JIM PLACE
ASSISTING PLAYERS IN THE RECRUITING PROCESS
DAYTON CHAMINADE JULIENNE HIGH SCHOOL, OHIO
I always like to start out with a
disclaimer. First, nothing I am going
to tell you is original. I am not
going to say I invented this or
invented that. I may not remember
where I got this information from but
one thing I do know is that I got the
information from someone else. Second,
I am not going to tell you this is the
only way to do things. I am going to
tell you about a system that we have
used for the last fifteen or twenty
years. It has been very good for me
and it has worked well for me.
Everyone has their own particular
situation in the school where they
coach. The next disclaimer I have is
this. I have one goal here for this
lecture. If you can take one idea from
this lecture and adapt it to your
program, then I will have done a great
job today. I will not try to sell you
on the program we use, but if you can
take one idea and use it in your
program it will be worthwhile.
Just one more disclaimer, in talking
about the college recruiting process
is this. There are not any rules on
this. No one makes the rules in
dealing with the coaches and players
as far as how to go about recruiting
players. Every college does it a
little different. I am going to talk
about some of my experiences in the
recruiting process. Then I will talk
about some recommendations on how we
do the recruiting process.
The key to the recruiting system is
simple. It is made up of one word with
two letters. Everything we do in the
recruiting process is WE. I have run
into some parents at other schools
that tell me their coaches do not do
anything for the players at their
particular school. I may know that the
coach has sent out tapes and made
calls to colleges and busted his tale
to assist his players. Still there are
some parents and players that will
tell others they did not get a
scholarship because the coach and the
school did’ do anything to help them.
Coaches have told me stories about
their players coming in to see them
the day after the national signing
date and tell them something like
this. “Coach, I saw in the paper today
where so and so signed a scholarship
with so and so. When am I going to
sign my scholarship?”
It is important to get the players and
parents involved in understanding the
recruiting process. They must know
what is going on and they have to be
involved in the process. I have a
simple flow chart that indicates the
way we view the process.
PARENTS AND PLAYERS
COACHES
COLLEGES
On the left side of the chart we have
the parents and players. In the middle
of the chart we have the high school
coaches. The colleges are on the
outside of the chart. There are always
two parts to the flow chart. We have
input from the parents and players to
the coaches. Then we have input from
the colleges back to the coaches.
About ninety percent of what I am
going to talk about is on the left
side. Basically this relates to
dealing with the parents and players.
1
The right hand side of the chart is
very easy. There is one simple way to
have a player recruited and that is to
have a stud player. It is plain and
simple. You can talk all you want
about the different programs, but what
I want to discuss is how you deal with
the parents and players in this area.
Of the kids that have gone on to
Division I schools from our program, I
could have told you they were going to
go to college on a scholarship when
they walked into our school as
freshmen. You could see they were just
the type of players that was going to
be recruited four years later. They
were just studs. There was no magic
system needed to promote them. There
was nothing special that we had to do
to get them recruited.
We had a center this year that came
into our program and worked very hard.
He was 6’3” and 305 pounds and bench
pressed 450 pounds. He went from a MAC
prospect to the Big East with Pitt.
However, when he walked into our door
we knew he was a Division I level
player and it would only be a matter
of time to determine the level he
would play.
We have a junior quarterback this year
that can put his elbow on the rim of a
basketball goal. He is a stud. He is
going to get a Division I scholarship.
Anything else you want to talk about
with him is immaterial.
Everything we do in the recruiting
process is based on WE. We are going
to do it together. If a kid comes to
me and asks me what I am going to do
to help him get a scholarship, I stop
him and correct him. “We are going to
do it together.” When we mail out your
film we will do it together so you can
see it go in the mailbox.” If I am to
make a phone call I will have the
player sit right there as I talk to
the college coach. Everything we do is
going to be together.
To make this system work, you
understand a few things. First, “No
news is bad news.” We will do a lot of
things to assist the players. We will
send out film and we will send out
letters to colleges. We will have a
plan to assist the players. The most
important thing the player must
understand is this. If you send a
college a letter or film, the college
is not going to call you and tell you,
“We do not like you or you are not
good enough to play for us.”
The players must understand something.
“No news is bad news.” If they want
you they will call you. Second,
anytime I get a call from a college
about a kid I go straight to that
player and tell him what was said;
good, bad, or indifferent. If I do not
get a call I will not tell the players
anything. The kids know this and it
keeps us together on the process.
