Bluegrassrivals

Now I'm not sure if this is against a rule or not to post this on here. This could be considered advertising another website, which I'm not really meaning to. I am posting this because I thought it was very beneficial for my son to get his name out and it is a website that can be a very cost efficient tool for any kid who is interested in playing at the next level. Soooooo, Mods, if this is breaking a rule, then just delete this post and please accept my apologies...I only mentioned this because I thought it would be beneficial to the football playing Kentucky boys and their parents.

If you have kids who are pretty decent at football and have gone through some college recruiting, you have probably been approached by some of the recruiting companies that we were approached by. My youngest was in the KYMSFA all star football game in Frankfort after his eighth grade year and they even had a huge meeting with a representative of one of these agencies. They supposedly get your kids name out to the recruiting groups like Rivals.com and so forth and they say they contact colleges on your behalf. I asked a coach that I knew pretty well from a DI FCS team about these agencies and he told me that he personally didn't think they were worth the expense because not many really good players get past their recruiting scrutiny. I know one parent personally whose kid was a pretty decent player who actually signed with an NAIA school, but, he didn't get the big name attention they promised and his dad had dropped more than 700 bucks on this recruiting agency for him. This is why I feel like I needed to post this to you all that don't have near a grand to invest in just a chance like that or for those of you, who like me, have kids that probably aren't going to go DI, but want to get their names out to some mid or lower tier schools and play at the next level for the chance at some scholarships or for the love of the game.
While going through the recruiting process with my second son, one college requested that I send his information to them through gobigrecruiting.com. I did this and investigated the sight a little. What they do is after you register your kid and his information, they put their name in a database for ALL colleges to look at. Colleges get very basic GPA, height and weight information and request gobigrecruiting.com to contact you as parents to send them a link to more information and your kids film link whether it be HUDL or wherever. For the cost of between 5 and 1O bucks per school, you can ok this transfer of information and gobigrecruiting.com will actually let you KNOW if your kids film as been viewed by the school you sent it to. You can send film unsolicited to the school as well and still tell if they have watched the film or not if you want to. How many schools you actually send this information to, whether unsolicited or by request, is up to you and that will determine how much money you spend. You can show interest in regions of the U.S. through the website that maybe your kid might want to go to like the Midwest or the Northeast and those schools will concentrate on your kid more. My son got about 93 different school requests for his film and we sent out about 25 films for a cost of around a hundred bucks in the course of a year and a half. A lot of these schools I've never heard of, and some are wayyyy out there like North Dakota State in Bottineau (five miles from Canada) which actually had three boys from the Louisville area on the team(NO KIDDING!). My son had about a dozen coaches personally email, U.S. mail him, call him or write personal cards to him wanting his interest. These aren't the generic preprinted letters, they were handwritten and the emails were requesting his interest in coming for official visits to Minnesota, Wisconsin, Maine, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennesee and California to name a few. I will post the link to the website below and on our last email from them today, it said that if anyone registers with them and makes any purchase, you can get a free school if you put "2014" in the coupon box. We got a few free schools, especially during his senior year on deals with them. It is a great way to start recruiting with your kid and I'd advise you to start the junior year with a highlight film. I love to see kids from around here do well in football and move on to the next level and this is just something I have learned from experiencing it and I wanted to share it with people on here that also care about football and kids.

Good Luck to your kid(s) in football this next season and hopefully you will get to experience the college football scene yourselves some day! It's a different world and we (my wife and I) are going to have both of our sons playing together this fall again for the first time in two years which we look forward to.:Thumbs:

Papagrit

https://www.gobigrecruiting.com/

Doesn't the high school coach do anything to help kids get recruited.

Full deck Wrote:Doesn't the high school coach do anything to help kids get recruited.

Typically, the high school coach is limited to their specific contacts.

Like Papagrit, I have been down this road... 17 offers for my daughter and
29 for my son. Parents can NOT sit back and expect the Coach to get their
name out to the 10's of thousands of schools across the nation.

