How many players to to start recruiting each season?

[Artof_War]

Last night I decided I want to get a little more in-depth with recruiting. I've always enjoyed that aspect as much as the game, but so far this year I've avoided the tedium and moved along to the games.

Recruiting being much harder this year somewhat opened my eyes...

So I obviously in pre-season you need to fill up your board with 35 guys. Right now I have 75% 4-5 star guys that have me in their top 4. The other 25% are 3-4 star guys that have me as numero uno. Just ignore recruiting needs for this thread.

I'm on All-American recruiting and I have no idea how I should cut the 35. In previous years I would pursue 20. Well... in my first season that didn't work out so well, especially with the big-time prospects. I lost so much ground in the first few weeks I never made it up and cut them from my list. I ended up with a few 4-star athletes and mostly 3-star athletes.

Do I need 10, 15, or CAN I do it with 20? Should I focus more on the guys that have me as number 1?

Just a little guidance on the appropriate number, ASSUMING when I cut to that number I want every single guy.

Thx.

[ggsimmonds]

First don't feel as though you need to fill your board with all 35 prospects. I usually only add 25 or so to my board.

Having said that you should also know that I play with UMD, so if you play with a better school take that into account.

I target 10 quality players who have me in their top 5 or 8 that I feel would improve my team. These are the would be gems of my recruiting class.

Then I find all the solid recruits who have me as #1 and add them. Week 1 I spend 10 minutes on each only to offer a scholly hoping they insta-committ. If they don't I say the hell with em. Instead I spend my time on the gems. Then later in the year I come back to these guys.

Then I round out the board with guys who would help me greatly but don't have me very high. Lets say as the Terps there is a 5 star recruit out of Maryland. I may spend 2 weeks or so with him but if I don't move up I move on.


In short focus on 10-15 guys and look for easy signings elsewhere. If you get maybe 400-500 points behind generally you should move on.

[Artof_War]

Quote: Originally Posted by ggsimmonds

First don't feel as though you need to fill your board with all 35 prospects. I usually only add 25 or so to my board. Having said that you should also know that I play with UMD, so if you play with a better school take that into account. I target 10 quality players who have me in their top 5 or 8 that I feel would improve my team. These are the would be gems of my recruiting class. Then I find all the solid recruits who have me as #1 and add them. Week 1 I spend 10 minutes on each only to offer a scholly hoping they insta-committ. If they don't I say the hell with em. Instead I spend my time on the gems. Then later in the year I come back to these guys. Then I round out the board with guys who would help me greatly but don't have me very high. Lets say as the Terps there is a 5 star recruit out of Maryland. I may spend 2 weeks or so with him but if I don't move up I move on. In short focus on 10-15 guys and look for easy signings elsewhere. If you get maybe 400-500 points behind generally you should move on.

Good tips. I'm playing with Tennessee right now. Just finished preseason with my board filled with 35.

So you're saying I need 10-15 "gems" to spend the big time on, and then just pop 10 minutes in the first week at the other 10 or so that have me as number 1. If they don't commit, leave them on the board, but go after them later in the season since more than likely I won't slip far.

[ggsimmonds]

Quote: Originally Posted by Artof_War

Good tips. I'm playing with Tennessee right now. Just finished preseason with my board filled with 35. So you're saying I need 10-15 "gems" to spend the big time on, and then just pop 10 minutes in the first week at the other 10 or so that have me as number 1. If they don't commit, leave them on the board, but go after them later in the season since more than likely I won't slip far.

Pretty much. Now the "gems" differ based on schools of course. Tennessee can afford to go after multiple 5 stars, my Terps however cannot. Here is a cheap protip I use, recruit multiple 2-3 star recruits from states you wanna build into a pipeline. Right now I'm scouring Florida for recruits no one else is taking an interest in. Sign a bunch of scrubs in order to help you go after the big boys

[Artof_War]

Do you find there is a big difference between prospects at each star level i.e. a lower ranked 4-star vs. the highest 4-star.

Is this something I need to pay more attention too?

[ggsimmonds]

Yes sometimes there is a big difference. One 4 star came in at 70 while another came in at 76, which over 4 years becomes a huge difference. Also pay close attention to the individual attribute ratings. I had a WR come in at 74 ovr but he was completely useless. Spd and accr were crappy as all hell. One thing I always keep an eye out for is WR who come in about 6'5'' with good jumping ability.

Since you have Tennessee you can be more selective with your recruits. Look for the guys that fit your style of play.

[jbrew2411]

Quote: Originally Posted by Artof_War

Do you find there is a big difference between prospects at each star level i.e. a lower ranked 4-star vs. the highest 4-star. Is this something I need to pay more attention too?

I can tell you don't worry about the star grade but look at the skill grades. I finished my first year with UGA and had a average class but 10 of my 15 player signeds were 4* or 5* players. This was before I found out about this years recruits (Only looked at speed). I signed a 4* WR (ranked #4 WR) only three 5* WR's. He came in with a good overall but sucks every where else. I signed a HB (#3 HB) and a 4* but was rated 68ovr. The only good thing he has is speed. Signed a 4* QB that sucked worse then my 3* QB I signed to be a career back-up. The only good players I signed were O-linemen.
The best advice I can give you is look at the skill ratings more then star ratings. Also keep you board small. I go with 15 players max and try and sign 15 good players that will play. That way you can spend 40 minutes per player and move up fast. I also look for guys that have me in their top 4. Quality over quantity.

[Pull n Pray]

Here is my system, and it works pretty well. First, I put the best 8 players who have me in their top 10 onto my board. Then, I put the best 12 players who have me #1 on my board. "Best" takes my needs into consideration. The first week, I give 60 minutes each to the first 8, and 10 minutes each to the next 12 (where the only thing I do is offer a scholarship). I usually get between 2-4 instant commits the first week from the group that had me #1. Also, I'll likely lose a player from my top 8 who instant committs to another school.

For week two, I cut my board down to 12 players. If I had 3 committs the first week, then technically, the size of my board would be 15 players. But for the sake of simplicity, pretend that a player leaves your board after he commits. I will only be actively recruiting 10 of those 12 players. If you are going after big time recruits, you better be devoting a full hour to them because that's what the CPU is doing. The other 2 recruits are my reserves. If I lose or give up on one of the players in my top 10, then they move up.

You don't want to have a lot of players on your board because then the 2x bonus will likely go to players who you aren't even recruiting. On the otherhand, just having players on your board (even if you don't call them) gives you points with those players. So having 2 or 3 reserves on your board (who originally had you as #1) is a good idea. You'll still have a chance with these guys even if you don't start actively recruiting them until a few weeks into the season.