This is what that procedure does for
the coach. It stops kids from coming
up to you in the hall and asking you
if you have heard anything back from
the college we sent letters and films
to. “No news is bad news.” As I get
into the system we use you will
understand that one simple point. I
tell the players if they do not hear
back from the colleges, they do not
want you. It is as simple as that. No
one wants to be the bearer of bad
news. Colleges do not call players and
tell them they are not good enough to
play for them. They just do not do
that.
In dealing with the parents you must
spend time with them. In dealing with
them I never expect parents to be
rationale about their children. I
would say if parents are rationale
about what their kids chances are,
they are not very good parents. I am
sure my parents thought I was a little
better than I really was. I think my
kids are a little better than they
are. If I don’t, who does? If I don’t
think my kids are great, who will? It
is as simple as that. But all of us
must have been in meeting where we have to
2
bite our tongue when a parent makes a
statement like, “My son is the best
running back in this program. My boy
is good enough to be a Division I
football player.”
I think it is important to go into
those situations with one simple
philosophy. I expect the parents to be
irrational about their kids. It is a
lot easier to roll with the tide when
that happens. I also have a theory
that we have a new kind of parent out
there today. I am 55 years old. I grew
up in a time when if we wanted to go
out and play football in the
neighborhood, we did. When I was 10
years old and my parents told me to go
outside and play football, there were
more than a dozen kids that you could
play with. There were kids all over
the place and we played outside a lot.
We made up rules and played with the
other kids. You learned how to
interpret rules. You did not need mom
and dad to do anything for you. But if
I told my kids to go outside and play
they would tell me there are no kids
within two blocks that will go out and
play. There is no one left to play
with today.
Today the parents have to step in and
organize all kinds of games and
sports. Now we have all kind of
parents involved in our youth leagues.
In the last ten years they have come
up with the “Select Teams” in soccer,
basketball, and volleyball.
I am also the Athletic Director at our
school. I want tell you, sometimes the
select team parents can be a problem.
They travel all summer and spend
hundreds and hundreds of dollars. They
justify this by saying they are going
to get their son a scholarship. I will
guarantee you that the summer coaches
tell the parents their kid will get
that scholarship. They want them to
pay that money to travel. It is a new
mentality. If that student athlete
does not get a scholarship, somehow it
is the fault of the high school coach.
The point I am trying to make here is
this. We have a new group of parents
to deal with today. The parents of the
kids today expect you to get
scholarships for the kids. If their
kid does not get a scholarship, they
do not want to hear it. It is the high
school coach who is at fault. That is
something we all have to deal with.
The next point I want to cover is the
fact that the recruiting process is
constantly changing. It is always
changing. You must keep up with it
somehow. I do not have the answer. I
think the best way to learn about the
process is to have a recruit that
colleges want. If you go through the
process you will understand what the
changes are. We have been fortunate
that we have had players that have
been recruited each of the last
several years. If we did not have
someone that was recruited, I would
call the colleges and ask some of the
coaches what was new in the recruiting
process. I would talk with coaches at
clinics such as this to find out what
is new in the recruiting process. Ten
years ago I thought it was easy to
understand.
The recruiting process use to work
like this. I thought it was easy to
explain to my players and parents. You
played your senior year of football.
Then in November the season was over.
The college coaches would come around
and watch film and set up visits. In
December and January you took your
five visits to the colleges. On a day
close to the National Signing date you
committed. On the National Signing
date you signed the letter of intent.
It was a real simple process to
explain. It was not real complicated
and everyone understood it.
In the last ten to twelve years they
have started the process of early
committing. I think the further south
you go, the less the early committing
takes place. The further north you go
the more the early signings take
place. Most of the northern colleges
have at least fifty percent of their
3
commitments done by the opening day of
recruiting.
I think early committing is hard to
understand. It is a hard thing to
handle. One of our players that made
an early commitment lost his hunger
for the game. He committed early and
came back his senior year, but he was
not very hungry. I have had other
players that thought they should have
been offered a scholarship on an early
commitment that didn’t play as well as
they should have, because they were
too involved with the fact they did
not have that commitment. The fact
was, in most cases, they did not have
the necessary grades to be recruited.
They do not hear this point because
they don’t want to hear it.
