So much of recruiting reaches far past athleticism and talent. To get your foot wet in the recruiting pool, a player must be talented. He must have potential and he should have raw ability. However, that’s like a iPhone with no apps. It has a pretty package, has a great look and can make calls. Past that, there is no substance. No IG, Facebook, Twitter, Safari, Youtube, Productivity, Ibooks, Music, etc. It’s just a phone. He is just a player.
When college coaches invest in a potential recruits, they want to now information about a kid past the pretty package. They want to know what apps he comes with. They want to know his academics standings, character, peers, influencers and much more. Below are direct quotes from BCP area head football coaches. The questioned ask to the high school head coaches, “If players could hear conversations between college coaches and high school head football coaches, what questions asked by the college coaches to the high school coach would completely surprise the player and parents?” Below are their responses.
“Would you let him date your daughter? Does he like it, love it, or live it?” – Jayson Roberts, Tampa Bay Tech
“Coach asked me how the kids treat their parents and teachers.” – Lane McLaughlin, Carrollwood Day
“How does he treat non-football players?” – Greg Meyer, Plant City
“If it is an out of state school, the first question I get a lot is, ‘will this kid really leave Florida to go to school?’ Coming from Missouri, this was a new question for me. Guys in the Midwest have no issues with going away from home. But the mentality of kids in Florida seems to be a little different. But, Florida is a beautiful place, so I can kind of understand. The next question is definitely grades.” – Reggie Crume, Palm Harbor
“Most players think that it is all about what kind of player they are! There is a pool of GREAT athletes all over this country! For an athlete to separate himself from the rest of the pool two questions are constantly asked: What is the young man’s character and what are his test scores?” – Wayne Peace, Lakeland Christian
“Probably the talk about character and decisions kids make off the field. They watch film to evaluate them as players but want input into their background and what kind of kid they are.” – Bob Hudson, East Lake
“I haven’t really gotten too many curve ball questions. I was surprised when I was asked if ‘the player’ loved football. Just surprised how vague that question was. Yet, how much weight that actually carries.” – Cameron Jones, Chamberlain
“Academics is the first thing college coaches want to know before they ever want to invest any more time into recruiting an athlete. No grades…colleges move on. After the academic discussion, the SINGLE MOST ASKED question is ‘Does the recruit LOVE football?’ They ask about integrity/character, work ethic, toughness. They want to know if the recruit will last during the tough/demanding times of college football.” – Frank LaRosa, East Bay
“Grades, Grades and Grades!” They also ask what type of person the young man is and will he fit into their program. Oh, did I mention GRADES!” – Dale Caparaso, Spoto
“They are very interested in the kid and his actions in and out of school. What kind of parents does he have? What kind of people does he hang out with? What is the deal with his social media accounts? Does he go to class? Is he late or tardy often?” – Keith Chattin, Lennard