically" obtain vs. athletes they have no chance at.

AO · January 22, 2014, 10:06:40 AM

Quote from: stafford on January 22, 2014, 08:33:16 AM
1. Do D3's usually get recruits as a result of the player expressing interest?
2. Do D3's usually wait until NLI's are signed at D2's and D1's in February to get serious about talking to players?

1) Not the majority, but it's common.
2) Depends upon the coach, but most of them are recruiting year-round and are "serious" when talking to players at any time. It's helpful to not have a maximum number of scholarships to worry about when pursuing players. You can "offer" them all.

stafford · January 22, 2014, 10:15:43 AM

It was very strange in a way. Son had sent the recruiting coordinator an email with his video link late in the fall. He started receiving regular email updates on their mailing list after that point. He had also had some email contact with the baseball coach so we scheduled the visit. On the form, you could request to meet with coaches so he selected both football and baseball.

Admissions replied back that they had the tour set up and he would meet with baseball but that football usually scheduled their own visits. O.K. no problem, we'll come to see the school, meet with baseball, and look around the football facilities on our own. Admissions said they would check with football to see if they could meet.

Upon arrival, we were told they had not heard back from football. Again, no problem, we'll be happy to meet with baseball. Did the tour, came back to admissions and four football coaches walked in and introduced themselves. Said after we met with baseball to come down and meet with them. O.K., so that's what we did.

Baseball knew we were coming, had us on the calendar, and has had contact with his baseball travel coach and had encouraged him to come and visit. It was a positive meeting, but they way they left things were... we hope to see you in the fall. Basically, if you show up and try out, you either make the varsity or j.v. squad in the spring. Pretty cut and dry. Also said no problem if he wanted to do both sports, but didn't really encourage it.

Football was, in fact, the same way. You show up and either make the varisty or j.v. team in the fall. However, they didn't seem to know he was coming for the visit or even know who he was, even though he was on their email list?

But the way they wrapped up was completely different. Said a football recruiter would visit his high school and meet with him and they would follow up weekly with mail and phone calls.

Just kind of odd I thought.

jknezek · January 22, 2014, 11:14:28 AM

Could have just slipped through the football group's cracks. It happens. A lot depends on the schools. While some schools recruit really hard, others recruit a lot of names low key and just see who shows up. Then there are schools where the athletic department doesn't have much pull with admissions, so while they are happy to talk to anyone, it really is a matter of who gets in.

Also a lot has to do with coaching staff contacts. The baseball coach obviously was "tipped" off to your son by someone he knew, as you mentioned. Probably someone he had some success with. So that could make your son a higher priority for baseball. If the football staff doesn't have the same tip, or the same contact with your son's coaches, then it could be a lower priority for them. However, since your son showed initiative and interest in coming to the school, it probably moves him up their interest list. Especially since now they can send someone to him and maybe make that contact with the coaching staff at your son's school and build a bridge for the future.

There are so many reasons, possibilities, etc., for why recruiting goes the way it does, and a lot of it is simply strange factors like who you know or who they know. Don't read too much into it.

stafford · January 22, 2014, 11:35:58 AM

If I had to guess, I would say it was admissions driven. It was probably just a phone call after we arrived on campus to the football staff that said, hey, there's a kid here who is interested in football, can you send someone over? I was glad they made the effort regardless of how it all came about.

It was a good visit and every thing was positive from my standpoint as a father.