Early committing is hard to understand
and it is hard for coaches to work
with. I like to visit with other
coaches at clinics. One of the things
some of my colleagues complain about
is the early committing problems. We
do not like the rule as it is today.
There is one thing clear about this
point. I do not have control over this
situation. That is the system. We can
complain about early committing all we
want, but the bottom line is the fact
that this is how things are working
now. It is our job as coaches to
understand the system and go with it.
If you fight it and try to buck the
system you are going to get lost.
We have a new thing up our way called
“Gray Shirting.” Colleges take a If I want to have a meeting with the
graduating senior and have him sit out
the fall semester. He enrolls in the
winter semester in January. He does
not start his eligibility until the
next fall. If the player red shirts a
year that means he is going to take
six years to graduate. He is going to
be 23 to 24 years old by the time he
gets out of college.
I will talk about the new academic
rule later. This past year you had the
choice of going on the old NCAA rule
or the new NCAA rule.
I think the computer programs have
changed the recruiting process. I
think the internet has changed the
recruiting process. Our kids know a
lot about the colleges today because
they promote themselves on the
internet. Parents go on the internet
and promote their kids. Kids know the
players that are being recruited by
other schools. You can go to some web
sites and they will tell you the
recruits that are coming to visit,
each weekend, for official visits.
The point here is the fact that the
recruiting process changes. This is
something we must deal with just as we
must deal with the rules the NCAA set
up. As a high school coach you must
stay with the system and keep up with
what is going on. We can not change it
so we must know all about it to help
the kids.
Next I want to talk about the actual
system that we use. Our recruiting
process for juniors in high school
starts in January. I am fortunate at
our school with the class schedules we
use for all of our students. When the
seniors are at lunch our juniors are
in home room. It is just the opposite
for the juniors. When they are in
lunch session the seniors are in home
room. When the freshmen are at lunch
the sophomores are in study hall. The
opposite is true when the sophomores
are at lunch.
Seniors I simply put a note in the
mailbox for the senior home room
teacher and let that teacher know I am
having the meeting. We have a special
meeting room that we call the Hall of
Fame room. I meet with each class once
every two weeks during the lunch
period. This is very helpful because I
can get to the kids that are in winter
sports and spring sports and not have
to worry about them missing practice.
They like this set up in that they
like to come in and talk football once
every two weeks.
4

We start out in January. At the first
meeting I talk about college
recruiting. I have all the juniors
that will be seniors the next fall in
the meeting. The first thing I talk
about is the ACT/SAT and the NCAA
clearing house. I talk about the ACT
and SAT. Most of you know these
things. Number one is “Early and
Often.” We tell our kids to take the
tests each time they are offered. Take
both tests early and often.
The thing people do not understand is
this. One test measures ability and
one measures achievement. They are
different test. Some kids will tell
you the tests are the same and they do
not understand why they should take
both tests. Some kids will do better
on the test of ability and some kids
will do better on the test of
achievement. Again, we tell them to
take both tests early and often. We
give them the dates they must register
for the test, so they do not have to
pay any late fees to take the test.
The question is raised about taking
the tests before the junior year. My
experience is this. Unless the student
has taken some Algebra II they may
have a hard time on the test. If they
make a 12 or 13 on the test it tends
to stay with the students later, on
the following test. Also, if those
scores get to the colleges it turns
them away from that student.
Others may disagree with this thinking
but I think you can take the test in
January of your junior year and still
have enough time to make a good score
on the test. I have found that kids
get sick of taking tests.
For admissions the colleges do not
allow you to mix and match the scores.
The NCAA does allow you to mix and
match the scores. On the ACT there are
four categories. You are allowed to
take your best score from each
category from all ACT tests you take.
If a student takes the ACT two times
and makes a 16 on Verbal the first
time and an 18 on the second test on
Verbal, he gets to use the 18 for the
ACT. If he gets a 17 on the science
category the first time and gets a 15
the second test, he takes the 17 on
science. You are allowed to mix and
match the scores within the Act. This
is one reason you should take the ACT
early and often. On the SAT there are
two categories. You cannot mix and
match the scores.
Next is the NCAA Worksheets. We fill
out a form for each kid. We list the
following information on the worksheet
plus the High School Core Courses.
