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Re: Your Recruiting Strategy
First of all, I map out ideal depth for my team, depending on the offensive and defensive schemes I use. If it's a Run and Shoot offense like I'm running early on this year, I'll want more WRs and fewer HBs. If it's an option based offense, more HB/FB and fewer WR.
Some positions, such as CB and LB, i'll always take a look to get at least one or two guys unless I'm really set there.
Mapping out ideal depth and numbers really helps focus your search for recruits, especially this year when you can't just target 35 guys and talk to all of them each week and expect results.
To give an example of this, I'll show some of my thinking for my Purdue dynasty using the Run and Shoot offense and a 4-3 base defense.
Quarterbacks - Should have 3-4. One should be a starter, at least one guy who could be the QB of the future, and a capable backup for depth in case the starter gets hurt.
Halfback - Would like to have 4. One should be the starter in one back sets and should be able to catch and run quickly. One should be bulky and able to run inside. Others should be capable of filling in where needed in case of injury.
Fullback/Tight End - 2 of each because the game forces you into it. I'd rather spend the time to get at least one of these guys as actual recruits so in formations where you have a tight end, you can actually rely on him somewhat.
Receivers - Minimum 7, maximum 9. Don't want to get too many of these guys on the roster at once because Senior will always leave and sometimes you lose guys to transfer because they don't play enough, which could leave you with as few as 4 or 5 guys for the next season. This is always a position I recruit for.
Offensive Line - 12 is a nice number to have. You have your 5 starters, a backup for each, and two emergency guys just in case. Ideally the extra two are tackles since they seem to be more adept at moving around, but having 3 centers so you never have to deal with having a walk-on as a backup is not the end of the world.
Defensive Line - 10 is a nice number for the 4-3 base. 5 of each DT and DE. I try for a solid mix of run stop and pass rush but it doesn't always work that way.
Linebackers - 8 is a great number to have. I like to carry at least 3 MLB just in case I ever want to mix in some 3-4.
Cornerbacks - 6 is ideal. You have a couple starters, a couple guys who can play Nickel and Dime, and a couple young guys coming up through the ranks.
Safeties - 5-6 is fine. Normally safeties can also help out in the Nickel/Dime and on special teams when they aren't in the two deep.
Special Teams - A single kicker and punter is fine.
A less cluttered list:
Quarterback - 4
Halfback - 4
Fullback - 2
Wide Receiver - 8
Tight End - 2
Offensive Line - 12
Kicker - 1
Offense Total: 33
Defensive Line - 10
Linebackers - 8
Cornerbacks - 6
Safeties - 6
Punter - 1
Defensive Total: 31
Of course that leaves around six open spots, so adding a guy you might not have a place for is a manageable thing. If I have open spots, I normally look to add guys at positions I haven't yet heavily recruited for that year yet to get a more balanced class.
Once all this is done, you can now look at positions of need. For me, needs come in two varieties. You either need someone at a certain position because you are losing one or more guys to graduation, or you need a guy at a certain position because if he signs he will be the best player you have at that position. A depth need is when you only have two QBs on your roster, but one of them is a 2 year starter going into his junior year and his backup is a sophomore with some game experience. Obviously you are set for the next two years, so getting a blue chip prospect this season doesn't have to be a priority. In that case, you can target a couple 3 star guys and maybe sign one to be your backup for a couple years. Differentiating between depth needs like this and skill needs is also important, especially for smaller schools.
At smaller schools, you may only have one really good HB and the rest are not so good. You may not have an actual depth need at HB, but signing that 3 star HB might mean he can have an impact as a freshman and see significant time.
The real fun of this comes when your need at a particular position is both a depth and skill need simultaneously. These are the guys I put at the top of my list. If I only have one QB on the roster, and he has 11 career attempts in two seasons as a backup, I really need to recruit heavily a QB or two.
Prioritizing your needs is the real trick to recruiting. It's up to you personally based on the schemes you run to decide which positions are more important if you don't really have any depth needs. For me, having a depth and skill need at a skill position usually means that any interested player is going to be high on my board. If a few positions have depth needs where adding a single player will fill the need, I normally check out the class breakdown to decide who gets priority on my board. This is true for most positions but sometimes I fall in love with a recruit for whatever reason and I push him up my board.
Kickers and punters are the exception to the rule. Normally when I need one of them, I try to recruit two of them at a time or more depending on if I have the time to spare. Getting a kicker and punter signed instead of getting stuck with a walk on is very important if you struggle with the kicking game like me :P
Of course this is all a general guideline I use and sometimes I break my own rules. An up and coming school with a lot of low rated backups may find themselves going way over budget on having guys stacked at a certain position. Usually within the first few years this evens itself out, especially once you hit the 4 star prestige threshold.
Another important thing to consider is huge WRs can be converted to TE fairly easily and slower, stronger HBs can become FBs. This can help to avoid having a walk-on start, especially if you struggle recruiting those two positions as much as I do.
Also forgot to mention that when I say depth need, that can mean a shortage of players at a certain position (like when the game points out that you NEED at least 1 or 2 of a certain position) or it could mean you don't have as much depth as you might like (having only 3 HB instead of 4, or having 6 WR when you run the Run and Shoot). Having a shortage of players should always take priority over not having as much depth as you want.
To be simple, my system is:
1. Identify your needs, both depth needs and skill needs.
2. Prioritize those needs based around the schemes you run and the players you already have.
3. Recruit for those needs.
Last edited by silkysmooth; 07-15-2010 at 08:08 PM.
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07-15-2010, 07:25 PM