The student-athlete needs to sit down and formulate what and where they
want to be by determining possible degree, size of school, how far from home,
etc. Then, start researching the schools that fit the scenario. I typically tell
kids to pick out 15 colleges ( 5 dream colleges, 5 realistic colleges, 5 backups).
Then fill out the schools recruiting questionnaire and get them film. As for the
the film, unless a coach specifically asks for it in the mail, try to use a website
or youtube.

I have given a couple seminars on the subject, and I am currently working
with a few athletes (cheerleader, softball player, tennis player, football player
and a baseball player).

Full deck Wrote:Doesn't the high school coach do anything to help kids get recruited.

The coaches forward on interest and put the kids names in for some places. The let the kids know who has called them and ask about the kids interest in schools to see if they should call the teams with interest back.
I put together my own son's highlight film after spending about 10/15 hours of rewatching gamefilm and editing and took care of the majority of it myself because I wanted to. The music version I have here at home is pretty cool! It will be something he can keep for when he is farting dust and chasing his own kids around at football games.
My kids wanted to go to a higher level academic college that offered engineering where they could play football. My two boys who were 6'4"/260 pounds and 6'1" 275 pounds at the time of recruitment and both linemen weren't realistically going to get in with the monsters of D-I and get to play any real time if they walked on. They were on the fringe of DI FCS size, of which Kentucky D-I FCS schools have no direct mechanical/chemical engineering programs. So, I went out farther with their recruitment to a national level. Tennesee had a few, but, the schools weren't on the academic level they were looking for. Visited six Ivy League schools, and they weren't liked by the schools that liked them it seemed. Passed on an official visit to Dartmouth after some runaround. They both have settled into an elite academic D-III school that offers engineering directly and the football program hasn't had but one or two losing seasons in the last twenty five years. It worked out to a good fit and the school is only 6 hours away which means we can be at the game if we leave in the morning early. By direct engineering, I mean they didn't have to go to school somewhere that has what they call a 3+2 program which actually entails 5 and half years to get an engineering degree and playing football. If a kid wants to play football at one of these schools, they attend 3 and half years so they can get in their senior year of football and then have to go two years to an engineering school, like at UK to finish for a total of 5 and half years for a four year degree.
There was an experience factor that I benefitted from greatly with the second son from the first son's recruitment and things went much easier and cheaper with him. I know one thing for sure, we didn't eat nearly as much recruiting bologna with the second son as the first. We could read the college coaches a lot better and tell what was fact, who was being straight up...and what was a snowjob with the younger boy.

Well, papagrit, I for one certainly appreciate your post!!
Great information.

Granny Bear Wrote:Well, papagrit, I for one certainly appreciate your post!!
Great information.

Thank you Granny.:Thumbs:
Hope you all didn't get snowed in too bad down there last night.

Full deck Wrote:Doesn't the high school coach do anything to help kids get recruited.

The high school coach goes and talks the middle schoolers to encourage them to play. The high school coach goes to MS games to watch his upcoming players. The high coach designs and implements a lifting program to participate in. The coach then designs or adapts his offense and defense to his players ability. The coach also hires/supervises/evaluates assistant coaches. Then the coach evaluates players, changes positions, and sometimes assesses discipline on these players. The coach is also in charge of managing video, equipment, and scheduling of games. The coach also communicates with the media. The coach then communicates with coaches that come to his school or contacts him about players. This is probably about 10% of the things your coaches do. I am sorry if your coach couldn't get your kid a scholarship, but I hate to break it to you Dad, it wasn't your coaches fault or anyone elses. If you want your kid exposed take him to 1 day camps ON college campuses where you think he can play. Then it is in the hands of the college coaches to evaluate them. I know this from my own personal experience, my son's experience, and my experience as a coach. I know not all coaches do the things I have listed but some do much more. I say this to parents, Get out in front of your kid's recruiting, don't expect your coaches to do it. I know most will help but they only do so much with multiple kids.

Really interesting to take a dig at the KYMSFA as well, they have done a fantastic job for our kids. Ask proud44pirate about his experiences, maybe he can post the picture of his son on the sideline at THE SWAMP.

I am a believer if you have the natural gifts (size/speed), work ethic, good grades (the most overlooked aspect!) and go out to camps and such you'll get noticed. Personally, if I was a college coach myself I'd trash every piece of highlight film I got. I can find the statistically worst starter on a team and make a highlight.