HIGH SCHOOL CORE COURSES
At least four years English. At least
two years of math. (One year algebra
and one year geometry -or one year of
a higher-level math course for which
geometry is a prerequisite.) At least
two years of social science. At least
two years of natural or physical
science (including one lab course, if
offered by your school.) At least one
year of an additional class in
English, math, or natural or physical
science. You need two additional
academic courses in any of the above
areas, or foreign language, computer
science or comparative religion.
NAME: ______________________________
SEMESTERS: _________________________
CORE CLASSES: ______________________
AVERAGE IN CORE CLASSES: ___________
_____ You are in good shape.
Great!
_____ You are right on schedule.
Keep it up!
_____ You are a little under!
Get to work!
_____ You are not in good shape.
Time to change study habits!
5
NCAA DIVISION I 2.475 69 830
FRESHMAN ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS 2.450 70 840-
850
All Student-Athletes must register 2.425 71 860
with the NCAA Initial-Eligibility 2.400 71 860
Clearinghouse. 2.375 72 870
2.350 73 880
Qualifier: Can practice, compete and 2.325 74 890
receive an athletic scholarship as a 2.300 75 900
college freshman. 2.275 76 910
2.250 77 920
Requirements: Graduation from high 2.225 78 930
school.
2.200 79 940
2.175 80 950
On the back of this form is a
worksheet you fill out. A lot of 2.150 80 960
football coaches I talk with are 2.125 81 960
afraid of the worksheet. It is very 2.100 82 970
easy to fill out. You must fill out a 2.075 83 980
Form 48-H form. Your school must send 2.050 84 990
a list to the NCAA to tell them the 2.025 85 1000
courses that are approved at each 2.000 86 1010
individual school. Below Not Not
2.000 Eligib Eligib
You can take the information on the le le
48-H Form and take the students
transcript and put the courses that Here is the information that is
are on the 48-H Form on his worksheet. available from the NCAA. You can go to
From this information you can figure their web site and get all of this
out his average. It is that simple. I information.
have had a lot of experience in
working with the form and it is easy NCAA INITIAL-ELIGIBILITY CLEARINGHOUSE
to do but it takes some of your time. The NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearing-
We make sure all of our kids know house, located in Iowa City, Iowa, is
their GPA and how it relates to the the organization that handles all
form. inquiries regarding an individual's
initial eligibility status. The Clear-
Let me talk about the Index. This is inghouse operates a separate Web site
the information the players want to at www.ncaaclearinghouse.net which
know. The following GPA Core Courses maintains and processes all of the
with the corresponding ACT or SAT initial-eligibility certifications.
score that is needed:
CORE GRADE-POINT AVERAGES/TEST SCORE Many questions are asked about the
SLIDING SCALE – DIVISION I NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearing-
house. The Clearinghouse is an agency
FORMER CORE GPA/TEST SCORE INDEX which will provide initial-eligibility
*To be used with the 13 Core Courses certification for all prospective
student-athletes wishing to compete as
Core ACT – SAT freshmen at NCAA member institutions
GPA sum of offering Division I or II athletics.
sub The Clearinghouse is not a placement
scores agency or an admissions office - it
2.500 68 820 will not locate a college/institution
+ for student-athletes to attend. The
2.500 68 820 NCAA Clearinghouse will provide the
6
student's initial-eligibility certifi- NEW NCAA CORE GPA/TEST SCORE INDEX
cation results to all col- (TO BE USED WITH 14 CORE COURSES)
leges/universities that request it.
Core ACT SAT
Also the question is raised concerning GPA
who must register with the Clearing- 3.555 37 400
house. That is simple. Any prospective +
student-athlete who will enroll in 3.500 39 420
college as a freshman and plans to 3.250 46 520
compete in NCAA Division I or Division 3.00 52 620
II athletics must register with the 2.750 59 720
Clearinghouse.
2.500 68 820
When I get to that meeting I will have 2.475 69 830
one of these worksheets filled out for 2.450 70 840-
each player. I can do 20 kids in one 850
hour. Once you are familiar with the 2.425 71 860
courses you can fill it out very 2.400 71 860
quickly. But we have a worksheet for 2.375 72 870
every player. I give them to seniors, 2.350 73 880
juniors, sophomores, and freshman. 2.325 74 890
2.300 75 900
Sometime in the spring I will give the 2.275 76 910
freshman and sophomores a worksheet.
