NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

I had the chance to sit down with Gerry DiNardo, the former Vanderbilt, LSU and Indiana Coach  as well as current Big Ten Network broadcaster, to dicsuss recruiting. 

You were involved with rebuilding a number of programs, what was the recruiting experience like when you came to a new school?

Recruiting is pretty much the same, it’s about building relationships as much as possible and playing to your school’s strengths.  Relationships and the uniqueness of your campus.  At Vanderbilt I focused on the academics.  At LSU I focused on the campus and the tradition.  At Indiana I focused on the campus life and the ability to play early.

At Vanderbilt my pitch was there enough kids that are admissible to win the SEC.  At LSU it was there are so many athletes within a 500 mile radius that we have to keep.

At Indiana I did two unique things.  First, I made my offensive, defensive and recruiting coordinators all at the same level.  Their pay was the same and I held them to the same level of accountability.  The second was my last two years there I made myself the recruiting coordinator.  Most schools make their youngest assistant the recruiting coordinator. I thought it should be the opposite.

Do you have any instances where a recruit not on your board rose out of nowhere to catch your eye?

There is nothing outside of the realm of possibility with recruiting.  You are dealing with human beings so that means there are no limitations.  Sometimes can’t miss guys miss.  Other times players we thought a player who would never contribute turned out be one of our best players.  Recruiting is as unpredictable as life.

How has the internet changed recruiting?

It’s allowed us to become more time efficient.  It allows Pete Carroll to recruit players in Louisiana. 

It’s also allowed outside influences.  It has accentuated the fact that fans of schools and teams are as passionate about recruiting, and perhaps more so, than the game itself.  The passion of the college football fan is evident.

What are the other big changes in recruiting that have taken place over the last few years?

Camps have become more important.  There is now talk of an early signing period.  Schools are now filling their scholarship slots prior to the season beginning.

What sort of role did grades play in the athletes you recruited?

It runs the gamete.  For some unfortunately grades were something that allowed them to play football.  For others it was a vehicle to have the complete college experience. And then there was everything in between.

What sort of advice would you give to current potential recruits out there?

Go to a place that will challenge you to be the best you can be.  Go to a place where you can walk across that championship stage and go to a place where you can find out about your passion in life.

Congratulations to NCSA student-athlete, Casie Fields, who recently signed her National Letter of Intent to play hockey at Northeastern University in Boston. Here is what Casie had to say about her recruiting process.

 “As a freshman entering high school full of opportunities for success, I was overwhelmed with options available for me to play Division I Women’s ice hockey in college. As the years went on, my options started narrowing as I went on visits, spoke with coaches, and realized what kind of school I was looking for. My senior year I was given scholarship offers to a handful of Division I programs. As the decision sat upon my shoulders, I realized more and more exactly where I wanted to spend the next four years of my life. This decision would be the basis of my near future and prepare me with the tools I need to succeed. After long hours of thought and consideration, I decided to attend Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. It couldn’t feel like a more perfect decision! Thanks to NCSA I was able to organize all my contacts from schools and make the best decision possible.” 

When I discuss the 5 Things You Must Do with potential recruits, I am often told “I’m waiting on film from my high school coach.”  As this blog has stated over and over, it is not your high school coaches responsibility to get you a scholarship.  Video is often the critical element for most college coaches when making the decision to start the recruitment of an athlete.  That decision is being made earlier and earlier each year.  For that reason it becomes apparent that athletes can’t afford to waste any time.

That is why athletes and families need to plan ahead of time.  Sit down with your coach BEFORE your season begins to get a clear understanding of when you can expect footage.  If that date isn’t until after the season is complete I would suggest filming at least one game on your own.  Remember, recruits are competing nationwide for coveted scholarship slots. Time is of the essence!  Getting quality footage in a timely manner could make or break your future.  I recommend that athletes take this responsibility into their own hands!

Anyone involved in recruiting can agree that potential recruits need guidance and a realistic evaluation.  However, there are many differing opinions on how this should be conducted.  The high school coach? Your Parents? A 3rd Party like NCSA?  What about a combination?

