Favorite recruit?

[nikka]

Re: Favorite recruit?

Am I the only one that ranks the same caliber of recruits based on how cool I think their name is? Like if I have two four star guys that I only have time for one I will take the guy that has the coolest name.

On that note Jayden Steele is a pretty good name.

i'm the same. no one wants a team full of will williams or steve johnsons

[IlluminatusUIUC]

Re: Favorite recruit?

I was playing a Colorado dynasty back on NCAA 2004 and I managed to get these two backs at the same time. A speed back named Witherspoon and a power back named Jones. I was unstoppable with those two, if one was having a bad game the other would always pick up the slack. We won the title that year, though tragically they poached so much of each other's stats that neither won individual awards.

I imagine they still hang out together.

[grabursock55]

Re: Favorite recruit?

In NCAA 08, I had built a powerhouse at Maine and won 4 National Championships in a row, so I decided to go to a different school, that school being Harvard. The coolest part of inheriting this Harvard team? The QBs last name was Holly, and the runningbacks last name was Jolly.

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas was stuck in my head all season.

As far as recruiting stories, I wish I had some... but I havent really gotten too involved with recruiting on this generation of systems just because It took so long. However, on the last gen games, I had an entire team of absolute studs. As I mentioned earlier, I won four or five national Champiponships in a row, and left (Worst decision of my Coaching career) But Boy, I tell ya... I was running a run heavy offense, a lot of wishbone and flex and power I stuff. I wish I could remember my players names, but I cant, as this was about 4 years ago... But I had created the perfect team to run the offense to perfection. A QB who was faster than most DBs, A HB who was even faster than that, A Fullback that could power through the middle, then take off and beat the defense in a foot race, Tightends who could catch and block, and on and on and on. I was playing on Heisman Difficulty and broke the record for longest winning streak.... What a bunch of guys that was.... That was the most fun I've ever had on an NCAA football game

[Gloves 82]

Re: Favorite recruit?

The second one is in my current dynasty on NCAA 13. I'm in year 2022 I believe and I'm at LSU. The recruit's name is Trevor Gooden, a speedy HB. His freshman year he was used sparingly on offense, but he did win returner of the year. His sophomore year I expected him to be my #2 HB and still have returning duties. However, my starting HB went down early in the season and wouldn't return until around the conference championship game. Gooden went on to rush for over 1,000 yards and double digit TD's. His junior year I knew I'd have a crowded backfield and I realized he had very good coverage skills, so I decided to move him to FS. He finished the year with 3 INT's on way to becoming a conference All-American. I'm now in his senior year. He only has 1 INT in 4 games, but we haven't played very good teams so he hasn't played as much. He also has 1 punt return TD this season as well.

Here are Gooden's final career stats

2017:

11 rushes 83 yards 2 TDs
67 total returns 3 TDs
1st AA Returner, Returner of the year
National Championship Win

2018:

1197 rushing yards 10 TDs 5.2 ypc
454 receiving yards 5 TDs
Not sure if he made all-conference as a RB or not...
National Championship Loss

2019:

31 tackles
3 INTs
All-Conference FS
Rose Bowl Win

2020:

28 tackles
4 INTs 1 TD
95 total returns 2 TDs
1st team AA returner, Returner of the year, 1st team All-Conference FS
National Championship Win

[citylimit10]

Re: Favorite recruit?

I've actually got a full list of players that I've liked so much that I just keep recreating, but my absolute favorite was a QB named Reginald Ham. He was the RG3 of the PS1 era. I landed him in about my second or third year of my dynasty with a created school with a cupcake roster. Didn't play him at all his freshman year until my bowl game and decided to give him a few snaps. Never looked back. The guy completely set the tone for my program. He was the center-piece of my offence from that point on and would have lead me to multiple National Titles had I not faced my brother's Tennessee team with an equally amazing MLB by the name of Brad "The Beast" Beasley!

[citylimit10]

Re: Favorite recruit?

Another one of my favorites was a guy from the same dynasty that came about a season later. He was a hard-hitting SS named Patrick Dempsey (I know there's an actor by this name but this was way before I'd even heard of that dude). The thing that sticks out about him is the fact that he was on my roster for about 2 seasons before I even knew I had him. He must have signed as a walk-on and quietly developed into a bad-a**, because once he found his way onto the field all he did was light dudes up. He really wasn't build for the secondary, being 6'4 230lbs, but he did well enough in coverage not to be a liability. Graduated with a rating above 90(don't remember exactly what his rating was since he was from the PS1 era and I've recreated him enough times that he's almost a mythical figure lol) and earned All America honors.