sigma one · January 23, 2014, 10:51:52 AM

My thinking on recruiting is that the schools that are serious about quality athletics really grind at it. They are organized and target student-athletes they think can compete both academically and athletically. They follow up on contacts and work at helping students and families understand their school and program.
That being said, student-athletes or parents or coaches or alums, etc. sometimes initiate contact on behalf of prospective candidates.
Depending upon the regulations at individual schools, and conference rules about recruiting, recruiting athletes varies pretty widely though. From my side of it, making the right match/choice--with all the uncertainties about what that is--is ultimately the most important thing for a student-athlete. Academics and athletics both have to be considered. Does the school offer what the prospective student wants in terms of academic programs and athletic competition? The admissions office and coaches at caring places will help the student understand what the institution has to offer. And then there is, for many, the availability of financial aid for which the student and family might qualify, both need-based and merit aid.
I think families can learn a bunch from campus visits and from talking with professors, admissions counselors, and coaches--and maybe from alums, too. You can learn a lot about campus culture from the visit--and also from engaging with current students and hearing what they have to say (not just tour leaders). Staying overnight can help a prospective student learn about what really happens on a campus, as can visiting classes, eating with students, etc.
By this time of year, the DI and DII schools have already offered most, or all, of their scholarships depending upon how their recruits are responding. DIII schools have usually known for quite a while who they can spending their time on recruiting. And then there are a few surprises, a student who makes a last-minute change (a change of heart about where to go or a disappointment when a financial aid package arrives, for instance) or one who flies in under the radar and turns out to be someone who can help a team. (And though it varies widely, some athletic departments have a responsibility to try to bring in a percentage of the first-year class, as determined in discussions with Admissions and the administration of the school.)
Stafford: good luck to your son--and you too--on his choice. At some point he will know where he wants to land. It will just feel right to him after he makes his visits and listens to coaches and others.

stafford · January 23, 2014, 12:17:33 PM

I guess we'll know at some point. We're waiting on an estimate from a couple of schools, and as far as financially, we'll have a better idea. Unfortunately, I don't know if that means he will be any closer to deciding. While he liked the D3 school we visited, I don't think he's just dying to go play there. It's a maybe.

We also have a local school that has entered into the process from the baseball side, but, he's never considered this college because it is only 10 minutes from home.

He has been accepted at a public institution, so he has a fall back plan if he decides not to play in college.

fulbakdad · January 27, 2014, 05:43:56 AM

Just curious, what d3 school was it?

stafford · January 27, 2014, 08:38:01 AM

Once a decision has been made, I'll note which school. But at this point, it's probably better to keep potential choices under wraps. Heck, he may not even play in college, and if so, he'll go to a larger public institution.

In any event, I was well pleased with this school, and how they handled the visit.

stafford · January 30, 2014, 08:59:41 AM

Here are some other questions related to D3 recruiting:

Son identified several D3 schools and filled out their online questionnaires. He followed up with a direct email which included his video link. The responses were varied:

1. No response
2. Email from coach: Please apply, send transcripts and scores, complete FAFSA, and notify me when you are accepted.
3. Email from coaching staff to come for one of the athletic visitation days.

But the most common thing was this: no response directly from athletics. Meaning nothing came back from a coach. Instead, son was hit with emails and regular mail from admissions. So, the athletic recruiting questionnaire or the email generated a response from the college, but not necessarily from the coaching staff. And that is the confusing thing. How do you take that?

FsuGoNoles63 · January 30, 2014, 09:37:43 AM

When you fill out the questionnaire it automatically puts you on the schools mailing list if you put down your email. Also, with no responses it can be from a couple different reasons;

1.) Coaches are out traveling to different high schools to recruit this time of year and just havent checked their email. I know first hand coaches are not the best at getting back with you right away.

2.) It also depends on what schools your son has emailed. If he has emailed a school like Whitewater, they are very selective on who they recruit since they only have 100 roster spots and they bring in some great talent. Most of the guys they recruit are not your average D3 player and have D2 to small D1 offers. They usually go out and recruit guys themselves and do not rely on recruits to contact them first. Thats just the nature of the beast at a school like that.

Best of luck to your son!

stafford · January 30, 2014, 12:33:13 PM

Kind of what I figured. Receiving 0 response is fine. That's a clear message. However, when contact is initiated with athletics, and the response is only from admissions, it sends a mixed message.

SpartanMom_2016 · February 17, 2014, 11:20:16 AM

Quote from: stafford on January 22, 2014, 08:33:16 AM
Visited a D3 school with my son recently. Went for the campus tour, admissions informational session, etc... Really, just went to see the school. On the visit form, checked the box to meet with a coach.

In the admissions office, some of the coaches dropped by and said hello and told us we would meet with them after the tour. Saw the facilities, talked with the OC, etc.. Nice visit. This visit was initiated by us, but it now seems as if my son is on their radar by making contact with them first. I'm aware of enrollment driven programs, but, I've got a couple of general questions:

1. Do D3's usually get recruits as a result of the player expressing interest?
2. Do D3's usually wait until NLI's are signed at D2's and D1's in February to get serious about talking to players?