2.250 77 920
They know from that freshman year on
2.225 78 930
where they stand academically. All of
2.200 79 940
the kids that I work with that have
low grades will tell me they are going 2.175 80 950
to get good grades the next semester. 2.150 80 960
I see this with the kids from their 2.125 81 960
freshman year to their senior year. 2.100 82 970
They do that until their senior year. 2.075 83 980
They do not realize how difficult it 2.050 84 990
is to raise their GPA that senior 2.025 85 1000
year. 2.000 86 1010
Below Not Not
I do want to discuss the chart on the 2.000 Eligib Eligib
new core GPA - Test Scores Index. (To le le
be used with the 14 Core Courses.) The
way it is now you can use the old rule The effective date of the new rule -
or the new rule. Here is information Students first entering a collegiate
on the new rule. institution on or after August 11,
2003, may meet the initial-eligibility
requirements under either rule.
Students first entering a collegiate
institution on or after August 1,
2005, must meet the new 14 core course
rule. For information regarding the
new rule, go to www.ncaa.org. Click on
“Custom Home Pages” and pull the menu
down to “Prospect/Parent” page.

Division II is proposing an increase

to 14 core courses. The additional
course could be taken in any core-
course area. The proposal, if adopted,
7
would be effective for students first
entering a collegiate institution on
or after August 1, 2005.
If you have questions about Eligibil-
ity, call the NCAA Initial-Eligibility
Clearinghouse at: 1-319-337-1492. You
may also call the NCAA at: 1-317-917-
6222.
The new rule is very interesting. If a
student has 3.550 and above, all he
has to do is to sign his name to the
form and he gets 400 on the SAT. They
get 200 for signing the Verbal and 200
for signing the Math sections.
The new rule is the same from a GPA of
2.500 and on down. The rule takes in
to consideration Core GPA above 2.500.
This list does not include all of the
scores but it is a good example of how
the Index works.
Who gets this information in the
schools? The counseling department
gets the information. Hopefully the
counseling department will pass this
information on to the athletic depart-
ment. I am the athletic director and
that helps. I was in the counseling
department at one time. So this mate-
rial comes very easy for me with the
experiences I had in the counseling
department.
This is the new rule and I think you
owe it to your players to make sure
they understand the new guidelines.
When should a student athlete register
with the NCAA Clearinghouse? Every
thing is done on a computer now in
registering with the NCAA. Go to
ncaa.net and you can register online.
The fee is up to $30 now. I do not
recommend the players registering when
they are in the early years of their
high school grades unless they are a
stud athlete. There is no real reason
to register before being recruited.
Our kids do not register until we know
they are being recruited by Division I
or Division II schools. You must be
recruited to be registered and to take
an official visit. You should know
this and the kids should know this as
well. If I told our freshman they
needed to be registered with the
Clearinghouse they would all go sign
up. They do not need to do that until
they know they are going to be re-
cruited.
In our meeting I go over all of the
information about recruiting and
explain the process.
The next step is to show them the
information sheet I mail out to col-
leges. I use school stationary to
compile a list of our senior players.
It includes the players name, address,
phone number, position, height,
weight, jersey number, and his GPA.
When I get a questionnaire from a
college I will put that list of play-
ers in the envelope and mail it back
to the college. I do not fill out any
names on questionnaires. I send all of
the senior’s names and information to
every college. I am sure you get the
same type of mail as I get. I put the
list in each of the questionnaires and
send them in.
I put a simple cover letter on school
stationary with the list. It is a
generic type letter that gives basic
information about our school and the
football season just completed. I list
my home address and home phone number
on the letter. In the meeting in
January I tell all of the new seniors
that I have sent their names to all of
the colleges that have contacted me.
The list is over 100 colleges.
In the next part of the meeting I
cover the process where the athletes
start receiving questionnaires. I do
try to control some of the information
that comes to the athletes today. We
have freshmen that get eight to ten
letters every week from colleges. Once
the kids get on that list it is non
stop. This is what I tell the players
when they tell me they are getting
those letters from colleges.
8
“I hope you are thrilled about this. I
hope you are complimented. Keep this
in mind. There are ten steps to re-
ceiving a college scholarship. Just
imagine walking up a flight of stair
steps. Step ten is when you and I go
to the fax machine and send the papers
to the college. Ten minutes later the
head coach will call and congratulate
you for joining their program. That is
step TEN and that is when the process
is over. Step ONE is getting all of
those letters.”
