Recruiting Tips?

[miz468]

I don't know if it's just me but recruiting is HARD. Anybody have any tips on this new recruiting style?

[JkA3]

Re: Recruiting Tips?

My thing with recruiting is that it's so time consuming now...WOW! I'm looking for some tips too.

[WMWolverine]

Re: Recruiting Tips?

CPU recruiting AI is much smarter than it used to be, so don't plan on landing recruiting classes [e.g. 15+ 5-stars] that far exceed your schools ability. Stick to kids you have a good chance at (e.g. your in top 3, top 5 to start and aren't 300+ points behind the leader) and don't compete against schools with much higher in prestige; as if a school with much higher prestige wants a player they'll land them whether they are CPU or human...

Even if you really want a kid, its really tough to sign someone if your competing against Texas for a kid in Texas or competing against Florida, Miami or FSU for a Florida kid... Unless you really want to use your resources (recruiting time) on these kids, they should be avoided...

Just because it allows you to give out 25 scholarships doesn't mean you should. 25 recruits is far with the 70 player limit. You'll end up cutting recruits if you sign 20+ recruits every season. My advice is to be very picky about recruits you use resources recruiting, don't chase 4 or 5 cornerbacks and hope to land 1. Your much better off putting all your resources into the one you really want...

I'd advise to make a very small recruiting board (12 - 18, depending on how many seniors you have) of recruits you really want of recruits you have a good chance at. Instead of spending about 20 minutes on each of your 30-35 recruits, now your going to spend 30-50 minutes on your 12-18 recruits and your going to win a lot more recruiting battles.

[msu2k]

Re: Recruiting Tips?

Maybe this has always been the case, but I'm seeing a few Soft Commit to schools who haven't even offered a recruit. I thought this was kind of strange but maybe that has changed. Course I was also able to change a kid from a Soft Commit for another school eventually into a commit to my school, so maybe something has changed.

There also have been cases in the past where late in the season there were kids who were in the top 150 but who had no offers and you could sometimes swoop in and snatch them up. Playing with a 3 star program, that doesn't seem to be working for me as well as it had in the past.

[Wenkinator]

Re: Recruiting Tips?

Here is my take on recruiting guys...

Unlike any other NCAA Football, it will be more difficult to just recruit any athlete that you want. Over the past 24 hours of playing with a 3 star program, I feel like I have an understanding of recruiting at least one the All-American level.

First of all... Recruits have "stages". Some will be in Top 10. Some in Top 8. Some in Top 5, and then in Top 3. If a recruit is in a certain stage, and your position on his list does not fit his stage... You won't be snagging him. With that out of the way, if you make the requirement, make the call.

If I am number 1 on his list, I have been offering him a scholarship right off the bat. There was one season when I got 5 instant commitments.

If the interest bar is the same color and within 250 points of the first team on the list, you do not need to feel threatened about being cut off from the stage. I typically don't offer the scholarship right away in this case. Instead I just take the time to get to know the recruit, and maybe I'll make a promise.

If you are near the bottom of the list, the first 2 weeks you need to pitch hard. Offer a scholarship, make promises, and hope that the top teams don't want the guy you are hard after.

I would try to only have 20 players on your board in the beginning. You won't get the guys you really want if you aren't spending at least 20-30 minutes a week talking to them.

I'll have more later if you need it... That should help you out though if you are having issues.

[slingblade73]

Re: Recruiting Tips?

Target your biggest needs in season and then backfill from there. Make a priority list of what you need. Keep the list small in season and really go in for the kill. If you are in front and the kid is in your pipeline, just stay out in front with the bonus.

[greenhead]

Re: Recruiting Tips?

I do a lot of planning, which kind of makes this year frustrating, but better, because the process is so time consuming. This process hasn't really changed from year to year, and in three seasons so far in 11, its worked out ok for me.

I look at my needs first, then look at both my outgoing senior class and my upcoming junior class. If I have any juniors that are likely to bolt early, I take that into account.

With that analysis, I usually only go after 15-20 kids at the beginning of the season. I'll generally first sort recruits by the green circle, and add anyone my prestige rating or above. (If I am a three star, I'll add all 3,4,and 5 star green circle players. (rarely will there be a 4 or 5...but if they are there, and like you, go for them...at least at this stage) If I need a kid, but its' just for depth, I may go one star under my prestige if he has me #1 and I feel I am just going to redshirt him anyways.

I then go to each of my home state and pipeline states and add guys I think I have a chance with, paying particular attention to needs.

By this time, I usually have more guys on the board than I want, so, I go back and sort by interest...then look at needs again, and make sure my top few playerss are both (1) players of need and (2) attainable. I might move someone up a spot or two if I am in competition with schools the same prestige level as me, or if they are pipeline...since I know I get a pipeline bonus.

In the past I'd take a flyer on a few skill players to see if I had a chance...I'm not going to do that anymore. I have had zero luck so far. I also used to sort the available players by speed and put the fastest guy on the board, regardless of rating, regardless of where he thought of me, on my board. I am still doing that...just not sure yet that it has paid off.

In any case, I work through my target list and pare it down to what I really need to replace my outgoing seniors (and any junior I may lose) then work from there.

If at any point during the season it looks like I'm out of the running, I drop the guy and add the next best player I have a shot at.

So far, this year, I'll use between 40-60 minutes on my immediate needs, and 20-40 on the rest. I usually have enough time where I am able to at least call all of the players on my board. I also use my first three or four weeks to find a prospect's interest in a pitch (much like previous years) If my pitch isn't strong (below a B) I'll either change the pitch, or make a promise. You basically get two freebie promises for every recruit (PT and no redshirt). I generally at least use all of those on every recruit.