Belfry0304 Wrote:Really interesting to take a dig at the KYMSFA as well, they have done a fantastic job for our kids. Ask proud44pirate about his experiences, maybe he can post the picture of his son on the sideline at THE SWAMP.

I am a believer if you have the natural gifts (size/speed), work ethic, good grades (the most overlooked aspect!) and go out to camps and such you'll get noticed. Personally, if I was a college coach myself I'd trash every piece of highlight film I got. I can find the statistically worst starter on a team and make a highlight.

That wasn't a dig on KYMSFA. We had a great experience with them and program that weekend.
All I mentioned was they had a meeting with one of the representatives of one of the aforementioned recruiting agencies. The recruiting agency rep NEVER mention the price of their services at the meeting...you find that out after they get in touch with you later after they build you and your kid up. Sort of like that People to People where your kid gets the "great honor" of participating in their program of going overseas or to Washington DC with them. When you go to the meeting of this "honor", at the end of all of the hoopla, slideshows and people clapping, you find out it is going to cost the parents $5,000 dollars to send their kid to Australia. They never mention the cost up front....they reel you in and THEN throw the hook in you.

The dig was at the overpriced recruiting agencies. That's why I mentioned the affordable one.

Very good information being shared. Thank you gang, I'll be pming a couple of you for further insights.

Congrats and best wishes to your sons in college and beyond!

Spirit100 Wrote:Very good information being shared. Thank you gang, I'll be pming a couple of you for further insights.

Congrats and best wishes to your sons in college and beyond!

No problem. Thanks for the good wishes. I'll answer any questions that I can from anybody if I know the answer.:Thumbs:

papagrit Wrote:That wasn't a dig on KYMSFA. We had a great experience with them and program that weekend.
All I mentioned was they had a meeting with one of the representatives of one of the aforementioned recruiting agencies. The recruiting agency rep NEVER mention the price of their services at the meeting...you find that out after they get in touch with you later after they build you and your kid up. Sort of like that People to People where your kid gets the "great honor" of participating in their program of going overseas or to Washington DC with them. When you go to the meeting of this "honor", at the end of all of the hoopla, slideshows and people clapping, you find out it is going to cost the parents $5,000 dollars to send their kid to Australia. They never mention the cost up front....they reel you in and THEN throw the hook in you.

The dig was at the overpriced recruiting agencies. That's why I mentioned the affordable one.

I agree that the recruiting agencies can be pricey given the tools available today. The old price used to be over $2,000. Now, as you indicate its less than $1,000.

If a school has HUDL and some tech savy parents (or kids) who can generate highlight clips the agencies may not be of much use. But the one brought in by the KYMSFA does do a good job and did seem only want 'recruitable' kids as 'clients'.

The message is accurate though - unless a kid is cut and dry D1, top prospect early on, parents and students need to put effort into this.

And it has to start before the junior year.

If you are relying on your coach to get you in a college, you are wasting your time.
There are some who go the extra mile, but its very few and far between.

To be honest, ive heard several college coaches say they do not want "highlight" tapes.
Theyd rather get a complete game tape of your kid with therenumber and position so they can see what happens when hes not making the highlight reels.

RunItUpTheGut Wrote:If you are relying on your coach to get you in a college, you are wasting your time.
There are some who go the extra mile, but its very few and far between.

To be honest, ive heard several college coaches say they do not want "highlight" tapes.
Theyd rather get a complete game tape of your kid with therenumber and position so they can see what happens when hes not making the highlight reels.

What I found with the college coaches and preferences about film viewing from them while talking to them personally on visits was this: Each coach has their own preference on what they want. It's sort of like some people prefer meat and some prefer vegetables at dinner. I think the best advice I got was this from a college coach that shot straight at EKU that I really liked. When making a tape for recruiting for him, he said he liked some good highlights to start with to whet his appetite. Then he wanted a full game that he could set down with and really view a kid on all of the plays of the game to get an idea of how he played. Sort of like getting your dessert and then eating dinner. We did that my son's junior year. We sent out full games upon request his senior year.

