Collectively, A Thread To Celebrate Our Kids Athletic Accomplishments (1 Viewer)

[Fantasy_Freak]

New to this discussion, but my son is finishing his high school freshman year, he plays offensive line in football. This past season he played a mix of Freshman, JV and Varsity. Since the season ended he has focused on training as well as a couple showcases. He has a twitter page with highlights from this past season. Well, since the new year he has received a lot of feedback from colleges. Some of the top FCS schools made the rounds at various high schools in the area the top FCS school coach asked to speak with my son, they spoke briefly but it sounds like the school has some interest.

College football has camps in June where they invite players of interest to the school for various football camps for a fee (lower end, cost usually less that $100). My son got invites from a number of schools which include Division 1 through 3 and FCS schools. Schools like Oklahoma, Ohio State, Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa, Purdue, South Dakota St,, Texas Tech, Syracuse, Northwestern, were in contact and invited my son. After discussions we decided to stay close to home and he is attending the Northwestern camp.

Additionally, my son received gameday invites from Illinois and Purdue. I am all new to this but I assume this will allow my son and I to attend a game as well as meet coaches and see various aspects of the campus. Then again being new I am not sure what this will entail. My son is hearing feedback, that a few other schools will be extending invites for gameday visits.

So all of this is kind of exciting but at the same time a little scary because I have never been through this process so I don't know what to expect. If anyone has been through the recruiting process or these gameday visits I'd appreciate any insight.

More updates to come as we get closer to the season.

 

[El Floppo]

New to this discussion, but my son is finishing his high school freshman year, he plays offensive line in football. This past season he played a mix of Freshman, JV and Varsity. Since the season ended he has focused on training as well as a couple showcases. He has a twitter page with highlights from this past season. Well, since the new year he has received a lot of feedback from colleges. Some of the top FCS schools made the rounds at various high schools in the area the top FCS school coach asked to speak with my son, they spoke briefly but it sounds like the school has some interest.

College football has camps in June where they invite players of interest to the school for various football camps for a fee (lower end, cost usually less that $100). My son got invites from a number of schools which include Division 1 through 3 and FCS schools. Schools like Oklahoma, Ohio State, Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa, Purdue, South Dakota St,, Texas Tech, Syracuse, Northwestern, were in contact and invited my son. After discussions we decided to stay close to home and he is attending the Northwestern camp.

Additionally, my son received gameday invites from Illinois and Purdue. I am all new to this but I assume this will allow my son and I to attend a game as well as meet coaches and see various aspects of the campus. Then again being new I am not sure what this will entail. My son is hearing feedback, that a few other schools will be extending invites for gameday visits.

So all of this is kind of exciting but at the same time a little scary because I have never been through this process so I don't know what to expect. If anyone has been through the recruiting process or these gameday visits I'd appreciate any insight.

More updates to come as we get closer to the season.

That is pretty amazing! Those are big-time football schools showing interest in a freshman.

 

[Fantasy_Freak]

New to this discussion, but my son is finishing his high school freshman year, he plays offensive line in football. This past season he played a mix of Freshman, JV and Varsity. Since the season ended he has focused on training as well as a couple showcases. He has a twitter page with highlights from this past season. Well, since the new year he has received a lot of feedback from colleges. Some of the top FCS schools made the rounds at various high schools in the area the top FCS school coach asked to speak with my son, they spoke briefly but it sounds like the school has some interest.

College football has camps in June where they invite players of interest to the school for various football camps for a fee (lower end, cost usually less that $100). My son got invites from a number of schools which include Division 1 through 3 and FCS schools. Schools like Oklahoma, Ohio State, Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa, Purdue, South Dakota St,, Texas Tech, Syracuse, Northwestern, were in contact and invited my son. After discussions we decided to stay close to home and he is attending the Northwestern camp.

Additionally, my son received gameday invites from Illinois and Purdue. I am all new to this but I assume this will allow my son and I to attend a game as well as meet coaches and see various aspects of the campus. Then again being new I am not sure what this will entail. My son is hearing feedback, that a few other schools will be extending invites for gameday visits.

So all of this is kind of exciting but at the same time a little scary because I have never been through this process so I don't know what to expect. If anyone has been through the recruiting process or these gameday visits I'd appreciate any insight.

More updates to come as we get closer to the season.

That is pretty amazing! Those are big-time football schools showing interest in a freshman.

Again being new to this whole process this may be normal where kids get these camp invites from a number of colleges so I shouldn't read too much into it, but it is hard to stay even keeled when you see these schools contacting your kid. This coming season and following offseason are key to ensure continual recognition from these D1 schools.

