University of Central Florida defensive back’s coach Kirk Callahan knows a thing or two about Hillsborough County football. Callahan was a 4 year letterman at Armwood High School where he played for his father, Sean Callahan. Coach Callahan is a rising star in college football coaching and has already held positions under Butch Davis, Will Muschamp and Urban Myer. It was a privilege to be able to sit down with him this week and speak to him about several issues that every high school football player needs to know about recruiting. Big County Preps will have a special three part series revolving around this interview and the topics will consist of college junior days, how UCF decides what high school athletes to offer and finally the positive and negative aspects of social media.
Part 3: Deciding who to Offer
This time of the year is when college coaches are finalizing their big board of prospects to target. Coach Callahan said that the UCF coaches are basically, “In a war room evaluating video and determining what prospects they want to recruit.” The question every high school athlete obviously wants to know is, “What are these coaches looking for?”
The staff at UCF is very big on size. Coach Callahan says, “Size is something we can’t teach. The bigger an athlete is the better. That is why events such as junior days are so important. Being able to personally see if the recruit passes the eyeball test is important before we extend an offer.” Athletes please understand that these coaches are usually going to physically see you before they offer you; hence, lying about your height and weight is not a smart thing to do!!!
After watching tape and determining if the prospect is athletically gifted enough for a scholarship UCF will then scrutinize a recruits grades. Coach Callahan stated, “A recruits grades says plenty about them. If a kid is barley getting by in his high school classes it’s a reflection of his work ethic.” Prospects D-1 coaches are not going to invest precious scholarships on players that they do not think are capable of cutting it in a college classroom. Callahan confirmed this point when he said, “If football is truly important to an athlete then his academics will also be important. You can’t have one without the other. If a kid can barley pass high school classes how on Earth is he going to be able to function at the next level?”
At UCF every offer must be cleared through Head Coach George O’Leary. If Coach O’Leary gives his assistant permission the recruit will be called and offered. Callahan says that, “This process makes a UCF offer worth more. We do not throw out offers like candy. Other schools do but we only offer kids that we feel are a good fit. A UCF offer will stand until signing day unless we fill up with commitments at the position.” With recruits giving verbal pledges earlier then ever filling up before signing day is a likely possibility for most schools; hence it is more important than ever for a prospect to be proactive with the recruiting process. Once you receive an offer it is essential to do your homework on the school and your ability to commit. Not every offer is a committable one and it is vital that you know your status with the school.
– Anthony Peace
Part 1: Junior Days are big marketing tool for colleges. But not “Invite Only”