Getting a letter from a college is not
a scholarship. It is amazing how many
people think that first letter is an
offer for a scholarship.
I do have some individual meetings
with juniors that I think have a good
chance of being recruited. I will meet
with the parents and the player in the
evening. We sit down and make a plan
of what we are going to do. With the
new system we must have a meeting to
let the players and parents know what
is expected.
We send our players to summer camp. We
will have about 30 kids that will go
to the Ohio State Camp. The reason we
picked Ohio State is because every MAC
school has a rep at the Ohio State
Camp. I am not against Ohio State or
any other college that runs a great
camp. But for $300 the players need to
learn a lot of football in those three
days. They better learn a lot of
football and become a better football
player when they come back to us. I do
think the college camps have become a
part of the recruiting process. It has
become one of the steps in the process
of recruiting.
I want to make sure you understand our
kids have a ball at the Ohio State
camp. They love it and it is a great
experience. At least our kids get a
chance to be seen by people that are
looking at recruits.
The first week of March I have a
meeting with all of our parents. This
year we meet on March 6th. We will do
two things at the meeting. For the
first hour I will explain the recruit-
ing process. I give them a handout
with all of the pertinent information
needed. After that first hour we go to
the second phase of the meeting. We
have a great time with this phase of
the program.
I tell the parents this. I will always
tell you my evaluation of your son but
you will have to ask me. The parents
will have to figure out if their son
is going to get a scholarship. “No
news is bad news.” I stress to the
parents that I will not lie to them
about their son. I ask them not to be
offended because I am going to be
honest with them. I will not lead them
on or exaggerate about their son. I
never try to motivate our players by
stressing to our players they need to
do this or that so they can play
college football. We never try to
motivate them by mention playing
college football. I think the recruit-
ing headaches are enough for the high
school coaches as they are now. We are
not going to try to motivate a player
by telling him if he works hard he
will get a scholarship. We do not do
that. We have other ways to motivate
our players.
If the parents come up to me and ask
me if I think their son can play for a
certain school, I will tell them. I
may be wrong, but I will tell them
what I think. So if the parents do not
ask me about their son that is fine. I
would rather the parents figure it out
themselves.
Next the season is over. On the Tues-
day after the season is over we have a
meeting with all of the seniors that
are interested in playing football in
college. We have them all in the
meeting together.
Next we have an individual meeting
with the players and their parents. I
will spend one hour with them and talk
about the possibilities for that
player. I try to complete all of these
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individual meetings in two days. This
year I had 16 seniors. That takes a
lot more time when you have that many
seniors that want to go on to play
college football.
In that meeting we write a profile
letter. I will put in that letter
anything the player and parent want me
to put in the letter. I tell the
player to dump everything out to me
about his desire to play college
football. I do not want to assume
anything about this player. I ask the
parents to give me all of the compli-
mentary words they can about their
son. I ask the player the same thing.
Then I turn around and type the letter
up on a computer.
I do not like to lie about the height
and weight or speed for a player. The
colleges know a lot of schools will
boost the size and speed for the
players. If they want to lie about it,
it is their responsibility; I do not
recommend that technique.
Now, writing that letter and getting a
scholarship are two different things.
If a college coach calls me to inquire
about a player’s height I will tell
him it is what the player and parents
wanted me to list for that player. If
the coach asks me how tall a player is
I will tell them.
The next thing I do is to ask the
parents and players to give me a list
of 20 colleges to send the letter to.
It does not matter what schools are on
the list, I will mail them a letter. I
make sure they know the Golden Rule.
“No news is bad news.” If they do not
hear back from the colleges they do
not want them.
I have the player address the enve-
lopes to the colleges. I write the
letters and have him stuff the cover
letter and the profile letter in the
envelope and seal the letter. I mail
the letter.
I like to guide the players through a
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realistic approach to this process. I
try to help the players in making
decisions on where to send those
letters. That is what ninety percent
of the players and parents want.
“Coach, where do you think we should
send the letters?” I tell them the
truth and that has worked best for me.
Some of the players will send letters
to some schools that I do not recom-
mend. That is fine with me.
After a few weeks I will call the
seniors in and ask them where we stand
in the process. If a college calls to
ask about the player, I will tell him
about it.
