Your greatest/favorite recruit ever in NCAA Football?

[jkits]

Sup guys! As we approach the release of EA CFB's release next year, I thought it'd be fun for us to go through our years of recruiting in NCAA FB, and highlight some of our favorite recruits and recruiting stories.

To start I have a favorite and an honorable mention...

My favorite recruit was a 5 star RB named Jamar Allen. I was playing NCAA 06 with Mississippi St. I wanted to make a run in the SEC so I needed talent and aimed big. I didn't think I had a chance, but he was an in-state recruit, and wanted playing time, which we were definitely willing to start him as a true freshman. The pitch worked like a charm and I recruited him against the best schools in the nation, and poured all of my attention into landing him. With the blessing of a miracle, we signed him in the offseason and it was ON! My guy Jamar was prime time football. As a true freshman he was overall 85, 5'11 205, speed 96, could catch like a wide receiver, super elusive, and could outrun the best defenders in the land. We won some big games with him in the backfield and he even stayed all 4 years. It was tough to find a replacement after him, but he was legendaryyyyy.

My honorable mention was my for my wake forest dynasty in NCAA 12. A 3 star MLB named Stefan Swift. 6'5 235, i think overall 78 and made an immediate impact on my cupcake wake forest team. His speed was 87 and and hit power in the high 80s. We needed defense and his signing helped change the course of the culture for our defense. His sophomore season He led the nation in tackles, had 5 int's and about 4 forced fumbles. Won the best linebacker and defensive player awards. By the time we were becoming a stellar program, he had just graduated. It reminds me of those players that are not highly touted coming in putting the program on their back, and paving the way.

shedding a tear as I type lol.. Who's some of your fav recruits of all time?

[Pokes404]

Re: Your greatest/favorite recruit ever in NCAA Football?

I had a guy back in either NCAA 04 or 05 (I can't remember which one) that won the Thorpe Award as an 83 OVR nickleback. Oklahoma State was running a 4-2-5 defense back then, but there wasn't a 4-2-5 playbook in the game, so I just ran the Nickle defense all the time because it had a similar 2 LB/5 DB alignment.


Anyway, this guy was my 3rd string CB, and he wasn't anything special athletically, but he had 97 awareness and like 75-80 catching. He picked off ANYTHING that got thrown his way. He also had 2-3 fumble recoveries where they just happened to pop right to him (one of these I took all the way to the house). There also was a great blitz play where he and the LB on that side would blitz on either side of the DE. If there wasn't a TE on that side, or someone in the backfield to pick him up, a lot of times he'd get a free run. He wasn't blazing fast, so he didn't get a ton of sacks, but he still ended up with double-digit sacks on the year and a boatload of QB Pressures.


It was just so memorable because he was the epitome of a "nose for the ball" kind of player that you see in college football. When I converted that draft class for Madden he wasn't even good enough to be available to draft, but he was a playmaker/stat sheet stuffer for my college team.

[canes21]

Re: Your greatest/favorite recruit ever in NCAA Football?

I can't remember names at this point, but back when I played the NCAA games more regularly I always was a defensive first guy. It's just how I was. It wasn't intentional, I was just someone who had stick skills on defense and not so much on offense.

When I'd play as Miami I'd often have a top 10 defense each year, but my offenses were never really close to elite. I'd recruit really good backs and have some solid rushing attacks, but my passing attacks were always bland and most of my QBs were game managers.

Well, one year I need multiple QB commits, so I took my usual pocket passing 4* with my first commit, but with my second commitment I went with a 3* scrambling type because I didn't need to pump many resources into getting him and never thought he would play much anyways.

In that same draft class I landed my usual decent WR prospects, nothing special since I didn't pass an extraordinary amount. There was one unusual guy, however. A 6'6" 3* WR with decent speed, great jumping, and good carch in traffic.

I was excited about his potential in the red zone and thought about playing around and making him a TE, but I kept him as a WR. He didn't see the field much his first two years and neither did his classmate, the scrambling QB.

Fast forward to their 3rd years in college and for whatever reason both of them hit the progression goldmine each offseason and were actually both in starting roles by their overall. The QB got lucky and came in as a 70 something overall kid and by his true junior year was a 90+ starter without any significant snaps under his belt.

The WR wasn't as good, but he was a high 80's overall and ready to log some time.

I was excited for potentially having a different offensive year from my usual self given my QB was not the typical pocket passing game manager I was used to, but I never could have predicted how the season would end up going.

Long story short my QB threw for nearly 4,000 yards, had nearly 60 total TDs, ran for another 1,000+, the WR was unstoppable and became my first ever 1,000 yard receiver in an NCAA game, he smashed the Miami single season TD record, and my QB won my first ever Heisman award in a Dynasty.

Combine that with my typical elite defense and I fielded probably the best team I've ever had production wise in a dynasty and if it were real life that team would have given the 01 Miami team a run for their money as best ever.

I tried recruiting more athletic QBs, but I never could recreate the magic that I had that year. I eventually went back to my pocket passing game manager type of ways after a couple of "failed" QBs. I think I was pressing too much after that special QB and WR combo left school and ended up making their successors play worse, but I chalked it up to just being a magical couple of years while they started.

I've never seen, or at least paid enough attention, a particular player get so lucky in their progression each off season and grow by so many points in just a couple of years, but I'm glad that QB did. That season was one of my most memorable years in sports gaming and it's a shame I can't remember any of the player names.

I'm hoping the upcoming college game next year is able to offer as many memorable moments in dynasty mode. I just need a game that is challenging on and off the field and the magical moments will come naturally. That's what made that season so special. I had my sliders tuned to where I struggled to even win the Coastal some years. Making the national title was truly difficult and even losing it was a success in that dynasty. So having a couple of projects progress together and help create arguably the best team of all time actually felt special. Blowing everyone out left and right was unusual for that dynasty and I was sure something would go wrong eventually, but it didn't. That team just blew the doors off of everyone that first season. Then I failed to make the title their senior years, but I still won the Orange Bowl so they had a good send-off.

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

[Collegefbfan]

Re: Your greatest/favorite recruit ever in NCAA Football?

On NCAA 14 I had a TE names Ostrander. The greatest. I wanna say he won the Heisman or came very close. He was best receiver on the team (can’t remember which team because I have so many dynasties going). I nicknamed him “Escape Valve”.

[BJNT]

Re: Your greatest/favorite recruit ever in NCAA Football?

On NCAA 04 I doing a dynasty based on the school from the TV show Coach the Minnesota State Screaming Eagles. Two seasons in I was looking for a QB to replace my departing senior at the position. I got a kid by the name of Tiger Donovan. Dude was Cam Newton before Cam Newton but a more accurate passer. Six foot five 240, A+ in both arm strength and accuracy, speed agility and acceleration all 85+.

Was a starter from day one. A Freshman All-American. Played in only ten games as a sophomore but still made 1st team all conference. Junior year came back with vengeance and won the Heisman Trophy. I thought for sure he’d leave for the NFL considering the numbers he put up. But dude surprised me by coming back for his senior year, won another Heisman, and lead us to the National Championship at the Rose Bowl where we beat Georgia.