 

[Chadstroma]

New to this discussion, but my son is finishing his high school freshman year, he plays offensive line in football. This past season he played a mix of Freshman, JV and Varsity. Since the season ended he has focused on training as well as a couple showcases. He has a twitter page with highlights from this past season. Well, since the new year he has received a lot of feedback from colleges. Some of the top FCS schools made the rounds at various high schools in the area the top FCS school coach asked to speak with my son, they spoke briefly but it sounds like the school has some interest.

College football has camps in June where they invite players of interest to the school for various football camps for a fee (lower end, cost usually less that $100). My son got invites from a number of schools which include Division 1 through 3 and FCS schools. Schools like Oklahoma, Ohio State, Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa, Purdue, South Dakota St,, Texas Tech, Syracuse, Northwestern, were in contact and invited my son. After discussions we decided to stay close to home and he is attending the Northwestern camp.

Additionally, my son received gameday invites from Illinois and Purdue. I am all new to this but I assume this will allow my son and I to attend a game as well as meet coaches and see various aspects of the campus. Then again being new I am not sure what this will entail. My son is hearing feedback, that a few other schools will be extending invites for gameday visits.

So all of this is kind of exciting but at the same time a little scary because I have never been through this process so I don't know what to expect. If anyone has been through the recruiting process or these gameday visits I'd appreciate any insight.

More updates to come as we get closer to the season.

That is pretty amazing! Those are big-time football schools showing interest in a freshman.

Again being new to this whole process this may be normal where kids get these camp invites from a number of colleges so I shouldn't read too much into it, but it is hard to stay even keeled when you see these schools contacting your kid. This coming season and following offseason are key to ensure continual recognition from these D1 schools.

My best friend from growing up's kid is a QB down in Texas. Dual threat QB with some impressive stats... over 3300 total yard and 40 combined TD's in his junior season (first as starter on varsity). He got his first D3 offer a few months back (from Oklahoma Baptist University in May) and things opened up a bit after that for the last several months. A number of D3's are calling on him a few D2's and a couple of D1's have either started to reach out or given an offer (Syracuse, Georgetown and another one that is escaping me right now). Being down in Texas, I kind of expected him to get attention from colleges last year but for whatever reason it wasn't until recently. Apparently he may not even go to college and play though. I told my buddy to tell him "Uncle Chad said that I need to see him playing college ball and I would be an instant fan of any school he goes to.... except USC... can't do that. And he needs to know if he gets offered by ND, I am going to go down there and drag him to South Bend whether he wants to go or not." (My buddy is a USC fan and I am a ND fan.)

This is the only 'up close' recruiting that I have seen so I am no expert but I am confident to say to get the kind of attention your son is getting coming out of his Freshman year is not the normal course of business. It also does seem like once that first school shows interest then the sharks smell blood in the water and there is a feeding frenzy but until then they kind of just swim around being curious until one of them takes that first bite.

That is super exciting for him though! Hoping for good health and continued development for all the best opportunities for him! Keep us informed!

 

[Instinctive]

New to this discussion, but my son is finishing his high school freshman year, he plays offensive line in football. This past season he played a mix of Freshman, JV and Varsity. Since the season ended he has focused on training as well as a couple showcases. He has a twitter page with highlights from this past season. Well, since the new year he has received a lot of feedback from colleges. Some of the top FCS schools made the rounds at various high schools in the area the top FCS school coach asked to speak with my son, they spoke briefly but it sounds like the school has some interest.

College football has camps in June where they invite players of interest to the school for various football camps for a fee (lower end, cost usually less that $100). My son got invites from a number of schools which include Division 1 through 3 and FCS schools. Schools like Oklahoma, Ohio State, Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa, Purdue, South Dakota St,, Texas Tech, Syracuse, Northwestern, were in contact and invited my son. After discussions we decided to stay close to home and he is attending the Northwestern camp.

Additionally, my son received gameday invites from Illinois and Purdue. I am all new to this but I assume this will allow my son and I to attend a game as well as meet coaches and see various aspects of the campus. Then again being new I am not sure what this will entail. My son is hearing feedback, that a few other schools will be extending invites for gameday visits.

So all of this is kind of exciting but at the same time a little scary because I have never been through this process so I don't know what to expect. If anyone has been through the recruiting process or these gameday visits I'd appreciate any insight.

More updates to come as we get closer to the season.