If I make a call to a school for a
player, that player is sitting right
there with me. I will ask the college
coach if they received the film on our
player. “What do you think about him?”
I will tell the player what the coach
tells me. I want the player to see me
make the phone call.
You may feel this is a lot of time to
spend with the recruiting process. I
do not think it is that much time. I
would prefer to spend the time than to
have parents knocking on my door
wanting to know why I did not get
their son a scholarship. I do not want
any parent telling me that I don’t do
anything for the players to help them
get into colleges. I enjoy the proc-
ess. Every meeting we have with the
players and parents is fun for me. It
is positive and everything is out in
the open.
I give the players the process of
recruiting in that junior class meet-
ing. I am not telling you this is the
only way to handle the situation. This
is how we do it. I covered these
points so you can see what we do.
THE RECRUITING PROCESS
At the end of your junior football
season Coach Place will send out a
general information sheet on all our
players.
Colleges send out requests for names.
They will ask for films, transcripts
and recommendations on players they
are interested in. For some positions
it may be smart to make a highlight
tape. You may be receiving some feel-
ers from colleges. Please do not
confuse these with scholarship offers.
This is only the first step of a long
process. Colleges will begin to com-
pile their list and may make an offer
to the players on the top of the list.
This is what is referred to as "being
on the board".
The college head coach will have the
final say as to where you will be
placed on the board. They will main-
tain some type of contact with every-
one on the board. Players are placed
in these categories on the board.
Definite take - They will either offer
you a scholarship or establish some
type of plan for your further evalua-
tion.
Probable take - You are very high on
the list but they have other players
above you that they are recruiting.
They will try to make you feel you are
in the first category.
Hold "Keep warm". You are lower on the
board. You will continue to receive
form letters but there will be a
minimum of personal contact. You may
move up or down based upon what hap-
pens to the other recruits or change
in your status (grades, senior films,
increased size).
No interest "No news is bad news"
Further evaluation will be made when
college coaches visit the high schools
in May. More offers may be made.
Players attend summer camps. More
offers are made based upon what the
coaches see at the summer camps.
Players will continually be moved up
or Down on the board.
Factors they look at include the
following. Do you meet academic
requirements? Do you fit into "the
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quirements? Do you fit into "the box"
physically? How good a player are you?
Character? High School honors have
almost no impact - All State Etc.
Being a great high school player is
not necessarily a predictor to being a
recruited college player.
During the season, colleges will ask
for films to further evaluate and
continue the process. In November
Coach Place will meet with all seniors
and their parents and explain the
recruiting process as best he under-
stands it. There are no set rules and
every situation is different. In late
November Coach Place will meet
individually with each player and his
parents.
We will review your Prop 48 worksheet.
We will write a profile letter. I will
send this letter to any schools you
want. You must give me your list as
soon as possible. I ask them to make
copies of their best games or make a
highlight tape.
Let me talk about Proposition 48. This
rule applies to all NCAA Division I
and II schools. The NAIAD has its own
rule (2 out of 3 criteria) Again we
tell them to take the ACT and Attests
early and often. You may combine your
test scores from various dates to get
the highest total score. One measures
ability, the other achievement. Regis-
ter for the test on time. It saves
money. You can prepare for the test:
courses, books and workshops.
If you fail to meet the requirements,
your choices are: Junior College; Pay
your own way for a year to a Division
I school and then walk-on. Work out
the best possible situation. Attend a
Division III. - Prep school. Sit out a
year and then try to pass the test.
The last possibility is an NAIA
school. You must find a school where
you will be admitted. If you are going
to an NCAA Division I or II School you
must register with the NCAA Clearing-
house. Division II rules are differ-
ent.
List of the Classification of schools:
NCAA I - Full athletic scholarships.
NCAA - Full and some partial.
NCAA AAA - No scholarships.
NCAA II - Mostly partial scholarships.
NCAA III - No athletic scholarships.
NAIA - Partial scholarships
If you are recruited, Coach Place will
go over the steps with you. Never plan
on receiving a scholarship. Make your
plans based on not receiving a schol-
arship. Apply to schools before
Thanksgiving. You can change your
plans if you receive a scholarship.
College athletic programs are in
financial trouble and the number of
athletic scholarships is being reduced
every year. If your son should be one
of the top 150-200 PROSPECTS in the
state that will be great. If you do
not receive a scholarship you should
check out the situations available to
you and then decide if you want to
continue playing football in college.
