{"id":2584,"date":"2014-08-21T11:03:52","date_gmt":"2014-08-21T16:03:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gridironstuds.com\/blog\/?p=2584"},"modified":"2014-08-21T11:03:52","modified_gmt":"2014-08-21T16:03:52","slug":"recruiting-like-beauty-contests-has-a-lot-to-do-with-looks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gridironstuds.com\/blog\/recruiting-like-beauty-contests-has-a-lot-to-do-with-looks\/","title":{"rendered":"Recruiting, Like Beauty Contests, Has A Lot to Do With Looks"},"content":{"rendered":"

By: Chad Wilson – Editor in Chief – GridironStuds Blog<\/strong>
\nTwitter: @GridironStuds<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

I hear it all the time in the recruiting game. \u00a0Coach I ran for 30 touchdown last year or my son dominated that #1 recruit at the camp how could he not have any offers? \u00a0He’s much better than that top recruit. \u00a0In the college football game, \u00a0even more than the NFL draft process, \u00a0the name of the game is projection and that has a lot to do with how you look.<\/p>\n

College football coaches are faced with the task of trying to predict how an 18 year old will perform at the next level along with how much will he grow physically and mentally. \u00a0This is not an easy task.\"\" \u00a0Often times, \u00a0despite the results, \u00a0a college coach will make the determination that a prospect has maxed out his potential in high school and will not likely improve enough to see those same results at the college level. \u00a0If you are a high school coach, parent or player you may have witnessed that in the youth leagues. \u00a0There have been many youth league super stars that dominated because they grew faster than their counterparts. \u00a0As a result, they scored all the touchdowns, had all the sacks and made all the tackles on Saturday afternoons. \u00a0We have all witnessed some of those same Pop Warner superstars fall off tremendously in high school when they did not get much taller or bigger and could not dominate the high school kids who were not their equal.<\/p>\n

For college coaches, \u00a0having a scenario play out like that for them could cost them their job. \u00a0Going out and pulling in the 5’7″ cornerback that had 10 interceptions his senior year represents an extreme risk for a college coach. \u00a0To get that player an offer from the head coach who did not see him in person would require that assistant coach to stand on the table and fight for him. \u00a0Once that coach has gone to bat for that recruit, he now owns him for the next four to five years. \u00a0If that 5’7″ defensive back can not cover the 5’11” – 6’3″ wide receivers at the college level, \u00a0that assistant coach will be reminded of that on a daily basis by the rest of his coaching staff and the head coach. \u00a0It can also ruin his credibility out on the recruiting trail. \u00a0No coach wants to get his wings clipped as a recruiter. \u00a0By wings clipped, \u00a0I mean that coach having to call back to the office every time they want to offer a recruit or lose a very fertile recruiting area because the head coach wants a better evaluator of talent there.<\/p>\n

So while you may be an outstanding talent who is making plays on the field in high school, \u00a0being under sized or not very fleet of foot makes things difficult for you in the recruiting game. \u00a0So what do you do? \u00a0Do you quit playing football? \u00a0That is certainly not the answer. \u00a0What you do have to be is realistic. \u00a0If you are putting up numbers and you have been to the college camps and they still are not calling your name, \u00a0adjust your focus to schools that are more likely to give you a chance. \u00a0This may mean that you thought you were a Division I football player but must now slide down to Division II, Division III or even NAIA schools. \u00a0It’s a harsh reality for some but it’s also called staying alive. \u00a0If your dream is to play NFL football, \u00a0your chances are increased by being on the field more than not being on the field. \u00a0That is just common sense. \u00a0 Walking on at a school that has made it a mission to recruit 6 ft. corner backs or 4.4 wide receivers when you stand 5’7″ or run a 4.7 will only lead to immense frustration. \u00a0Choosing a school that is in the position of having to sign highly productive football players is much more to your advantage. \u00a0No, \u00a0you won’t be playing on ESPN or on ABC at 8 P.M. on Saturday Night but you will be playing. \u00a0You don’t know what the next level will bring you. \u00a0Getting a scholarship whether full or partial will open you up to a whole new world of opportunities. Some of those opportunities on the field and quite a few off the field. \u00a0Either way, \u00a0they are opportunities you are presented by getting into school and not by staying at home.<\/p>\n

Do 6’3″ prospects and 4.3 athletes bust in college. Absolutely but it’s a much easier pill to swallow and a much smoother explanation for an assistant coach that is faced with the daily specter of job insecurity. \u00a0Coaches get fired as easy as the wind changes direction and fewer are willing to take risks that could short cut their career. \u00a0You have to have that understanding as you go through the recruiting process. \u00a0Take your shot at the highest level but also know when to make your retreat and secure your scholarship offer elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Food for thought. \u00a0The trick in college football as it is for NFL players is to make a roster and keep playing. \u00a0Keep that in mind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By: Chad Wilson – Editor in Chief – GridironStuds Blog Twitter: @GridironStuds I hear it all the time<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[767],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-recruiting-school"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gridironstuds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gridironstuds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gridironstuds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gridironstuds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gridironstuds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2584"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gridironstuds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gridironstuds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2584"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gridironstuds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2584"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gridironstuds.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2584"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}