That is pretty amazing! Those are big-time football schools showing interest in a freshman.

Again being new to this whole process this may be normal where kids get these camp invites from a number of colleges so I shouldn't read too much into it, but it is hard to stay even keeled when you see these schools contacting your kid. This coming season and following offseason are key to ensure continual recognition from these D1 schools.

The most important thing early is to just do well and get to know coaches. In 2-3 years many of them will be at different schools, so try to stay school-blind a bit for now and just focus on paying well and presenting himself well and figuring out what he likes and doesnt like about some coaches.

I was a D1 college basketball coach.

 

[The Z Machine]

Son had a sand "soccer" tournament today. His team went 4-0 and won their bracket easily. Son was the number 3 goal scorer on the team but the sand game really isn't his jam. It was fun ending on a high note with his little fledgling club.

 

[Chadstroma]

Son had a sand "soccer" tournament today. His team went 4-0 and won their bracket easily. Son was the number 3 goal scorer on the team but the sand game really isn't his jam. It was fun ending on a high note with his little fledgling club.

Was your son the one doing the 'miniature soccer' too? I forgot it's real name.

 

[The Z Machine]

Son had a sand "soccer" tournament today. His team went 4-0 and won their bracket easily. Son was the number 3 goal scorer on the team but the sand game really isn't his jam. It was fun ending on a high note with his little fledgling club.

Was your son the one doing the 'miniature soccer' too? I forgot it's real name.

He plays indoor in the winter, but that's like traditional USA indoor with the boardd like hockey. They also have Futsal which is played on a basketball court with a less bouncy ball. But he only played Futsal a few times, no league or anything.

 

[Chadstroma]

The most important thing early is to just do well and get to know coaches. In 2-3 years many of them will be at different schools, so try to stay school-blind a bit for now and just focus on paying well and presenting himself well and figuring out what he likes and doesnt like about some coaches.

I was a D1 college basketball coach.

This is not really the thread for it but I am very interested in your professional progression. I kind of feel like I may have missed my calling as in the last three years I started coaching my sons basketball teams (3rd to 5th grade) and I really was surprised at how much I enjoy it and really have a passion for it. I also think that I may have a knack at it as well. Though certainly having a good group of boys made it possible, our 4th grade season we won the league championship (Catholic school league with 20 teams). This last year we won the league championship and two tournament championships as well (playing against public school teams mostly). I had a core of three boys on both teams (my son being one) and then some players that were switched on and off from the other school teams. In third grade, there is no standings or playoffs. I am just going to focus on my boys as they go through the school teams (my youngest will start in 3rd this year as well) but I have already started thinking... when they are done and moving on... what will I do because I don't want to stop. At this point, I am not really thinking of trying to make it a career but you having made your way up to D1 coaching is fascinating to me.

 

[Chadstroma]

Son had a sand "soccer" tournament today. His team went 4-0 and won their bracket easily. Son was the number 3 goal scorer on the team but the sand game really isn't his jam. It was fun ending on a high note with his little fledgling club.

Was your son the one doing the 'miniature soccer' too? I forgot it's real name.

He plays indoor in the winter, but that's like traditional USA indoor with the boardd like hockey. They also have Futsal which is played on a basketball court with a less bouncy ball. But he only played Futsal a few times, no league or anything.

Futsal! That was it. Maybe it was you mentioning that before or maybe someone else's kid plays.

So, indoor, this is not on a regular indoor field but on a hard surface like wood? I always just assumed when people talked about indoor soccer it was just playing in enclosed fields.... but you have me wondering how ignorant I am about it all.

 

[Instinctive]

The most important thing early is to just do well and get to know coaches. In 2-3 years many of them will be at different schools, so try to stay school-blind a bit for now and just focus on paying well and presenting himself well and figuring out what he likes and doesnt like about some coaches.

I was a D1 college basketball coach.

This is not really the thread for it but I am very interested in your professional progression. I kind of feel like I may have missed my calling as in the last three years I started coaching my sons basketball teams (3rd to 5th grade) and I really was surprised at how much I enjoy it and really have a passion for it. I also think that I may have a knack at it as well. Though certainly having a good group of boys made it possible, our 4th grade season we won the league championship (Catholic school league with 20 teams). This last year we won the league championship and two tournament championships as well (playing against public school teams mostly). I had a core of three boys on both teams (my son being one) and then some players that were switched on and off from the other school teams. In third grade, there is no standings or playoffs. I am just going to focus on my boys as they go through the school teams (my youngest will start in 3rd this year as well) but I have already started thinking... when they are done and moving on... what will I do because I don't want to stop. At this point, I am not really thinking of trying to make it a career but you having made your way up to D1 coaching is fascinating to me.

