Son just completed freshman year at a very competitive public NJ high school. He has expressed interest in playing football in college. I played for an Ivy back in the day and feel I have good understanding of levels of competition and a mostly unbiased view of where he fits in. Realistically he could be a Ivy, Patriot, or top DIII recruit. Doubt D1 (FBS) is really an option unless he is late bloomer - good size and athleticism, but not D1 size for his position (still don’t understand how kids can weigh 300+ in HS
His frosh GPA is ok but not to level of expectation. 3.3 uw and 3.9 weighted. Couple of challenging classes sunk him - he is an A- student. Obviously no test scores as of yet although he is starting to prepare.
Question - are Ivy, Patriot, and NESCAC schools out already? What does he need to need to raise his GPA to be considered (assuming coaches are interested). Hoping he works hard next year and raises it to 3.5/6 range next year for when he starts talking to coaches / going to camps.
No, he is not out at an Ivy after freshman year. I would think his grades would have to be really bad for that to be the case. I mean, you are talking about a B+ average.
Just an FYI, and I don’t know how old you are, but the competitive level in the Ivy is pretty high, especially in the top half of the conference. Certainly much higher than when I played at a Patriot school back in the 80s.
It depends on the school/coach/conference. Are any of his grades C’s (or lower)? If so, that could eliminate him from certain schools/coaches considering him…but, this can vary from year to year as well, as athletic recruiting is so dynamic.
On the other hand, with a 3.3 unweighted GPA and a high score on SAT/ACT he could still achieve the minimum football AI at Ivies. It’s still early for him academically, in physical development and recruiting wise so all of those things are positives.
I think he’s fine. My son’s friend is playing at Carnegie-Mellon (D3). Honestly, not the best football player in the world. I was surprised he was getting offers to play in college. But he’s big (6’2", 220 lbs-ish). He got playing time freshman year. He was in the top 10% of his class at our average NJ public (with about average sports) - so say top 25 out of about 250 in the senior class. CMU was never even on the radar, but football got him in.
Football recruiting tends to be tough for some of the more academically focused schools because they can’t bend the standards too much, and football’s number are getting smaller and smaller. A few of our athletes are doing D1 in another sport and, again, grades would not have gotten them in without the sport. With a 3.9 weighted, he’s in good shape, especially if he can get in the 1250 range on the SAT.
How big is he?? A friend of my D21 is 6’6’, 285 and has been getting looks from big time D1 teams already. Genes are something you can’t buy!!!
Definitely understand that times have changed since I went in mid-90’s (not that old!). I was recruited athlete and wouldn’t have gotten in otherwise but process started much later back then (I think first time I met coach was at an awards banquet in October of my Sr year) That being said I was 6’5 240 as incoming ivy freshman, now a days that is on small side for line. He is currently 6’3, 220LB but just turned 15 this summer, so he has some growing to do, but just don’t see him getting really big (275+). Might be a better D3 fit, but he is hopeful.
I was watching the World Series of Youth Lax. Kids are 13 years old. One was 6’2 and 220. Another was 6’3 and had size 13 feet At 13 years old! (and what incredible athletes they were; it was really excellent play)
I guess that’s how kids get to be man-sized in high school.
@JerseyDad7266 I too have a 6’ 3’’ rising sophmore son in a competitive NJ public school as well as a son who will play football for a NESCAC this fall. Re the Ivy League on the academic side, it is all about your son’s Academic index(AI) score. A couple of key things about AI scores: results on standardized test make of 2/3 of the score, so if your does not have the best grades, he can make it up on the SAT or ACT. Second, the AI only uses unweighted GPA, i.e. no credit for taking the honors/AP classes, which seems ironic for the Ivy League. But that is the Ivy system and it is unlikely to change over the next few years. The NESCACs on the other hand will probably value the tougher course load.:
I hear you. My son played guard and was constantly trying to stay above 280 during the season, and that is on a team that favors lighter, quicker o linemen. I played center at between 245/250 for most of my college career. And trust me when I say my 245 in 1987 was a much “softer” 245 than his 280 in 2017. The nutrition, conditioning and lifting is so much better now. Today they would chew me up and spit me out (not that I would ever admit that to my son).
As others have said, the real game on the AI is the standardized tests. Assuming your son is a lineman he likely will only be recruited as a band 3 or 4 kid, which require the highest academic achievement, so his GPA can’t be “low” in Ivy terms. But is someone going to make a recruit/don’t recruit decision on the difference between an unweighted 3.5 (assuming he buckles down a bit) and an unweighted 3.7? No. So personally, I wouldn’t sweat the grades yet. But I would make sure my son knows that if he wants to go show dad how it is done at the alma mater, then he needs to put it in gear. Best of luck.