The recruitment of running back Bryce Brown (#14 on the Sports Illustated/Takkle Top 200 powered by NCSA) involves one of the more bizarre recruiting arrangements.  His “mentor” Brian Butler has been quoted that Bryce will not be making a college decision until March.  However, coaches or any interested fans are free to follow his decision process for $9.99/month on Butler’s controversial non-profit website http://www.potentialplayers.com/.  ESPN’s Bruce Feldman attempted to get Butler on the phone to get a handle on his venture:

This is what I knew of Butler thanks to a Wichita Eagle story posted on his Potential Players website from 2007. He’s in his mid 30s and was managing a Wichita T-Mobile call center. And he is a minister, who in 1999 had an epiphany to help children “get closer to God.”

Butler says he turned his business into a “legitimate non-profit a couple of years ago.” Asked how one does that, he explained by doing paper work through the state and the IRS. He says he has worked with around 50 kids over the years and the main purpose is education. “I’m educating them on what it takes to be a successful high-school athlete and what it takes to be successful in college and then to be successful as a man, husband and father.”

It is an idea that — on the surface — feeds into the suspicion many people have about “advisors” and blue-chip recruits. Many cynics come away wondering the same thing: What is the end game here? Sure, other entities often charge a fee for recruiting coverage, but do they also work on behalf of those same kids they’re writing about?

As of Thursday morning, Butler says the last time he had checked, only three people have signed up.

Asked how such a service can mesh with running a non-profit, Butler replied, “I don’t do it for the non-profit. I have two businesses.”

Then his phone cut out.

After I called back, he says his other business is Life Training, which focuses on aiding the recruiting process as well as physically training athletes. He explained that Potential Players deals with more of the spiritual side and a summer tour he takes the players on. “People get confused,” he said.

Right or wrong, it’s easy to see why. The lines are getting really blurred here.

However, the scariest part of the interview is the following:

I asked if Butler checked with the NCAA or any other agency to make sure setting up the subscription service wouldn’t put his players at risk of some eligibility issues. “I’m not worried about anybody saying anything,” he answered. “The kids are not receiving any dollars from it. I’m not a kid. I’m the one benefiting. “Everything you do is criticized and scrutinized. You can’t worry about that. I just worry about doing the right thing and making the right choices.”

The reality of the situation is that Brown has put his future in the hands of someone who appears to have questionable motives.  It would be a tragedy if his eligibility was compromised because of Butler.  The entire episode illustrates why even the best recruits turn to professionals like NCSA to help guide them through the various twists and turns in the process.

On this blog you’ve learned a great deal about the recruiting process, including the 5 things everyone should know and the 5 things everyone must do.  One thing that all student-athletes must do is contact a minimum of 100 college coaches.  If you wonder why, check out what happened to this highly rated D1 football prospect just 4 days before signing day.  What would you do?  Should you always have a back-up plan?  Even 4 days before signing day?  What do you think?   

 For a student-athlete, picking the right school can be a very difficult task.  There are so many factors that are part of the equation.  What makes this choice even harder is that success means something different to each athlete and family.  For most, a college degree equals the ultimate success while for others; simply receiving significant playing time athletically is the true measure of making the right choice.  While success is hard to define, failure is typically far more transparent. 

In a recent article by Stewart Mandel from Sports Illustrated, an analysis was conducted of the top 25 “dual threat” and “pro-style” quarterback prospects from the class of 2005.  In what equates to a thoroughly interesting “where are they now” piece, Mandel detailed the current athletic status of all 50 prospects.  Basically, the article demonstrates the difficulty in projecting success at the quarterback position as recruits go from high school to college.

While it’s interesting to learn what has become of these once heralded prospects, the most eye opening aspect is how many of these prospects, for lack of a better word, “failed” at finding the right fit.  More than half of the prospects transferred, were dismissed, were forced to change positions, or never enrolled at the college they committed to.  More than half!  Think about that…These are the top 50 quarterback prospects in the country and their success rate is less than half!

What does this tell us?

• 1) Being successful in high school does not guarantee success at the next level. It also shows just how difficult and competitive DI college football can be for even the most talented athletes.
• 2) Student-athletes might not be basing their college decisions on the right things. Did all these quarterbacks make terrible decisions? Of course not. There were certainly circumstances that occurred after the decision was made which prevented some from achieving success, but I have to believe some of these “failures” could have been avoided with better guidance.