Happy to take a DM, but I had a weird path in many ways (e.g., wasn't a manager in college, didn't play in college). In grad school I went into the basketball office and talked to them and said if they didn't have a GA, I'd be one.

Next day I had a laptop and was learning all the ins and outs. Eventually tried the NBA on front office path, and eventually left that too.

 

[The Z Machine]

Son had a sand "soccer" tournament today. His team went 4-0 and won their bracket easily. Son was the number 3 goal scorer on the team but the sand game really isn't his jam. It was fun ending on a high note with his little fledgling club.

Was your son the one doing the 'miniature soccer' too? I forgot it's real name.

He plays indoor in the winter, but that's like traditional USA indoor with the boardd like hockey. They also have Futsal which is played on a basketball court with a less bouncy ball. But he only played Futsal a few times, no league or anything.

Futsal! That was it. Maybe it was you mentioning that before or maybe someone else's kid plays.

So, indoor, this is not on a regular indoor field but on a hard surface like wood? I always just assumed when people talked about indoor soccer it was just playing in enclosed fields.... but you have me wondering how ignorant I am about it all.

Indoor soccer = turf with ice hockey boards, no out of bounds, standard ball.

Futsal = hard court, kick in from sideline on out of bounds, less bouncy ball.

Futsal forces kids to work on their foot skills and off the ball movement. Indoor works on speed and hard shots.

It's kinds like F1 vs. NASCAR

 

[nirad3]

Welp, it was "just" the city league, but my daughter's volleyball team lost in the semifinals to a pretty good team. It's coed and the team they lost to had 3 dudes that could absolutely fly and spike well. The 3 of them pretty much handled every ball and really made no mistakes. They rallied from several points behind to win the first game and just sputtered the 2nd and final games. Bummer.

The good thing about it is my daughter made some good friends on the team and we are trying to get them in the same clinics and perhaps the same club team. Trying to find one that's not as expensive.

 

[Chadstroma]

Happy to take a DM, but I had a weird path in many ways (e.g., wasn't a manager in college, didn't play in college). In grad school I went into the basketball office and talked to them and said if they didn't have a GA, I'd be one.

Next day I had a laptop and was learning all the ins and outs. Eventually tried the NBA on front office path, and eventually left that too.

I will prob take you up on that offer, thanks.

I might explore something after my boys age out of me coaching them at school because I enjoy it so much.

 

[Gally]

New to this discussion, but my son is finishing his high school freshman year, he plays offensive line in football. This past season he played a mix of Freshman, JV and Varsity. Since the season ended he has focused on training as well as a couple showcases. He has a twitter page with highlights from this past season. Well, since the new year he has received a lot of feedback from colleges. Some of the top FCS schools made the rounds at various high schools in the area the top FCS school coach asked to speak with my son, they spoke briefly but it sounds like the school has some interest.

College football has camps in June where they invite players of interest to the school for various football camps for a fee (lower end, cost usually less that $100). My son got invites from a number of schools which include Division 1 through 3 and FCS schools. Schools like Oklahoma, Ohio State, Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa, Purdue, South Dakota St,, Texas Tech, Syracuse, Northwestern, were in contact and invited my son. After discussions we decided to stay close to home and he is attending the Northwestern camp.

Additionally, my son received gameday invites from Illinois and Purdue. I am all new to this but I assume this will allow my son and I to attend a game as well as meet coaches and see various aspects of the campus. Then again being new I am not sure what this will entail. My son is hearing feedback, that a few other schools will be extending invites for gameday visits.

So all of this is kind of exciting but at the same time a little scary because I have never been through this process so I don't know what to expect. If anyone has been through the recruiting process or these gameday visits I'd appreciate any insight.

More updates to come as we get closer to the season.

Without knowing your son (or football recruiting process) this seems promising from your description. Getting direct contact from D1 coaches as a freshman seems crazy to me. Does your school have other D1 level players coming out of it that would lead to the D1 coaches being familiar with your school? Are these head coaches contacting or recruitment coaches? I know in many cases there are unpaid assistant coaches that earn their money through these camps so they hit many people to attend their camps. At least I know that is how it works for baseball.

I saw nothing like this at all for baseball. Very little D1 head coach involvement anywhere in our area and we have some good players that should be involved in that level of recruitment. But baseball is likely very different than football so I don't really have any experience with football recruitment.

