Hi there! I have spent hours scouring these boards and think I am more confused. I have twin boys who are juniors and just finished their season. They both want to play football in college. Little background info… We live in a very small town with a very, um, not great football team. Both boys started on both offense and defense. Twin 1 OLB and than added to running back position. Twin B CB and WR and RB. Both had great years. Twin 1 had a play on the Friday night news. Twin 2 was on twice and was in the top 20 receivers for our co ference the whole year. Both have gpa of 3.3, are 5’11" and weigh 158. (Coaches on me to put weight on them. We are trying. Lol). Neither have taken ACT yet, nor do they know their 40 time or how much they bench, etc. Twin 1 undecided on career, twin 2 leaning towards engineering. I honestly don’t think they are D1 quality, and honestly would prefer D3 due to twin 2’s career choice. Academics over athletics.
I know we are probably behind on recruiting process. I was going to sign up on ncsa, but way too high priced. Should we be filling out questionaires on college sites? Or do we wait until after ACT scores, etc. I am at a loss as to what we should be doing. My husband thinks I am jumping the gun but I know better. Is it best to fill the forms out and give hudl links? I did make twin 2 a berecruited site, but just the free one and havent seen any action on that.
If anyone has any advice, or could direct me to somewhere I can get information on what in the world we need to be doing I would be sooo grateful!
Thank you so much!
I obviously do not know your guys’ skill set, but I suspect that you are correct that D1 schools are not the target here given what you have shared about your program and more particularly their size. D1 level corners are generally going to be 6’0" or better and 200lbs. Running backs can often be shorter, but will likely be even heavier. Linebackers at that level will simply be built on a different frame than what your sons appear to be. Even at the D3 level, 5’11" and 158 is very small. I think the best thing your guys can do to help them be recruitable in college is to hit the weight room, hard, this off season and summer. They should know not only what they bench, but what they can hang clean, front squat and dead lift by next fall. Remember “curls get the girls, but real men don’t skip leg day”. Get them to pay attention to their diet, every day. Feed them lean protein and good fats with a shovel. There is a huge difference between 5’11" 158 and 5’11" 175-180.
Turning to the nuts and bolts of D3 recruiting, I hesitate to say this but I agree with your husband. You may be jumping the gun just a touch. Right now, D3 schools are still playing ball and will be recruiting this year’s class into the spring. Recruiting for next year’s class at the D3 level will happen a little bit over the late spring and early summer, but then will quiet down again as they wait to see what kids commit to D1 and D2 programs in the fall and winter. The NESCAC conference seems to operate a bit differently, but given your sons’ GPA and lack of test scores, there is nothing to do with schools in that conference at this point in any event.
First and foremost, understand that quite a lot of college recruiting happens because of contacts the high school coach has with colleges. From what you say about your program, it sounds like there is not likely to be much of a network between your high school program and certain colleges. If that is the case, then a third party hosting site is probably a decent option. I do not want to bash any particular hosting site, but I don’t believe I know anyone who made good contact with coaches off of be recruited. My son and a couple of his friends used gobigrecruiting, which while still a pay site is a much cheaper option (you pay a fee for each school whom you allow to view your profile). I think it provided decent value, and certainly got his film out to several schools who he would not have otherwise contacted.
If I were in your position, I would find out where and when the nearest SPARQ event will be held this winter or spring and sign your sons up for that so you can get the basic measurables (40, vertical, ht, wt, shuttle time, power ball). Make sure they are in shape for SPARQ. It is important. I might suggest working with a local track guy on starts and running form generally in the winter to prepare. I would also start putting together a short highlight tape of their junior year. Once you have that data (and maybe some ACT/SAT scores to report) then I would pick a hosting site and upload a profile and highlight tape for each guy. At the same time, I would encourage your sons to fill out the recruit profiles at some schools (maybe a dozen to start) of particular interest. I made my son do that during the winter of his junior year, and quite honestly not a single school that ended up recruiting him ever mentioned his recruiting profile form. But I think it is something you just have to do. Once the profiles are done, I would advise your kids to send a short e mail to their recruiting coach at each school (you can find out who recruits your area on most team websites) introducing themselves, telling the coach they have filled out the profile and providing a link to whatever hosting site you choose. Then see what develops.
Good luck, and don’t be afraid to ask further questions.
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I have read many of your posts and I have high regard for your input. Well, except the agreeing with my husband part. Lol. The boys will get back in he weight room next week, and I we are working on getting more weight added to them. I do have hudl highlights together. More for twin 2 as it is soo much easier to get skill players videos over a defensive blob of uniforms. Lol. Twin 1 isn’t really interested in Linebacker position in college. His true love is running back, and both boys do have the speed for it.
I will most definitely follow your advice regarding SPARQ. I am glad to know we do have time so they can concentrate on bringing their GPA’s up a bit. THey do have some AP classes, so their true GPA may be different. Not sure. I believe they will be taking the ACT in the spring, so we won’t have scores for that for a while.
Of course the recruiter that called made me feel I was actually behind in this process and worried me a bit. We will also look into gobig. I just can’t afford the other sites price I believe was in the 1000.00 area. Times two.
Thanks again for all of your help!
Recruiters have a job to do, and that involves YOUR money. You’ll be fine doing it without paying the big bucks. Times two!
Lol. Thank you for that. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard “twins! Two for the price of one!” Yeah right! Lol. I also have a 14 year old boy who is pretty heavy into baseball so… We need all the $$ for college we can save. Mama will get this job done on her own! Haaaa
Trust me, I have been married a long time and realize the hole I am digging by saying I agree with your husband. No way do you need to spend a grand on a recruiting service. I think I dropped $150 total on gobig. It is something like $5 a pop for each time you send film. Camps are a bit more expensive, but that is next summer’s issue, and if you do it smart it can be done efficiently. SPARQ is free, so is the Rivals combine, if getting to one of those is easier. You will need to get the high school coach to sign you up for Rivals though.
I will definitely talk to the coach this weekend at the banquet. I have to feed 3 teenage boys. Theres recruiting websites money right there. Lol
LOL. Out grocery bill dropped almost a hundred bucks a week when my kid went to college this year. We would be in the poor house with three of them.
I have two the same age, but not twins. I asked if the high school had a two-for-one coupon for tuition. They laughed.
Don’t overlook D2 schools. My daughter has a very nice athletic/merit scholarship combo and the school really tries to make to costs work. The other schools in our conference seem to do the same.
I agree with Ohiodad51. Spot on! I have 3 in college playing sports on a scholarship and I saw my grocery bill go down as well. lol
You certainly can do it yourself. However, after the initial email is sent, you need to launch a communicational campaign. Since you narrowed down your college division, which is the biggest challenge for most athletes and parents, training your athlete to know the right questions to ask is important. Role playing etc.
Thanks all! Right now we are concentrating on getting the grades up, and trying to put weight on. Easier said than done with the weight! Lol. I cant afford to feed them the way they need to eat so I have gotten some budget friendly recipes to start. Hard when both hate potatoes and one hates peanut butter. Lol. I did talk to the coach and he gave me a school where the offensive coach graduated from our school. We are in a small town of 2000 people ao this is a bonus!
Grilled boneless skinless chicken breast and whole grain rice, tuna fish with pasta and veggies are your friends. My kid also did a breakfast shake with a packet of carnation and an equal amount of powdered milk mixed with whole milk every morning. I remember I bought a couple small turkeys when they went on sale after thanksgiving last year and froze them. Then we would roast one and shred it up into a salad with walnuts, craisins and green apple. There are ways to get it done.
Yum! Now I’m hungry! Lol