Kagan: How does Aventa learning and NCAA eligibility work?
BCP: Division I made progress along those lines this spring when it adopted legislation requiring nontraditional courses (including online, virtual, independent study, correspondence and software-based credit recovery courses) to include regular access and interaction between an instructor and student for purposes of teaching, evaluating and providing assistance to the student throughout the course.
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Dad: My son is a Jr, 6-3 210 lb, large shoulders, DE,T,LB on a team that has 4 D1 players. He has a very high GPA in AP/Honors classes, starter in his position, varsity as a sophomore, great career stats, impact player on field. A true student of the game. Has been successful at everthing he’s done. He plays much bigger than his actual size.
Coaches love him. No on or off field issues. Never even a personal foul. Solid game film to back it up.
At what point do we start to question the lack of interest from schools? He’s received a few letters from smaller schools, just nothing solid yet.
BCP: Unless he is a FBS prospect, he will not receive ample amount of recruiting interest early. Start to question the lack of interest around November of his senior year.
It’s hard for parents to grasp the “Big Pond” effect. College football programs recruit on a wide/regional scale and for you to really understand what an FBS potential DE prospect looks like, runs like, plays like, DOMINATES, you have to get out your small pond and jump in the Big Pond.
Just in our 4 County Coverage area alone, there are only 7 pure defensive end prospects that have a verbal offer. Only 4 with a major BCS offer (SEE HERE). When the media publicizes offers, it sounds like a lot of different players. It really is not. Less than 1% of the varsity football players in our coverage area has a verbal offer.
HE HAS TO STAND OUT on a regional scale. Can not make average plays, has to make jaw dropping plays. Can’t just make a tackle for a loss. Has to rip through the offensive tackle, blow up the lead blocker and knock the ball carrier off his feet. He can not be average! Try and take the parent hat off (easier said than done) and do research on the top players at his position and see why they are top prospects.
Take a look below. I have placed 4 defensive end videos of various level prospects. Watch for yourself and see the difference.
National Prospect (Top 100 player): Chad Thomas, 6-5/240
Great prospect: Justus Reed (Florida Gator verbal commit), 6-4/220
Good prospect: John Broome (a few smaller D1 and 1aa offers), 6-2/225
Smaller school prospect: Christian Banasiak, 6-3/220
His film is going to look good. However, he is lacking speed, change of direction and explosiveness which the previous 3 have.
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Jason Smith: How come UCF is Getting so many studs and USF is in a bidding war with FIU & FAU? Is this a result of the even playing field with them having the AQ qualifier? I thought Taggert was a great recruiter. Is not having any Campus Life That Important?
BCP: It depends on who you ask. I will answer this question delicately, because I do not want it to be viewed as influencing prospects to one school or away from another.
UCF is getting solid prospects. I would not call them all “studs,” but would easily say”solid” prospects who will be pretty good college players. This is a result of what UCF has to offer:
1 They are winning
2 They are in a BCS conference now
3 On campus stadium (That is usually more than 80% full each home game), indoor practice field, facilities and campus environment
4 Stable coaching situation
5 The coaching staff has a recruiting pitch to the prospects that is sound. Kids want to hear about “Now” not “What can happen, but what is happening.”
I have heard Coach Taggert is a great recruiter and the kids in our area really like him. They like is message, can relate to him and would love to play for him. Reason why he landed 6 area prospects prior to the start of the season. But, when you are not winning, it makes recruiting that much tougher. When the USF home stadium is less than half way full on game day, other options to prospects begin to look more attractive.
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Roberto: Would like to know what is most effective to get name in front of coaching staffs. Recruiting web sites that claim they know people or good old fashioned intro email to coaching staff with links of hi lights on HUDL? Keep it simple, we are just getting started, thanks.”
BCP: BOTH! We are a “Recruiting Website” and claim to know people as you put it. Our claim is fact. This is simply how it works: Athlete attends our events, athlete performs well and is a prospect (skills set and measureables), athlete’s is promoted from us in various ways. It’s more detailed than that, but you get the point.
Our email gets opened when it hits the college recruiters’ inbox because they want the filtered info that is in it. A parent email out of the blue, happens multiple times a day and the urgency to open it may not be there. But, you should do it regardless. Do not wait on anybody or service to promote your child. Be proactive!
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Khalilah: What does a parent tell their child if they have not yet been recruited? My son awesome in the game of football. He is maintaining his GPA aiming to retake his SAT’s. He is getting discouraged. He is talented and deserving kid. I just don’t know what direction to lead him in or what else to say.
BCP: You tell him, “stay positive and control what he can.” That is, playing well each Friday Night. As a parent, you must understand that there are many levels of football and many colleges that have football. Problem is, 9 kids out of 10 think they will be playing for UF or Miami and Ohio State. That is not the case. A large majority of college football prospects will be D2, D3 and NAIA recruits. Those schools do not have the financial budget to actively recruit student athletes throughout the year. They will hit the scene hard once D1 schools have the kids they will get. The remaining athletes will be smaller school recruits. Your son will likely be a smaller school recruit.