 

[Gally]

I might explore something after my boys age out of me coaching them at school because I enjoy it so much.

Coaching littler kids is nothing like coaching bigger kids. I would expect coaching in college is nothing like coaching in high school which is nothing like coaching in youth leagues. The higher you go the more business like and crappy the people you have to deal with become. It really begins to take away from the enjoyment of pure coaching (at least that was my experience).

 

[El Floppo]

New to this discussion, but my son is finishing his high school freshman year, he plays offensive line in football. This past season he played a mix of Freshman, JV and Varsity. Since the season ended he has focused on training as well as a couple showcases. He has a twitter page with highlights from this past season. Well, since the new year he has received a lot of feedback from colleges. Some of the top FCS schools made the rounds at various high schools in the area the top FCS school coach asked to speak with my son, they spoke briefly but it sounds like the school has some interest.

College football has camps in June where they invite players of interest to the school for various football camps for a fee (lower end, cost usually less that $100). My son got invites from a number of schools which include Division 1 through 3 and FCS schools. Schools like Oklahoma, Ohio State, Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa, Purdue, South Dakota St,, Texas Tech, Syracuse, Northwestern, were in contact and invited my son. After discussions we decided to stay close to home and he is attending the Northwestern camp.

Additionally, my son received gameday invites from Illinois and Purdue. I am all new to this but I assume this will allow my son and I to attend a game as well as meet coaches and see various aspects of the campus. Then again being new I am not sure what this will entail. My son is hearing feedback, that a few other schools will be extending invites for gameday visits.

So all of this is kind of exciting but at the same time a little scary because I have never been through this process so I don't know what to expect. If anyone has been through the recruiting process or these gameday visits I'd appreciate any insight.

More updates to come as we get closer to the season.

Without knowing your son (or football recruiting process) this seems promising from your description. Getting direct contact from D1 coaches as a freshman seems crazy to me. Does your school have other D1 level players coming out of it that would lead to the D1 coaches being familiar with your school? Are these head coaches contacting or recruitment coaches? I know in many cases there are unpaid assistant coaches that earn their money through these camps so they hit many people to attend their camps. At least I know that is how it works for baseball.

I saw nothing like this at all for baseball. Very little D1 head coach involvement anywhere in our area and we have some good players that should be involved in that level of recruitment. But baseball is likely very different than football so I don't really have any experience with football recruitment.

My friends kid I've mentioned was getting a little interest from local baseball D1s as a freshman. It was his sophomore year when he signed.

Had also heard about colleges talking to 8th graders for football (from a parent... So not sure if they were BSing or not)

 

[Chadstroma]

I might explore something after my boys age out of me coaching them at school because I enjoy it so much.

Coaching littler kids is nothing like coaching bigger kids. I would expect coaching in college is nothing like coaching in high school which is nothing like coaching in youth leagues. The higher you go the more business like and crappy the people you have to deal with become. It really begins to take away from the enjoyment of pure coaching (at least that was my experience).

Yea, I recognize that. I also recognize that my coaching my sons at a small Catholic school from 3rd to 6th (the AD takes over at HC for the A teams for 7 and 8 but I can assist) is very different from many other situations. There is a lot of familiarity with the parents and kids before the first practice. There is a strong sense of community among the parents and even the kids at the school. Pretty much all positives. I can only thing of one negative interaction with a parent in the 3 years of coaching and it wasn't a big deal... I had dismissed the boys and then one of them reminded me that I didn't give them their 'homework', so I called them back real fast to tell them. One boy was already at the door with his father, I called to him and his father immediately did an overly dramatic throwing his hands up in the air like "WTF". I said sorry, just wanted to tell him something real fast and told him and he turned and went. After, I realized that we are actually already running behind when the practice should have ended. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, he may have had other things going on or a tight schedule. I sent him a message saying the gist of "Hey, sorry, I didn't realize the time- my bad." That was it.

I fully realize that older kids bring a whole different set of issues and that losing the friendliness of knowing the kids and parents already changes things as well. My thought was to explore either doing an assistant coach spot at a private HS (not sure if Catholic HS would require me to be Catholic, if so, that is out). I could also just see about helping out the AD at my kids school after they leave. I thought about also looking to get involved with a club. And the final other thought was to ref but I am not so sure about that.

I am not looking to claw my way into D1 coaching.... or even JUCO coaching.

 

[Peak]

Still waiting on the College Coach's zoom call....but great update in the meantime.