That's pretty much what I do. What I found interesting this year was that even if a recruit is "low" on a particular pitch, if you have a good score, you can still pick up points pitching it if you run out of options, or pick up points by comparing it to someone with a lower score.

The more I play with this recruiting, the more I tend to think it isn't as new as we originally thought. However, it is much more transparent and the interface change is quite welcome.

[mjarz02]

Re: Recruiting Tips?

As mentioned by others, it is very important to get a list of 10-15 recruits and go after them hard. Throughout the season some players may loose interest or sign with another team. This is when you look for players that have some interest in your team, but do not have offers from other teams.

I have also found it helpful to compare schools when you have a higher rating than them, even if they are #2,3,4,5 on the recruits list. You pick up some serious points here if you have an A rating and they have a B or lower.

[bignasty022]

Re: Recruiting Tips?

There's some very good tips in here, thanks guys!

[MattCoz]

Re: Recruiting Tips?

I definitely agree with keeping your board small, I tried filling it completely and just couldn't keep up with anyone. I thought I was doing well and then I advance the week and I'm hundreds of points back. It's tough, but probably more realistic than in the past.

[mavfan2424]

Re: Recruiting Tips?

Are the recruiting difficulty levels the same as the game levels? (heisman, AA, etc...) Also, has anyone experimented with the easiest recruiting level and compared it to heisman?

[juice1432]

Re: Recruiting Tips?

Anyone have advice for small school recruiting? I am going to be playing online as Army, a 1 star program and I am worried about the quality of athletes that I am going to be able to attract. I have 27 seniors graduating and a ton of holes to fill. Anyone having success with 3* or higher players with a small program?

[mjarz02]

Re: Recruiting Tips?

Anyone have advice for small school recruiting? I am going to be playing online as Army, a 1 star program and I am worried about the quality of athletes that I am going to be able to attract. I have 27 seniors graduating and a ton of holes to fill. Anyone having success with 3* or higher players with a small program?

Go after 2 and 3 star recruits or players that have you 1 or 2 on their list. Keep to the pipeline states, you get more points for those. With 27 seniors graduating its gonna be REALLY tough!

[Poet Of]

Re: Recruiting Tips?

Anyone have advice for small school recruiting? I am going to be playing online as Army, a 1 star program and I am worried about the quality of athletes that I am going to be able to attract. I have 27 seniors graduating and a ton of holes to fill. Anyone having success with 3* or higher players with a small program?

Not really. I actually made a one star program in TB and switched it out with Army, so I'm in the same boat as you. When I go to recruit I look at team needs first, and then sort each position by the section where the green interest dots come up. The kids interested in signing with my school are generally 1-2 stars (still in my first season). I only have two 3 star recruits that have me in their top three. One's a MLB, the other a DT, which are team needs for me and I'm pretty sure that's pure luck.

My advice when recruiting with Army is to try and target as many guys one to two stars above your school prestige. If you can do that year in and year out you can start to build the foundations of a contender. It's difficult and frustrating when Texas and Bama can swoop in and in a heartbeat win the guy you want to their side, but it'll be that much more satisfying to win those few recruiting battles.

[TheGamingChef]

Re: Recruiting Tips?

I love the new recruiting interface. I have been practicing recruiting with Illinois and let me tell you, it is not easy. The 4* guys that I managed to have interested in me are also interested in schools like Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ohio State. The 3* guys that I want are also interested in other mid-level schools just like mine (Mizzou, Northwestern, Purdue, etc.) and if I need to dip into lower 3* guys or 2* guys, there are schools like Northern Illinois and Central Michigan who are giving them 40-50 minutes per week. It is a tough place to be!

With that said, recruiting style really should differ based on needs and your school's position. I try to find 12 or so guys that I really, really want, and commit 30 minutes to them each right at the start. This leaves me 4 hours of time. I fill up my board with roughly 12 other guys who would be nice to have, or are my 2nd choice at a position with some needs, and give them each about 20 minutes. This will vary, of course - if I really want one guy and give him 40 minutes, I'll have to cut down to 10 minutes on another guy. But the 24 person board is a good rule of thumb IMO.

If I am rated highly on a pitch, I will usually pitch it rather than find out its importance. For mid-range pitches, I'll find out the importance. Everytime my school is rated at least a full letter grade better than the prospect's top team (or next-top, if I am #1) I will compare schools... unless I know the pitch is Low or Very Low in importance.

Promises are a fantastic way to get players you really want - and you get 3 per player per season, not just 3 total per season (I was confused at first). Plus, two of the promises are very simple for you to control (Solid Playing Time and No Redshirt). I usually will use the No Redshirt promise for any guy I need, and the Solid Playing Time for a guy who there is no question HAS to be on my team.

I have only targeted prospects who are already interested in me because it seems near impossible to convince a guy to become interested. And as someone else mentioned, if a prospect is in his Top 5 or Top 8 stage and you are the #6 or #9 school, you're screwed - don't waste time. I love prospects who have me in their top 3 to begin with... those are the guys you will want.

NCAA this year is much less about you picking the prospect, and more about the prospects picking you - at least for a school like the Illini - and I think that's soooo much more realistic. I am loving recruiting and I think it is the best improvement to this game, bar none (but I'm really a recruiting guy). I am hoping to somehow claw my way to the top... but it will actually take time and effort this year!