All the quarterbacks profiled are excellent athletes.  Every single one of them could have chosen from a number of scholarship offers.  Every single one of them could have graduated from college for practically free.  Yet, more than half have had what seems like a negative experience so far.   I certainly hope that those who transferred colleges find athletic and academic success, but part of me believes it did not have to come to that.

If you are a student-athlete in the process of making your college decision, think long and hard about what you are basing your commitment on.  Get as much guidance, do as much research, make as many visits, and do everything in your power to find the right school both athletically and academically.  If you do all that, I would guess that your chances at success are over 50%.

Should high school sports teams be held to a code of conduct that includes not running up the score against an opponent?  Should that code of conduct extend as far as to create an actual mercy rule?  When is “enough is enough”?

These questions were all asked again this week after a high school girls basketball team defeated an opponent 100-0.  The Covenant School in Dallas defeated Dallas Academy, a school for girls with learning disorders.

Dallas Academy responded by posting a response on its website calling the score”shameful.”

Covenant Coach Micah Grimes disagreed and posted on a website, ”I respectfully disagree with the apology, especially the notion that the Covenant School girls basketball team should feel ‘embarrassed’ or ‘ashamed’, we played the game as it was meant to be played. My girls played with honour and integrity.”

Coach Grimes was promptly dismissed by the Covenant School.  My question to you is should high school coaches have a mercy rule in place? 

Everyone knows that recruiting is the life blood of every college team.  But, the key to a coach’s success is how he molds his high school recruits into successful four year scholarship players.  Obviously practice time is key part to that equation.  Potential recruits that can get extra practice time will continue to coveted by college coaches. 

How do you practice more?  By enrolling early and taking part in an extra semester of practice.  Even programs outside of the BCS like TCU are joining the trend by enrolling recruits early.  The Star-Telergram described the thought process behind incoming freshman quarterback Casey Pachal decision to enroll early.

Pachall said the decision to leave early was easy.

“My thinking was that coming out of high school, I wanted to prepare the best I could and get most acquainted with my teammates and also with the system I’d have here at TCU,” Pachall said. “One benefit is getting in shape because the workouts here are very tough. They’ll get you where you want to be.”

In addition to the extra time in the weight room and at workouts, enrolling in January is beneficial for academic reasons.

Pachall is taking 15 hours in his first semester. And the transition from high school to college should be easier because there are only about eight hours of football work a week instead of the 20 or so in the fall during football season.

His early enrollment clearly will be a boost to TCU, but potential recruits need to bear in mind that Pachal wouldn’t have even had the opportunity if he wasn’t an excellent high school student.  Recruiting smart students continues to pay off for college coaches across the country.

 A coach offers a recruit a scholarship just to entice his more talented friend and teammate on campus.  It’s called the buddy system or a package deal.  It has being going on in college athletics for years. 

“You’ll see it a couple of times every year,” said Tom Lemming, a recruiting expert for CBS College Sports Television. “BCS-type schools will try to bring in a buddy or a teammate to land a great player. And a lot of times it does work.”

USC and Washington are currently battling over top recruit James Boyd and it appears that his good friend Delvon Purvis will play a huge factor in the decision.  While Boyd is a top recruit verbally committed to USC, Purvis has yet to get an offer.  Both are scheduled to visit Washington this weekend.

“I just want to get him to a Division I school,” Boyd would later say of his teammate.

“It’s really like a Rubik’s cube with a lot of pieces and everyone’s scrambling at the last second,” the high school coach said. “One move affects five other moves.”

The point I would make to athletes in this type of situation is clear: IT’S YOUR DECISION!

What will happen if the lesser talent friend fails to make the team as a sophomore?  What if he is unhappy with his lack of playing time?  Did he chose a school based academics and fit or because it was the only Division I scholarship offer?

Will the more talented friend have a losing college career by following his friend?  Will he be happy with systems in place?  Will he be happy with the academic program?

The questions are numerous and the answers are complicated.  So complicated that I urge every potential recruit to make decisions based on what they feel is in their best interest.  By making such an important decision based on someone else you may end up hurting both of your futures.

Congratulations to Joey Levine for being named the Takkle Video Sports Illustrated Face in the Crowd.