Son's HS Team just won the Ohio D1 State Championship on Sunday! 17 seniors on the team. Loaded with talent since freshman year and kept it rolling all four years of HS. This season put a cap on all of their hardwork. They started freshman year with 24 kids and only lost 7 over the years. Pretty amazing. Most of these kids have played together since kindergarten. My son and a couple others have played on the same team since they were 7 - capping off their run this year with a 5 week 18u tournament run before college. Pretty cool time to see all of this happening. Proud of him and the team.

 

[El Floppo]

Still waiting on the College Coach's zoom call....but great update in the meantime.

Son's HS Team just won the Ohio D1 State Championship on Sunday! 17 seniors on the team. Loaded with talent since freshman year and kept it rolling all four years of HS. This season put a cap on all of their hardwork. They started freshman year with 24 kids and only lost 7 over the years. Pretty amazing. Most of these kids have played together since kindergarten. My son and a couple others have played on the same team since they were 7 - capping off their run this year with a 5 week 18u tournament run before college. Pretty cool time to see all of this happening. Proud of him and the team.

That's freaking awesome! A memory and accomplishment that you guys will have the rest of your lives. Congrats!

 

[Fantasy_Freak]

New to this discussion, but my son is finishing his high school freshman year, he plays offensive line in football. This past season he played a mix of Freshman, JV and Varsity. Since the season ended he has focused on training as well as a couple showcases. He has a twitter page with highlights from this past season. Well, since the new year he has received a lot of feedback from colleges. Some of the top FCS schools made the rounds at various high schools in the area the top FCS school coach asked to speak with my son, they spoke briefly but it sounds like the school has some interest.

College football has camps in June where they invite players of interest to the school for various football camps for a fee (lower end, cost usually less that $100). My son got invites from a number of schools which include Division 1 through 3 and FCS schools. Schools like Oklahoma, Ohio State, Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa, Purdue, South Dakota St,, Texas Tech, Syracuse, Northwestern, were in contact and invited my son. After discussions we decided to stay close to home and he is attending the Northwestern camp.

Additionally, my son received gameday invites from Illinois and Purdue. I am all new to this but I assume this will allow my son and I to attend a game as well as meet coaches and see various aspects of the campus. Then again being new I am not sure what this will entail. My son is hearing feedback, that a few other schools will be extending invites for gameday visits.

So all of this is kind of exciting but at the same time a little scary because I have never been through this process so I don't know what to expect. If anyone has been through the recruiting process or these gameday visits I'd appreciate any insight.

More updates to come as we get closer to the season.

Without knowing your son (or football recruiting process) this seems promising from your description. Getting direct contact from D1 coaches as a freshman seems crazy to me. Does your school have other D1 level players coming out of it that would lead to the D1 coaches being familiar with your school? Are these head coaches contacting or recruitment coaches? I know in many cases there are unpaid assistant coaches that earn their money through these camps so they hit many people to attend their camps. At least I know that is how it works for baseball.

I saw nothing like this at all for baseball. Very little D1 head coach involvement anywhere in our area and we have some good players that should be involved in that level of recruitment. But baseball is likely very different than football so I don't really have any experience with football recruitment.

In one situation the head coach directly contacted my son for the invite to their camp, that was one of the top football schools I mentioned above. In fact that head coach follows my son's twitter page so that head coach can see any videos my son posts or just his posts in general. Outside of that one situation he was contacted by assistant coaches or school recruiters. I have gone to the team site and saw the person contacting my son listed on their website, to ensure there is some affiliation.

My son does have two fellow teammates (both offensive line) that are also being scouted, one is a sophomore and the other is a freshman like my son. The sophomore was recently at a Notre Dame camp last week and had a great camp, a write-up on a Notre Dame recruiting site listed him as one of the top players. In fact the kid talked to Notre Dame coaches and they stated a coach will be up to watch the three boys in a game or two this upcoming season. So that tells me they already knew about the three of them. The third player went to a camp in St. Louis area and the head coach of a MAC team based out of Ohio spoke to my son's friend (freshman), introduced himself and showed a picture of a whiteboard in his office listing their top recruited players by graduation year, my son's friend was # 2 and my son was # 4 on the list. He also stated they will send an invite to the two boys to visit. Now that whole whiteboard thing could be for show so I am skeptical until there is some contact directly with my son showing interest.

Last week, a large recruiting website, On3.com, set up the player profile for my son, he is the second Freshman in the state to have his profile set up. The site grades players, lists recruiting site stories with the player in them, tracks their college visits as well as offers, and places an expected college commitment. I don't believe they allow players to set themselves up on the site, so somehow this site heard about my son.

