SCHOLARSHIP PROCESS HELP

[GOOB1970]

I have a son that I would like to help get into a smaller D-II college on at least a partial football scholarship. He has played behind a very talented kid the last couple years so not TONS of playing time, but very smart, strong, good hands, etc. He's a 6'6"/ 340lb (and growing) junior. Any direction would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Edited February 2, 2011 by GOOB1970

[BLUEMOM]

He needs a decent highlight film and send it to anyone and everyone. You can get mailing addresses and Coaches names off team websites. Include a nicely done letter as well as his "RESUME" in writing. Do follow up phone calls and always at least leave a voicemail. Persistence!

 

Make sure he is registered with the NCAA Clearinghouse/Eligibility Center and jumped through all their hoops with transcripts and test scores. Have him retake those tests if need be.

 

My son did self-made photo cards and sent at holidays etc... to the programs he really liked. They actually worked! He used still pix of him in action at camps/games etc...

 

Anything to get his names, stats and picture in front of a decision maker. Also any camps he can attend it is a must. Most programs have rising senior day camps at least where he would be evaluated.

 

Good luck! Always send handwritten thank you notes to the Coach for taking his time/attention even if the conversation was not extremely positive. You never know when the Coach will change programs or when that program will have different needs.

[BLUEMOM]

I know it can get expensive doing the dvd copies, might consider posting on YouTube.

 

When doing any correspondence, always make sure to include contact information for player and coaches.

 

Consider all programs not just DII. I believe the NCAA site has a listing of all the programs and what level they are in!

[GOOB1970]

Some great advice there Bluemom--thanks for the info. Did your son wind up getting the school he wanted? Do you believe he would've gotten that same opportunity if he HADN'T done the P.R. work?

[BLUEMOM]

My son is not blessed with that kind of size! Be that as it may, he is a pure long snapper now! He did get a school he wanted as a preferred walk-on. No scholarship money yet. Fortunately, after graduating from a DII private, his college tuition is like getting a raise! He is at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville. We sat down many times as a family, with coaches and with college advisors to determine what would be the best kind of school for him... academically, socially and football program. It boiled down to a smaller program in a smaller town with a good engineering program. After visiting TTU, he was sold. Admittedly, he wasn't even sure about looking at it at first, but his coach really liked the program and thought he would be a good fit. The majority of long snappers out of high school are only offered preferred walkon status. He was also offered that at some larger places and even a partial scholarship at a smaller program. Most programs will have only their starting LS on scholarship. He has not been treated any differently in the program than any other player and loves it!

 

Now, with the God-given size, you should have an easier time and should hopefully garner $. As a specialist, the PR work was a must in my mind. While they are important and sometimes critical, they can be an afterthought in the recruiting process. As a OL/DL, they are more searched for and size can't be coached!

 

We found one particular recruting site helpful due to their databases. I don't want to give free advertising but would be happy to give a private opinion. I'm not sure in your position, that you would need them. Hopefully, your coach can help.

 

Remember, the athlete can visit as many programs as he wants as many times as he wants on his own dime. He can make 5 official visits that the school covers. He can call coaches ANY time. They are restricted as to when they can call him and may not even be able to return his call by NCAA rule so it is important for him to keep calling and he might get lucky and get through.

 

Sorry to be so long winded!

[66in74]

Wow that's one big youngin you have there!!

 

Blue Mom is giving some great advice and I think the most important thing she said is persistance.

Your student-athlete will get frustrated, but don't give up. Tell him to keeping making the calls and sending the emails and making contacts.(Notice I Said Him,not you.)

Also make sure he keeps his facebook/my space stuff clean if he has one. Almost all colleges check that stuff now. They want to make sure the recruits' character is good.

 

Don't discount NAIA football. They have 24 scholarships vs the 36 that DII has. You will need to register with their clearing house as well (naia.org)

 

And finally grades and test scores!! With good gpa and high test score he can get some good packages.

I know a kid who is playing NAIA football. He got $10,0000 athletic/$5,000 academic/$4000 HOPE; so his parents are only out about $3000/yr and he gets to continue to play the sport he loves.

[GOOB1970]

No kidding, 66in74--you should see the food bills between him and my 12-year-old (6'3" basketball)!! I agree with you on the hands-off nature (on MY part) of the calls and emails: I learned at the Pinewood Derby when I was a Scoutmaster not to be one of those parents that does the projects for his kid!

 

I have some friends that played at Lambuth when I played for coach Coutras at Cumberland, and they are proponents of NAIA football too. They loved the program and got a great education out of it.

 

No problems with the Facebook and academics, and the coach is working with me to get a highlight DVD together like bluemom suggested.

 

And bluemom--sorry I didn't reply back to you earlier. I am taking ALL this advice to heart and passing it on to my son. I've even had someone affiliated with Frontline Scouting contact me, but i haven't called him back yet. I'm sure they can help with all this too?

 

PS...if any of you kids has information on mid-state lineman camps I would greatly appreciate some contact info please. THANKS!!

[BLUEMOM]

66in74 is right... he needs to do the calling etc. You can help edit letters and offer advice and be a sounding board. The online stuff is important too.

 

As to the recruiting services, be careful. They can be very pricey and should make no promises or guarantees. If it sounds too good, it probably is. That being said, alot of them offer databases of compiled programs that they keep up-to-date with contact info etc. Can save alot of groundwork on your part. Just be sure of the costs going in. Anything they promise to do for you, you can do yourself and sometimes they may not do as they promise!

 

Not sure about any camps! Will post if I hear anything! The colleges should start posting their summer camps on their athletic websites soon. I know UTC does a senior camp usually early in June. When looking at camps a good tip is that you want the program's coaches to lead the camp not individuals brought in from the outside. You want that program's decision makers looking!

 

I'll post if anything else pops into my little pea brain! The whole process taught my whole family that it is a business and you and your family should approach it that way. Get very familiar with the NCAA rules. The brochure is posted on their website. It will help you understand the limitations placed on the programs at each level!

[brooksclary]

I have a son that I would like to help get into a smaller D-II college on at least a partial football scholarship. He has played behind a very talented kid the last couple years so not TONS of playing time, but very smart, strong, good hands, etc. He's a 6'6"/ 340lb (and growing) junior. Any direction would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

Go on this website actionhighlights.com. The guy that runs this is named Greg and he does a great job on highlight films. He has very reasonable prices and makes great quality films.

[GOOB1970]

Thanks Brooksclary I'll check it out!! Have you used them??

[66in74]

berecruited.com and prepchamps.com are a couple of sites that used to let you post your profile, pictures, and highlight video for free. Not sure if they still do?

Many coaches visit those sites and you can also research colleges.

 

You can also use the link when you contact coaches. For example if you send and email, they can just click the "link" and go directly to the information about your son. Make it easy for them!!

 

Make the highlight film short. Only 2-5 minutes at most. Make sure you put the very best first. You'll get the coaches attention for about the first 2-3 plays, if not it will hit the trash.

[blade]

Send him as many camps as possible and the senior day camps are great to go to as well and they are pretty reasonable