[nikka]

Re: Favorite recruit?

down goes #3 USC! in week 3 of my 2nd year with Utah State (Heisman gameplay & recruiting) I referenced a Freshman RB earlier named Rashard Gooden. 8 min quarters* 23 carries 178 yards 2 TD's vs USC probably my favorite RB to ever play NCAA with. only rated mid 70's

simmed the next game vs #22 Utah, he had 16 carries 132 yards 3 TD's

2nd in the nation with 692 yards in 4 games.

i'll post pics soon

[codyj123_321]

Re: Favorite recruit?

Andre "Dre" Johnson
6'4 240lbs
LOLB #51
4 year starter for Alabama Crimson Tide (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015)
2014, 2015: Best LB Award
2014, 2015: Nagurski Award
2014, 2015: Bednarik Award
2013, 2015 National Champions
1st team All-American 2013, 2014, 2015
1st team Freshman All-American 2012
2015 14-0 season
Alabama school records: Sacks (career) 62.0, Sacks (season) 32.0 (2015)
Ncaa records: Sacks (career) 62.0, Sacks (season) 32.0 (2015)

Key attributes: 97 Speed, 99 tackle, 99 awareness, 99 pursuit, 93 block shedding, 93 hit power.
Coming off the edge he was pretty much impossible to stop. He could be in the backfield before the QB was out of his 3 step drop and as a result he shattered the records of previous sack holders.

Career totals:
Tackles: 193
Tackles for loss: 122
Assisted tackles: 128
QB sacks: 64.0 (Ncaa record)
Interceptions: 3
Defensive TD's: 3
Pass deflections: 9
Forced fumbles: 23
Fumble recoverys: 4


The fact that i never even got into the Heisman watch despite getting 32 sacks is a crime. Hope they fix were only offensive players get on there.

Anyways best LB ever.
Created him and he now is a starting LB for the chiefs in my madden 13 CCM.
currently has 6 sacks in the first 7 weeks.

[MrSerendipity]

Re: Favorite recruit?

Oh yay, story time!

You'll have to forgive me for this because I seriously go into my own world when I play Dynasty Mode. Thus, I've created my own story for this particular recruit. You'll read where I list off details that I actually got when scouting and talking to the recruit through the phone and through visits. All of the specific details in this game like size, skill, star-level and etc. were all discovered when I was scouting and recruiting. The rest I came up with on my own.

I remember the first time that I saw Terry Eaton lace up his cleats. It was October 2013 and Trinity High School (Euless, TX) was prepping for their big game against cross mid-city rival, L.D. Bell. As the new Offensive Coordinator of the UL Monroe Warhawks, I had been sent down to Euless to scout a 4-Star Receiver named Christopher Jeffcoat. Now we knew bringing in a receiver like Jeffcoat was unlikely but we hoped most of the attention in this game would be paid to his 5-Star Receiver Counterpart, Mason Allen. Yes you heard correctly, two of the best Receivers in the nation were both coming out of the same damn school. Throw in the fact that Chase Steele (3 Star) was throwing them the ball, it was clear that Euless Trinity was State bound. So there was some hope...err desperation, that if Allen got most of the attention from the scouts, we could slip in and make a splash with Jeffcoat.

I always felt like a salesman on these visits, I thought to myself while watching both teams do their Pre-Game stretches. Coming out to a school, badgering a kid and his parents in hope that for four years, he'll grace you with his presence. Truthfully, it always sat with me wrong. But I was thankful to even get a chance at the College level and the little University in Monroe, Louisiana had been treating me mighty nice. They let me implement my own Pistol Offense and I had my own choice of what Offensive Recruits I wanted us to target. So I decided I'd make the most of this visit, do my job and go back home to Louisiana in hopes that I didn't let down the AD too much. And hey, I spent many years in Euless in my younger days as I had family in the town. So it wasn't all painful, right?

The game went about as expected, Trinity pulling away in the 2nd Half to seal their spot in the upcoming Texas High School playoffs. And much to my dismay, it was Jeffcoat who looked particularly special that night. I made my way over to the area chalked off for the team's walk back to the Locker Room and I gave a friendly shout in Jeffcoat's direction. The two young men he was walking with gave a quick snicker as he jogged over in my direction. As quick as I could open my mouth to make my pitch, he'd already ended the discussion. Jeffcoat - "Look sir, with all due respect. It ain't gonna be you. We both know it. You're just not there...ya know?" And with that it was over. Five hours of driving all summed up in a few snide sentences. I began the walk back to my car but not until after I saw Jeffcoat shaking hands with a Texas Tech scout. I couldn't blame the kid, Tech's system would make him a star.