There are many young men paying their
own way to college and playing foot-
ball for great schools.
DIVISION II RECRUITING
They are looking for players who were
on the board for the Division I
schools but weren't signed. They
follow the same steps as Division I,
only later. They usually offer "pack-
ages". They try to come up with a
combination of all types of aid to
make college affordable for you. Here
are some examples: Athletic aid –
Federal Aid. You must file the Free
Form ASAP. State Aid - Ohio Colleges
only OIG; Institutional aid; Local
Scholarships; Student loans; Campus
Jobs; Summer jobs. They will schedule
official visits but usually do not pay
your expenses. Often they have to wait
until after your federal information
returns. They are allowed to put you
through a workout on your visit.
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DIVISION III RECRUITING
There are no athletic scholarships.
You will work with the coach from that
school and your counselor at C-J H.S.
to be sure to get all of your grants
and aid. There is no real signing date
but you must be accepted to the col-
lege. You may want to explore an ROTC
scholarship.
JUNIOR COLLEGE RECRUITING
Junior Colleges are two year programs.
They offer very few scholarships. The
Chicago area is the closest to our
area. After two years, hopefully you
will be recruited to go on to a four
year college. Generally they have low
admission standards. The big problem
is the fact they have no dorm, and no
meal ticket.
We encourage our players to do every-
thing right the first time. Colleges
do not want to recruit an irresponsi-
ble person. This is new to you, so do
not be afraid to ask questions. If you
have someone else who can help you;
always use his or her contact. Extra
help is good.
We tell our players if they are re-
cruited, the college head coach makes
the final decision. You do not have an
offer until you hear it from the head
coach. Tell Coach Place. Coach Place
will call to confirm the offer has
been made. Sometimes there is some
confusion in the wording.
It is your responsibility to under-
stand over committing. Most colleges
will offer many more scholarships then
they actually have. They usually take
the first players to commit and it is
usually by position. Your scholarship
may be gone at anytime if they are
"filled up" at your position. We tell
the player if you do get a chance to
meet a college recruiter: Look him in
the eye, stand tall and speak clearly;
Ask questions, show an interest; Use
Yes Sir and No sir. Dress properly and
do not "big time" anyone. Your reputa-
tion is very important. You never know
what can come back to haunt you. We
encourage them to be in school and in
class every day during the contact
period.
RECRUITING GUIDELINES
You are allowed five official visits
but they almost never all happen
because schools "fill up." You are not
allowed any fringes The University can
pay for all of your expenses related
to your official visit. Room and meals
for you and your parents - gas money
if you drive - plane fair only for
you. Unofficial visits are unlimited
but you must pay your own expenses.
Getting your first visit at any level
is very important. It becomes a game
of "who else wants him?"
Meet with Coach Place before you go on
any trip. Once you have verbally
committed, it is your responsibility
to make it very clear to all other
schools that you have committed, your
recruiting is over.
.Here is some suggestions that I pass
on to the athletes. “Have a dream and
chase your highest dream but be aware
of the reality of where you are and
then make your plans. Try to make a
realistic evaluation of where you are
fitting in, and then make your deci-
sion. Waiting too long can hurt you
sometimes. Have three or four plans
going and then see which one fits you
best. There are many people who will
give you suggestions and tell you what
you should do. Ask them this question?
Can you do anything to help me?"
In closing I do want to make sure
everyone understands what we mean when
we talk about being “on the board.” If
you do not know this it is hard to
help the players. Also, it is impor-
tant to know what is meant by being in
the box. Players must meet the physi-
cal criteria that colleges have estab-
lished for their program. We must
understand that point and explain it
to the players and parents.
Another important point to cover is
the process of the over committing by
colleges. Colleges offer scholarships
to several players. They are going to
take the first players that accept
their offer. They will take players
that commit early and they will re-
cruit by position in most cases. You
owe it to your players to know this is
going on. Colleges are not going to
call you and tell you they no longer
have a scholarship for you. They do
not want to call you and give you the
bad news. I can not stress enough the
policy of over committing.
I do appreciate you being here today.
If I can help you with anything let me
know. Thank you.

College coaches do not make decisions

on what you are going to do in the
classroom. They look at past perform-
ance. If you have bad grades you have
to do something to show them you are
serious about changing.

13