I am very skeptical of the whole process and I am trying to not get over my skis on this process, but its hard to stay level headed when you are hearing the colleges contact your kid. We are going to the Illinois vs Kansas game, the Illinois coach said the itinerary will come in August. For the Purdue game, my son requested the Notre Dame game, but they said they would get back to us on that game, he may have to make a different choice. My understanding is the players visiting get on field during warmups, meet the coaches at some point and tour the facilities.

This Saturday will be a big day for my son, he is in a Showcase at Northwester. Showcases are very similar to the NFL, where the do timed shuttle runs, 40 yard dash, height and weight measurements, etc. But at the end they break down into oline and dline and do one on one drills. This showcase will be attended by approximately 50 other colleges, with some other major Division 1 schools, Miami, Missouri, California, some smaller D1 and a bunch of D2, D3 and FCS schools. A very good day could lead to expanded colleges being involved. Usually when the camp ends coaches make the rounds and speak individually with the players My sons other two friends being scouted are going to the camp as well.

 

[Fantasy_Freak]

New to this discussion, but my son is finishing his high school freshman year, he plays offensive line in football. This past season he played a mix of Freshman, JV and Varsity. Since the season ended he has focused on training as well as a couple showcases. He has a twitter page with highlights from this past season. Well, since the new year he has received a lot of feedback from colleges. Some of the top FCS schools made the rounds at various high schools in the area the top FCS school coach asked to speak with my son, they spoke briefly but it sounds like the school has some interest.

College football has camps in June where they invite players of interest to the school for various football camps for a fee (lower end, cost usually less that $100). My son got invites from a number of schools which include Division 1 through 3 and FCS schools. Schools like Oklahoma, Ohio State, Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa, Purdue, South Dakota St,, Texas Tech, Syracuse, Northwestern, were in contact and invited my son. After discussions we decided to stay close to home and he is attending the Northwestern camp.

Additionally, my son received gameday invites from Illinois and Purdue. I am all new to this but I assume this will allow my son and I to attend a game as well as meet coaches and see various aspects of the campus. Then again being new I am not sure what this will entail. My son is hearing feedback, that a few other schools will be extending invites for gameday visits.

So all of this is kind of exciting but at the same time a little scary because I have never been through this process so I don't know what to expect. If anyone has been through the recruiting process or these gameday visits I'd appreciate any insight.

More updates to come as we get closer to the season.

Without knowing your son (or football recruiting process) this seems promising from your description. Getting direct contact from D1 coaches as a freshman seems crazy to me. Does your school have other D1 level players coming out of it that would lead to the D1 coaches being familiar with your school? Are these head coaches contacting or recruitment coaches? I know in many cases there are unpaid assistant coaches that earn their money through these camps so they hit many people to attend their camps. At least I know that is how it works for baseball.

I saw nothing like this at all for baseball. Very little D1 head coach involvement anywhere in our area and we have some good players that should be involved in that level of recruitment. But baseball is likely very different than football so I don't really have any experience with football recruitment.

My friends kid I've mentioned was getting a little interest from local baseball D1s as a freshman. It was his sophomore year when he signed.

Had also heard about colleges talking to 8th graders for football (from a parent... So not sure if they were BSing or not)

The 8th grade offers is not BS, in 8th grade my son played against a kid from Illinois that had an offer from Maryland. I think the kids has about 4 more offers from other major D1 schools. Most of the time when you hear those stories those kids are QB's.

 

[Gally]

In fact that head coach follows my son's twitter page so that head coach can see any videos my son posts or just his posts in general.

This seems to be the best way to reach out to many of these schools. Emails seems to get lost in the "junk" and social media is the best way to contact coaches these days.

Showcases are very similar to the NFL, where the do timed shuttle runs, 40 yard dash, height and weight measurements, etc. But at the end they break down into oline and dline and do one on one drills. This showcase will be attended by approximately 50 other colleges, with some other major Division 1 schools, Miami, Missouri, California, some smaller D1 and a bunch of D2, D3 and FCS schools.

This is similar to the baseball showcase circuit as well. As with anything there are better and worse showcases and they will publicize all these coaches coming and many times that is a list of schools that have attended in the past and not necessarily a roster of who is attending now. Do your homework on the showcases to see how well attended they have been in the recent past. If you have upper classmen that have done these sort of things and see what ones they liked or didn't like.