Less than 4% of all HS senior athletes will receive any scholarship to play college athletics.............HIT THE BOOKS......IF you can play they will find you>>>>>>>>>>>>> GOOD LUCK mom and dad

footballfever Wrote:Less than 4% of all HS senior athletes will receive any scholarship to play college athletics.............HIT THE BOOKS......IF you can play they will find you>>>>>>>>>>>>> GOOD LUCK mom and dad

"Hit the books" is definitely the best advice in this whole thread. Without fail, one of the first questions that comes from a coach when talking to a recruit and his family is, "What's your GPA?" followed by, "What's his ACT/SAT scores look like? It's such a big deal with about every level for a kid to meet those requirements. Some schools require higher scores than others, but, it sure makes your kid an easier sell when a coach knows that your kid is going to get some academic money and he isn't going to have to worry about him making the grade or spending so much athletic scholarship money.
The Ivy league schools actually have "levels" of recruiting. They are allowed to sponsor so many kid of certain levels of GPA's, ACT/SAT scores etc... A kid that has a 4.0 GPA and a 30+ ACT score or above is a top tier kid which they don't have to do so much convincing with the admissions department to get them in. They may allow the football program to sponsor a dozen kids that have these credentials. A kid that has a 3.7 GPA and a 27ACT score may be in the next level where they can sponsor five kids at this level. Then you get the kids with the 23ACT and 3.3 GPA that the football program highly covets for their athletic skills. They may get one or two of these kids past admissions. The plus about getting an Ivy League football program to sponsor you is that you don't have to go through so much scrutiny as regular admission kids go through. Non-athlete kids get in at about a 4% to a 10% success rate and if football sponsor you, then you have a lot better chance of getting in with good scores and grades.
It's a different ball of wax for a kid trying to get into an Ivy League level DIII school. The football team can't sponsor you. You get no sponsorship or scholarship through sports. But the football coaches CAN talk to admissions on your behalf. It's sort of like having a reference on a resume. They don't get you in, but, they can tell the admissions department whom they think will make it succesfully through their school. The admissions department, depending on the school, can take this information into account and it may go good for a kid and may not. Admissions officials at these schools will also take notice of the academic sucess rate for a sports program and decide if the coaching staff is recommending them good candidates in time. In DIII, kids have to rely on academic scholarships which can be VERY substantial and similiar in size to athletic scholarships. I know that if not for the very generous scholarship that my kids are getting, they would not be able to attend the school they are going to. Between the two of them, They are now getting an academic scholarship valued at more than the cost I paid for the construction of my home twenty years ago......annually.

In a nutshell, it all goes back to the quote:
HIT THE BOOKS!

footballfever Wrote:Less than 4% of all HS senior athletes will receive any scholarship to play college athletics.............HIT THE BOOKS......IF you can play they will find you>>>>>>>>>>>>> GOOD LUCK mom and dad

Definitely "hit the books" that is the key to the golden door..... But take the
phrase 'if you can play they will find you' with a grain of salt.... Yes, some
will, but to get the right fit, the parent and athlete need to do the work and
not wait.

For example: if a kid wants a degree in mine engineering, he should probably
take a look at Colorado School of Mines... I doubt very seriously that a scout
from there is running around central Kentucky looking to 'find him'.

jw4914 Wrote:Definitely "hit the books" that is the key to the golden door..... But take the
phrase 'if you can play they will find you' with a grain of salt.... Yes, some
will, but to get the right fit, the parent and athlete need to do the work and
not wait.

For example: if a kid wants a degree in mine engineering, he should probably
take a look at Colorado School of Mines... I doubt very seriously that a scout
from there is running around central Kentucky looking to 'find him'.

:Thumbs:

Ky middle school football uses the NCSA or something close. They charge a arm and a leg and send any tape to every school. I have had more than one coach tell me they just delete the Email. They feel bad about doing it but if they opened them they wouldn't have time to coach. Money making grab. Hudl is what you use and have the kid make the contact by calling a coach. Parents stay out of it. Good process for the kids to do on their own and is impressive to coaches.