<p>My class of '12 son got an invite to the Football Junior Day of his #1 choice college. We have mailed and emailed this college and others with his academic and athletic profiles, plus some highlights and game tape. My son also has filled out the recruiting questionnaire.</p>
<p>In the form-letter initial response from this college, there was no mention of a Junior Day, just an invitation to attend their summer camp. So I wonder if being invited to a Junior Day is reflective of at least a mild interest, or if it's likely just something that everyone who has expressed an interest to the football department gets.</p>
<p>The reason for my curiosity: despite an admonition from this top-level Ivy to "work hard in the classroom and stay on top of your standardized testing", the Junior Day is scheduled for April 9th, which is also the day my son (and perhaps many others?) is scheduled to take the ACT. Plus, his school symphony orchestra is traveling 250 miles to a mini-tour that same weekend. So what is he missing if he misses this Junior Day?</p>
<p>We could reschedule the ACT and even fly him from Newark to Boston to make it for his symphony tour. But that's expensive and pretty over-the-top I must admit. Especially if the Junior Day is more a cattle call and recruiting first-step and not entirely evaluative. As an alternative, we are considering visiting this school in mid-April and setting up a meeting with the football staff while we're there. Can anyone who has experienced one of these Junior Days offer some insight into what takes place and how important they are? Also, (and I'm a little embarrassed to be asking this) should we read anything significant into his being invited in the first place, or is this a pretty standard kind of outreach for anyone who has identified himself as a football player.</p>
<p>Don’t be embarrassed to ask any questions. Everyone has the questions.
Folks here just want to help.</p>
<p>A Junior Day invite are a first attempt to identify recruits. Depends on the school as to what is on the agenda, usually a mass introduction to the school, sports facility, and coaching and training staff.</p>
<p>Recruiting letters without phone calls/emails sent personally from a coach equates to being on the recruiting radar. Personal phone contact on or close to July 1 initiated by a coach usually equates to being highest value on the recruiting board.</p>
<p>Not necessary to attend. If athlete is a player, the coach never stops recruiting! Invites to come see a school are only one way a coach will evaluate player interest.</p>
<p>More important to do well on the ACT. ACT or SAT scores need to be sent to the Clearinghouse directly from the testing agency. Either mark code 9999 as one of the institutions to receive your scores, or submit a request for an “Additional Score Report” to the appropriate testing agency.</p>
<p>Does your player’s team have a spring season?</p>
<p>Arrange to visit school over spring and summer. Make sure the position coach will be there before attempting to make the visit. </p>
<p>Will the player being attending summer camp?</p>
<p>ps re: cattle call… made me chuckle. football recruiting is very much about the measurables.</p>
<p>Were doing the same thing for my class of 2012 son. We identified schools that fit academically, socially and football wise. Then we filled out on-line questionnaire, sent in his transcript, player profile and jr highlights. Hes been invited to 4 jr days so far and will attend the first one Saturday. I think the jr days are more of a meet/greet and to see the facilities but its probably a good thing to attend. One coach stays in touch with him through text messages and emails.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t read much into it, even though I want to. Unless multiple schools hold junior days on the same date I got the same letter for princeton. But I haven’t received any e-mails or anything, maybe their talking to my coach…I have no idea.</p>
<p>It was nice to get but I didn’t read much into it. I don’t think it’s that important to go, the fact that there splitting it into “touring groups” made me think maybe it wouldn’t be worth it if more than 100 kids and families will be there.</p>
<p>mbencnel: what conference is your son talking to the coaches from?</p>
<p>@author–thanks for the great info. exactly what I was hoping for. The college is Princeton. There is a summer camp, although I’ve read here on CC that it’s 700+ players. I was thinking of skipping it because of that. We’ll be attending NE Elite at Bentley in July. Princeton is supposed to be represented there. Thanks also for the reminder to post the SAT (which he has already taken) and ACT scores to the Clearinghouse. I had forgotten about that. One last thing…should we be trying to contact the position coach or the recruiting coach with responsibility for our area (or the Head Coach?) when setting up an unofficial visit? I had always thought we should work with the assigned recruiter… @Cardinal16–we got an email, not a letter, but that’s because we had already reached out to Princeton and provided them with our email address. I had no idea what the Junior Day format was (the email didn’t have the particulars), so thanks for the heads-up on “touring groups”. Sounds like it would have been fun, but not much more than that. My son will take the ACT as scheduled. We are planning an unofficial in about 4 weeks.</p>
<p>Coincidentally Princeton e-mailed me today for the first time, my tape didn’t work and they needed another one. So that just confirms the thought that they invite anyone that reaches out to them.</p>
<p>Yes… make contact with position coach. The position coach ultimately decides w/head coach and coordinators, who plays. This is the coach who an athlete must be able to develop rapport.