D3s do get recruits as a result of the player expressing interest. D3s do look at those who fall out after NLI are signed however, they also recruit prior to national signing day.

What I found with my son is that there are a number of ways that coaches found my son. Some saw him at a camp, others expressed interest after we sent his highlight video to them. He was recruited to his current school (Case Western) after he expressed interest in the school. He sent his video and an email in spring of his junior year. He was invited to a recruit day over the summer. He was also invited to a game in the fall. He was recruited by quite a few schools where he expressed interest in the school.

ExTartanPlayer · February 18, 2014, 11:58:31 AM

The proverbial ship may have already sailed on this - AO, jknezek, sigma one, and SpartanMom have already given good insight - but I'll add a few comments:

"1. Do D3's usually get recruits as a result of the player expressing interest?
2. Do D3's usually wait until NLI's are signed at D2's and D1's in February to get serious about talking to players?"

AO's response was succint and accurate. D3 schools recruit year-round (although the extent to which this occurs may vary). Most on-the-road recruiting and visiting happens in the winter/spring, but phone calls and emails should start trickling in during the fall, especially if you've made your interest known to the coaching staff. I would not expect to be contacted by D3 coaches, however, if you haven't gotten your name out somehow (either by getting it into an online recruiting database of some type, or by filling out some sort of questionnaire on school websites.

As a collegiate player, I had a work-study job during the season making phone calls to prospective recruits; a couple of players went up to the coaches' office for an hour after practice to call high school seniors, most of which we had contact information from thanks to online recruiting databases. It was really just information-gathering to start; get the kids' SAT scores and class rank (not official stuff, just to have an idea if he was even admissable - if he fell below a certain threshold, we just crossed him off the list), his email address, and then we talked to the kid awhile about our program if he seemed interested. We had some discretion in this - if the kid sounded good, we kept him on the phone awhile and really had a good conversation. If he didn't, we'd politely wrap up the call with a "Thanks for the information, and good luck with your season!"

Next, 02 Warhawk asks a good question:

"That's one thing that I've always wondered about when it comes to DIII recruiting. Realistically, DIII coaches have to know their place in the recruiting world. I wouldn't think they would waste their time going after Blue Chip players out of high school. Obviously those players will go on to accept scholarships at the DI level. I've always been curious on where the coaching staff draws the line on players they can "realistically" obtain vs. athletes they have no chance at."

02, my experience was as follows: if a kid told us he had a major Division I offer, we just crossed him off the list (at coaches' orders - they didn't want to waste time kids we had no chance on). If he gave us a middling answer, like "I'm talking to some Ivy League schools" - we kept talking to him because we know that a whole bunch of kids are "talking to" or "getting mail from" schools in the fall that they're not likely to get a real offer from, and we wanted to be there to snap up any borderline-Ivy or Patriot League types that fell through the cracks. I was an example of a kid who sort-of fit this description: I was "getting mail from" Columbia and Lehigh into the fall of my senior year and harbored some faint delusions that I might play FCS football, but honestly there was no place for me in either program except as a tackling dummy - so even with that, the CMU coaches stayed in touch with me and ultimately I decided that was the place for me.

"But the most common thing was this: no response directly from athletics. Meaning nothing came back from a coach. Instead, son was hit with emails and regular mail from admissions. So, the athletic recruiting questionnaire or the email generated a response from the college, but not necessarily from the coaching staff. And that is the confusing thing. How do you take that?"

I do admit that this is a bit confusing. If you've filled out the athletics-interest questionnaire on a D3 team's webpage, I would really expect the football staff to be in touch directly (at least via an email), although FsuGoNoles makes a point that the caliber of the program may matter (both academics and athletics). Coaches at particularly selective academic schools will only contact kids that have a shot at getting in; coaches at particularly dominant football schools will not waste their time on kids that aren't their caliber of player. Finally:

"What I found with my son is that there are a number of ways that coaches found my son. Some saw him at a camp, others expressed interest after we sent his highlight video to them. He was recruited to his current school (Case Western) after he expressed interest in the school. He sent his video and an email in spring of his junior year. He was invited to a recruit day over the summer. He was also invited to a game in the fall. He was recruited by quite a few schools where he expressed interest in the school."

This was very similar to my experience, and I always thought this was the "most common" path to a D3 school.