How NCAA Football Can Raise the Bar on Recruiting

It seems every year with the excitement of National Signing Day, NCAA Football gamers wonder how these countless situations could be represented in Dynasty Mode. Recruiting has grown exponentially over the past decade as programs vie for the top prospects. NCAA 13 introduced some refreshing features such as scouting and the gems/bust labels. It also brought back the efficient calling system rather than the random roulette method. Although recruiting shouldn't be first on the list of improvements in this years game, these are some suggestions on how to create a better overall experience for the future.

1. National Signing Day
This is a big one. So much drama over an 18 year old's decision. This could truly bring NCAA Football's recruiting to the next level. But what's the best way to do it? Personally, I'd love to see a short cutscene with three hats on the table. Imagine the stress while watching your gem choose between you and your rival? Or you and your friend on an online dynasty? That could add a bit more emotion to the whole process which is much needed in my opinion. You obviously should have the option to watch it or not and it should include 10-15 of the top prospects. For this to happen there needs to be more prospects who haven't committed by National Signing Day which leads me to my next topic....

2. Soft Commits Last Longer
Ok so this one might be more of a chore but it could really add to the realism. Some of the better recruits should not Hard Commit until the offseason. To get those blue chip recruits hours and hours should be sunk into them for their services. That would mean more time for some players that quite frankly deserve it based on there talent. This would also be needed if the National Signing Day feature required a certain number of prospects to commit during that time. It could make recruiting more of a drag at times but the reward would feel much, much better.

3. Army or Under Armour All-American Game
This is one many people have been asking for since this gen began. How nice would it be to play with your future quarterback or even that receiver who committed elsewhere. There doesn't have to be a fancy presentation, but let us enjoy some high school football with the future players. It could also impact the positioning of players rankings. I feel that some recruits might also become more memorable so you could follow them even if they are not on your team.

4. Reshuffle Recruits and ESPN 150 (Recruit Juniors?)
Ok the SPARQ thing has to go. It only compliments skill players and doesn't really even mean anything. Bring back the ESPN 150 or UA 150 to have more balance. It's must easier to look and understand. Reshuffling recruits would be awesome as it happens all the time. Every 4 or 5 weeks some players should go down while others shoot up which could be connected to the bust/gem feature. I'd love to see a refreshing view of the prospects while I decide who to target. Recruiting juniors is probably a bit much but sometimes toward the end of the season there are some extra hours that could be spent elsewhere.

5. Recuit Profile Symbols



This one needs some explaining. The image is from NCAA Basketball 10 and I loved this little piece of information. The symbols in the top right represented high school achievement such as McDonald's All-American, All State, Player of the Year etc. I really felt that this helped differentiate recruits from one another which is a complaint of mine in NCAA Football. Is it a big deal? No, but I feel that this could change the way we look at recruits. Here are some possible representations of high school accomplishment.

-ESPN 150
-ESPN 300
-Position Ranking
-State Ranking
-High School Player of the Year
-All State
-Under Armour or Army All American
-Mr. Football
-Dual Sport Athlete (Why Not?)

Some people prefer to keep recruiting simple without all the tedious tasks but for those that want it to be deeper and more innovative going into to the next-gen, let me know what you think or give me some suggestions.