Recruiting coach is usually only assigned an area of the country. You will want to meet both head and position on an unofficial visit.</p>
<p>I recommend asking Head Coach to be allowed to come only for one day to a camp. They will prorate your camp cost for a day. </p>
<p>^position?
He plays offensive tackle. He’ll play a decent amount on the D-line this year as well, but he feels his best position is on the O-line. There are two one-day camps in addition to the week long camp. I think we will do one day. Even if it is a mass gathering, if my son has made contact with the coach already I’m hoping the coach would be sure to see him work. Thanks again for the great advice.</p>
<p>I was a t a few camps last year, if you’ve talked to the coach he’ll watch your son. And for Lineman…if youre big you will be watch for sure. </p>
<p>When you get there you just have to find the coach you’ve been talking to and introduce yourself, then from my experience they’ll watch. Oh yea, and for sure don’t go to more than one day of the camp unless they tell you to after the first day.</p>
<p>The one dayers get more looks (at harvard they get more time while others eat lunch) and are looked at as the serious recruits.</p>
<p>Jr. days are just really a meet and greet as the board already said. However, the Camp at NE Elite is a great way to go for a lineman. Lots of coaches there and they are definately looking. Make sure you make contact with the coaches you are interested in and let them know what camps you will be at in advance of the camp. That way they can know what group you are in at the camp and make sure they watch. Sometimes they even make sure to get a group that has a kid in it that they are interested in. My son got lots of interest from this one camp and it was the camp that seemed to trigger a lot of interest. NE elite also gets a lot of coaches from the NESCAC which your son might have some interest in. Some Nescac and Ivys seem to chase the same kids.</p>
<p>Unless you get a personal invite from the coach you made contact with,(not a form letter) assume that the invitation went to their mailing list. Also, email the coach and let him know why you wont be attending the camp. they can appreciate the testing aspect and will show the academic component that is so important. They might come back with the offer to visit on another (less crowded) date.</p>
<p>Princeton’s Head Coach Surace is an offensive center!
I would not miss, if this is your #1; to go and compete will start to build the relationship with the staff. Especially if the athlete WANTS to go there; working on the ‘want to play’ aspect is part of the recruiting process.
Have athlete send regrets re: junior day with what dates are available for athlete to make unofficial. Ask to attend a spring practice. Ask to go to the 4/23 spring game.</p>
<p>Most important, before attending camps, is to secure a speed coach. Talk to high school track coach /think plyometrics. Princeton’s July camp provides over 3 months to train your athlete for explosive bursts of power. </p>
<p>? Ya ok lol. But no coach is going to offer after a 40 time. They’ll watch you closely, for an OL if you dominate 1 on 1s you have a better chance of getting an offer than running a fast 40 or shuttle.</p>
<p>Don’t mean to hijack the thread but can someone tell me how D3 football recruiting works. One of the top liberal arts colleges e-mailed me for my number to talk about the “recruiting process and their college.”</p>
<p>I just want to get a feel for the process before I talk to him, I’ll listen to everything he says but it’d be nice to know the process from the recruit side. I’ve searched around and couldn’t find anything detailed.</p>
<p>Information in terms of what kind of ACT/SAT I need (for football), how do they offer? etc.</p>
<p>Do they offer likely letters? Can they get them to you in october like the Ivys? For football what is a good enough ACT/SAT…is it the same as the Ivies?</p>
<p>I didn’t want to create a new thread for this, I just want some basic knowledge if anyone knows.</p>
<p>I talked to the coach and he gave me a good idea. One surprising thing he told was that theyll superscore my ACT, do Ivys do this too? That would be great lol</p>