<p>My son played HS football all 4 years - varsity starter Jr & Sr year. He loves the game - played corner as his favority spot - not ternibly BIG or tall - not a bad player but not a rock star either - just loves the game and can't imagine not playing. Has his eye on DIII - has his HEART set on one school - has had contact with the recruiting coach of this school. Coach visited him at his school - we were invited out for a game with a bunch of other recruits. He applied - was accepted - but we are NOT sure what to expect next about football? Is there a FORMAL process by which a DIII coach lets someone know "hey you can be on the team?" As parents this process is ALL new to us. </p>
<p>My fear is son has gotten himself into thinking if he was accpeted that means he can play footbakl but not sure that how this works.... It is a school that just started their football program. HELP.</p>
<p>I do not know about football per se, but from what you mentioned it appears likely your son has been recruited for the team. Since the coach watched him play and invited him to the school to watch a game, I believe he is interested in him. Did he go for an overnight? … I think your son should call and say " i was accepted to the school what do I need to do to be part of the team inthe fall?</p>
<p>^Even the NLI or LL really don’t mean you made the team. Coaches are definitely going to want to see you show up for workouts but they don’t come with any assurance that you’re going to play.</p>
<p>Even at DI there are tryouts. Sure, if you were recruited and given a scholarship, you are most likely on the team, but that doesn’t mean you will play or keep your spot for next year. Like I said on your other post-there will be tryouts in the late summer, usually a couple weeks before school starts. He should get information about when to report for those. Anyone is welcome to try out at any level-walk-ons for scholarshiped teams. He should find out soon when those tryouts start before he commits to a summer job because he will have to go off to school sooner then most.</p>
<p>Pick up the phone and call the coach. Tell the coach you are accepted and ask what are the next steps to playing football at the school. This will remove all doubt, and you will now how to prepare for the summer workouts/Fall games. Possibly the coach is asking himself the same question…“how many football players do I have coming in next year?”</p>
There are DIII schools that have recruiting slots, like the NESCAC schools, where the coach has a lot pf pull with recruits who are academically qualified … which is whole lot different than being told please try out if you are accepted. That said kids at my kids’ high school that play on teams with large rosters like football, soccer, lacrosse, and track & field have had a lot of luck walking onto to teams at DIII schools. Please note their experiences about playing time are all over the map … some walked on and started as frosh and some walked on and virtually never played in games.</p>
<p>OP, I’d suggest your son contact the coach and ask direct questions. Will I be allowed to tryout for the team? How many players playing significant minutes made the team as walk-ons? What level players were these walk-ons in high school? Etc.</p>
<p>It seems to me your son has two goals that may align or may not … to attend this school and to play football. With more info he will know if he is likely to make the team and if he has a shot to play much eventually. If the football answers are not what he wants to hear then the question becomes should other schools with better football prospects enter the picture.</p>
<p>The level of DIII sports vary A LOT from school to school and conference to conference … there are DIII teams in each sport that easily could play DII or even in the non-major DI conferences … and there are DIII teams that would lose to many very good high school teams. Depending on how important football is to your son he probably can find a DIII team that he can at least be a member of.</p>
<p>Fenwaysouth is absolutely right. Only the coach is going to know the answeres to your questions.</p>
<p>One of my sons was a recruited athlete. He was accepted to a D1 school where the coach was not the least bit interested in him. Never really understood that one because he is a swimmer and he would have been quite valuable in the lineup there. But the school was not a particularly strong swim school with a coach who was less than on the ball. He had tunnel vison just focused on his recruits and for whatever reason my son was not on his list and his radar was not so good.</p>
<p>He ended up at a D3 school with a coach that was on his case every minute, making sure that the app was processed and he was the first to know it. That it was D3 made no difference. This coach loved his team, his job and was on top of the process big time. No wonder the school was a top D3 school in the sport with the team getting times that most D1 schools don’t get.</p>
<p>The D1 coach did eventually get word that my son was accepted but he was way late and not on the ball. A shame because it was a contributing reason why he did not go to this very good school that accepted him for his academics. Clearly the coach did not have him down as a recruited athlete.</p>
<p>So it all depends on how on the ball the coach is and how the interactions are between admissions and the athletic dept right down to the individual coach. Your son needs to call the coach and let him know he is on board and what the story if with the team.</p>
<p>I also reread the original post and I misunderstood it a little the first time. I thought the student was recruited by the coach …</p>
<p>“has had contact with the recruiting coach of this school. Coach visited him at his school - we were invited out for a game with a bunch of other recruits.”</p>
<p>Upon a re-read, it now seems the poster is asking - how does a student get an evaluation by a coach … is he good enough to play (Division III football).</p>
His high school coach should be able to help with that question … as well as some research about where recent teammates and opponents are playing in college (or not).</p>
<p>Kayasg,
I would have your son call the recruitment coach and arrange an unofficial visit. At the visit he can ask about how players are evaluated and how the coaches decide who is selected to play. Based on what you have said here it does not appear that he is the top recruit for this team, but that does not mean they do not want him on the team.</p>
<p>I would so agree & actually even understand that he is not their “top” recruit we just want to get a sense if he even has a chance of being on the team…football is my son’s “glue” it is what he has alwasy ever done and he can’t imagine going to school without being part of a team… I would hate for him to go to camp in the summer only to be told “uh sorry but no”</p>
<p>D3 football is usually very different than the other sports in that nearly every D3 football school will roster every kid that shows up for the summer practices. They may not play, but there are not usually cuts if the kid can play even a little. There are exceptions, of course, at your Mt. Unions and UWisconsin branch campuses, but it is a safe bet that your son is going to a non-cut situation.</p>
<p>That said, the only way you will get any feedback on your main question (can he play at that level) is to talk to the college coach and ask him - assuming he has actually seen your son play [sounds like no] or watched some highlights/game film.</p>
<p>GolfFather–I know that DIII doesn’t give athletic scholarships–I was pointing out that they are called “walk-ons” for schools that do give scholarships.</p>
<p>Absolutely have your son engage the coach for an idea of what to reasonably expect…to make sure everyone is on the same page.</p>
<p>S1 plays football at a NESCAC, where teams have a 75 man roster cap. In each of his first two seasons there were large recruiting classes, and players DID get cut after the conference’s very brief pre-season in late August. Those cut were generally not FY ‘slotted’ players, unless there was a season-ending injury or some other previously unknown concern.</p>