I walked back out onto the track surrounding the ruffled field and prepared to make my way back to the car when I ran into #83. He was a quiet kid standing all of 5'10 weighing around 180, Trinity's number three receiver who played mostly in the slot. I remember finding his play pretty impressive. Even more impressive was the fact that I'd never heard of the kid prior to watching him play. Did he hold a candle to Jeffcoat or Allen? No, they were far and above. But I saw a kid out there trying to help his team win and making an impact. With a modest four catches for 48 yards on the day, he did what he was supposed to do. He was with his dad and a few scouts from Division II schools like Tarleton State and Harding University. The look on their faces when they saw me really told a story. To schools like Texas, Tech, ATM, Baylor and TCU, UL Monroe wasn't anything to concern yourself about. But to these DII schools, we were the "Texas", "ATM" and "Tech's" in their world. I felt for them...by now I knew the feeling. I patted Eaton on the back, shook his hand and congratulated him on the win before heading to the car. I wasn't prepared to offer a scholarship at the time but I was prepared to do my homework.

Over the next few weeks I made sure I had a copy of Trinity's game tape and I zeroed in on Terry Eaton. He never had a game where he could be considered the star but living in the shadow of Allen and Jeffcoat didn't make that easy. What he did do was play consistently and come up in clutch situations. And after two more weeks of consistent play and motivated performances, I decided to give the kid a call. He was a soft-spoken young man but he had a real excitement to his voice. And probably my favorite part of the call was when he spoke so highly about getting an education, earning his spot on a team and wanting to stay closes to home. These were humble and mature traits to have for such a young guy.

After our call I ran into the big man's office and told him that I was ready to offer Eaton a Scholarship. He wanted a few days to think on it before he got back with me. The next Saturday, after a great Offensive outing against Louisiana Tech, I got my answer. Coach - "If you think he's right, make the offer. Great job out there today!" That Monday night I made the call and extended Eaton the offer. He was excited but let me know he'd need to think about it. As it turned out, Southern Methodist University in Dallas had also made an offer. Unbeknownst to me, while I was game planning for Louisiana Tech on Friday night, Eaton was having the game of his career. And now some of the growing schools in Texas were starting to pay attention.

The fight for Eaton was unrelenting and the odds were stacked against me. With Houston and SMU getting into the mix, Eaton leaving for Monroe felt like it was slipping out of reach. I decided to make one last call so that I could make the kid a promise. "You won't sit in anyone's shadow." I told him. "I can't promise you a National Championship. I can't promise you that you'll ever play on National Television. But I can promise you that you will get your shot to shine. You will get your day." We scheduled a visit to the Campus and that weekend he made his commitment. He was considered a 3 Star prospect by the end of the season but we knew we'd got a real gem.

It's summer now and Eaton is prepping for his Sophomore year at UL Monroe after making a huge splash in his freshman year. And I know without a doubt, I'll never forget the first time I saw Terry Eaton.

Freshman Year:
72 Catches - 824 Yards - 11 Touchdowns

So that's the story of my favorite prospect so far. I haven't started his Sophomore year yet but I expect him to blow up as both of the receivers ahead of him last year have now graduated. He went from being a 74 at the beginning of last year to an 82 now. I love throwing him the ball because he catches just about everything I throw his way. Marcus Allen plays for the University of Texas now and Christopher Jeffcoat committed to Texas Tech the week after I discovered Terry Eaton. I imagine that I'll try to re-create Terry Eaton in some fashion once NCAA 14 comes out because this story just came about last month and I don't see me playing NCAA 13 once NCAA 14 is released.

[DerkontheOS]

^^^ wow are you a professional writer? Because that was a damn good short story.

[MrSerendipity]

Re: Favorite recruit?

^^^ wow are you a professional writer? Because that was a damn good short story.

Lol, thanks. I'm an aspiring writer but I haven't quite finished anything yet. I'm glad you enjoyed it, I was pretty sure that I'd get mostly tl;dr responses.

[vonnsmoak]

Re: Favorite recruit?

I was using my Canes and recruited a ath named Fred whitfield that was the real deal. I used him at halfback and he won Heisman as a sophomore backup.He was a touchdown machine as he would make 80 yard runs look routine. He finished with all my teams rushing records and 3 heismans. Not bad for the 16th ranked ath.

[Perfect Zero]

Re: Favorite recruit?

I don't have all of his stats in front of me, but one of my great recruits was a four star QB named Steve Young. I was with Texas Tech and fought with a number of Big XII teams to get him. He wore number 10, but his mobility and arm accuracy were amazing. I convinced him to stay his last year when he won the Heisman and led Tech to a Sugar Bowl win over Pittsburgh.

Young rewrote Tech's record books. Career yards, touchdowns... he could do it all.

[DorianDonP]

Re: Favorite recruit?

Lol, thanks. I'm an aspiring writer but I haven't quite finished anything yet. I'm glad you enjoyed it, I was pretty sure that I'd get mostly tl;dr responses.

I want updates!

[MrSerendipity]

Re: Favorite recruit?

I want updates!

Haha. Well if there are some people who are actually interested in reading some additional short story updates, I wouldn't mind writing a short series about the player and my OC. I could open up a separate thread for the stories. We'll see if there is any interest in that.