Recruiting Troubles

[EricM]

Quote: Originally Posted by Save the Manatees

What I'm doing wrong...? I don't know, I tell them what they wanna hear.

Okay, but how many guys are you going after, and how much time are you spending with each of them? Are you going after guys that already have you in the top 10? Are you taking advantage of the fact that ND has 6 rivals and a totally custom schedule to make sure every visit is a home rivalry game at the right time of the year?

You should be able to get into the top 3 on guys with the calls, get them to a visit that they'll rate an A+, then offer and get a commit right then, or at least get a soft verbal. Some years the game will just throw a bunch of bad luck at you and nobody will commit, but when you're ND that means 4-5 5* instead of 8-10.

Yea I use ND in our Legends league and I'm in the top 5 every year, and this is with competing with other users. They have almost everything Elite and a bunch of rivalry games against bad teams.

In three seasons, my average is ~7/8 5-star recruits at ND. 10-5-5

[Save the Manatees]

So I've read through what a bunch of people have had to say.

1. Putting the recruits high on my board: I always order my recruits in order of star caliber.

2. Focusing on 15 or so recruits and talking to them till they hang up: Have not tried that, think I will. Usually I go after 30 or so recruits each year, because I usually lose my top guys and have to settle. But What happens when/if lose one of those recruits? When I have to go find backups, won't the market have thinned out a lot?

Also, so the smilely face thing doesn't matter then? I usually just go until I complete the pitch or if that's taking to long, until they smile.

3. Those who keep saying that recruiting is perfect: Okay I get that you like the realism of not being able to stack your team. But then the computer shouldn't be able to stack their teams either. Especially when they steal two 5-star guys at the same position from me in one year after having an okay season. Unless that too is realistic and in which case then why can't I steal two 5-star linemen from someone?

4. To the guys who get eight 5-star recruits: I'd like to know what you do, not necessarily cause I want to stack my team, but I would like to be able to get my guys. They don't have to be 5-star guys, but sometimes I even lose 4 star guys that I want and end up with 3-star guys.

[AnybodyKilla]

I traded this game in for madden, and bought it for 5 bucks less then I traded it in for.

That being said, I just finished year one, and recruiting o-line that is worth a damn is pretty impossible. It shouldnt be THAT hard.

My buddy is in year 7 on his with West Virginia and his highest oline member is a 82.

Oh well. Thats what sliders are for.

[Save the Manatees]

Quote: Originally Posted by EricM

Okay, but how many guys are you going after, and how much time are you spending with each of them? Are you going after guys that already have you in the top 10? Are you taking advantage of the fact that ND has 6 rivals and a totally custom schedule to make sure every visit is a home rivalry game at the right time of the year? You should be able to get into the top 3 on guys with the calls, get them to a visit that they'll rate an A+, then offer and get a commit right then, or at least get a soft verbal. Some years the game will just throw a bunch of bad luck at you and nobody will commit, but when you're ND that means 4-5 5* instead of 8-10.

Usually go for 6-8 5-star guys. I usually talk to them till I complete the pitch or they're smiling or both. I almost only go for guys who have me in the top ten unless I see something I need to have, usually a speed guy though and usually I get him.

Yeah I invite them to big games. Either a rivalry home game or a game against a top ten school. I don't like change games like Michigan and Michigan State cause those are usually early in the year.

I almost always get into their top 3 and usually I'm 1st until late in the year when they suddenly soft commit to some school not as good as mine's.

I have a pretty good class as of now, with three 5-star guys, but they aren't the ones I needed. They're just the ones I throw on there cause they're interested. I can seemingly collect my skill-position players at will, but never linemen.

I'll ask again, does the type of offense matter? Apparently o-linemen love to run block and I use the run and shoot... so yeah.

[Keyser Soze]

Quote: Originally Posted by Save the Manatees

Usually go for 6-8 5-star guys. I usually talk to them till I complete the pitch or they're smiling or both. I almost only go for guys who have me in the top ten unless I see something I need to have, usually a speed guy though and usually I get him. Yeah I invite them to big games. Either a rivalry home game or a game against a top ten school. I don't like change games like Michigan and Michigan State cause those are usually early in the year. I almost always get into their top 3 and usually I'm 1st until late in the year when they suddenly soft commit to some school not as good as mine's. I have a pretty good class as of now, with three 5-star guys, but they aren't the ones I needed. They're just the ones I throw on there cause they're interested. I can seemingly collect my skill-position players at will, but never linemen. I'll ask again, does the type of offense matter? Apparently o-linemen love to run block and I use the run and shoot... so yeah.

I run the spread offense and I landed a 5-star Guard this year. He is one of only 3 5-stars I got.

[hoots711]

Quote: Originally Posted by Save the Manatees

2. Focusing on 15 or so recruits and talking to them till they hang up:

i think that is the worst advice ever. I remember reading somewhere that the single biggest loss of interest is not leaving them happy on the phone. (Big smiley)

I have noticed alot of pitches take over and hour now and your guys start to get pizzed... When this happens i stop it as soon as they drop from big smiley and try to hard sale another very high or most. This will get the big smiley back but if it starts to take longer than 20 mins i stop it (while he is still big smiley) and hang up.

In this case i wont get any interest gain (because i never completed a pitch) but i shouldnt lose any either. Im pretty sure hanging up on a recruit when they or mad or even worse having them hang up on you loses interest.

This is one pretty stupid feature if you ask me... If a pitch has an elite for your school and a very high or most for the recruit how can it take over an hour and start to get the kid pizzed??

That seems really dumb to me.

[rudyjuly2]

Quote: Originally Posted by hoots711

i think that is the worst advice ever. I remember reading somewhere that the single biggest loss of interest is not leaving them happy on the phone. (Big smiley)

You are completely wrong on that. The developers have stated both last year and this year that leaving the kid happy on the phone is just a minor boost for your school. If he hangs up on you it's not that big a deal. Often times the kid will be all smiles the next week when I get hung up on. Don't worry about how the happy face so much.