At least for baseball the showcases are more about measurables than actual talent. If you throw 90+ as a pitcher you will be looked at regardless of how well you pitch. If you are 6-4 you will get looks. If you are 5-10 you likely won't. I found showcases to be a necessary evil but wasn't really a quality experience.

I am very skeptical of the whole process and I am trying to not get over my skis on this process, but its hard to stay level headed when you are hearing the colleges contact your kid.

Enjoy the ride but keep one eye open. It's a once in a lifetime experience for you and your kid. Make sure you enjoy it but at the same time do your due diligence with everyone that contacts you and with any event you think about going to. Many are money grabs but many are good. You just have to make sure you check each one out before just going.

 

[El Floppo]

I'm consistently gobsmacked at how night and day different the recruiting process is from my days as a college soccer recruit.... A few years ago.

 

[Gally]

I'm consistently gobsmacked at how night and day different the recruiting process is from my days as a college soccer recruit.... A few years ago.

I think it is also very sport dependent. Also, level dependent. We have friends with a kid in volleyball. There process was much, much different than ours with baseball. Football seems to be similar but different in a lot of ways.

I also think there is quite a bit of difference as to when your sport plays (fall, winter or spring). It seems like to me that spring sports get screwed a bit because there is no time left once their season ends. It means you should have everything lined up before your season starts because there is no time to adjust after the season ends because college is right around the corner.

Overall I feel like we dropped the ball quite a bit for the whole process. It seems to have worked out but won't know until it all starts in the fall. It's also why choosing a school you like for more than just the sport is a big deal because you never know how the sport side will pan out. Plus you really are there for the education.

 

[belljr]

New to this discussion, but my son is finishing his high school freshman year, he plays offensive line in football. This past season he played a mix of Freshman, JV and Varsity. Since the season ended he has focused on training as well as a couple showcases. He has a twitter page with highlights from this past season. Well, since the new year he has received a lot of feedback from colleges. Some of the top FCS schools made the rounds at various high schools in the area the top FCS school coach asked to speak with my son, they spoke briefly but it sounds like the school has some interest.

College football has camps in June where they invite players of interest to the school for various football camps for a fee (lower end, cost usually less that $100). My son got invites from a number of schools which include Division 1 through 3 and FCS schools. Schools like Oklahoma, Ohio State, Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa, Purdue, South Dakota St,, Texas Tech, Syracuse, Northwestern, were in contact and invited my son. After discussions we decided to stay close to home and he is attending the Northwestern camp.

Additionally, my son received gameday invites from Illinois and Purdue. I am all new to this but I assume this will allow my son and I to attend a game as well as meet coaches and see various aspects of the campus. Then again being new I am not sure what this will entail. My son is hearing feedback, that a few other schools will be extending invites for gameday visits.

So all of this is kind of exciting but at the same time a little scary because I have never been through this process so I don't know what to expect. If anyone has been through the recruiting process or these gameday visits I'd appreciate any insight.

More updates to come as we get closer to the season.

Without knowing your son (or football recruiting process) this seems promising from your description. Getting direct contact from D1 coaches as a freshman seems crazy to me. Does your school have other D1 level players coming out of it that would lead to the D1 coaches being familiar with your school? Are these head coaches contacting or recruitment coaches? I know in many cases there are unpaid assistant coaches that earn their money through these camps so they hit many people to attend their camps. At least I know that is how it works for baseball.

I saw nothing like this at all for baseball. Very little D1 head coach involvement anywhere in our area and we have some good players that should be involved in that level of recruitment. But baseball is likely very different than football so I don't really have any experience with football recruitment.

My friends kid I've mentioned was getting a little interest from local baseball D1s as a freshman. It was his sophomore year when he signed.

Had also heard about colleges talking to 8th graders for football (from a parent... So not sure if they were BSing or not)

The 8th grade offers is not BS, in 8th grade my son played against a kid from Illinois that had an offer from Maryland. I think the kids has about 4 more offers from other major D1 schools. Most of the time when you hear those stories those kids are QB's.

This was a problem in softball and in 2017/18 they passed new guidelines called the lacrosse rules. Bascially junior year is the official recruiting start.

 

[Gally]

I am going to put up stats of some players. I am not going to say anything else and look for some opinions on who deserves MVP.

League Stats:

Player A:

• Pitching: None
• Hitting: 18-46 (.391), 21R, 5RBI, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 11BB, 3 K, 6 SB, .541/.586/1.128
• Defense: Catcher (don't have CS percentage but it was solid - Good defensively)

Player B:

• Pitching: 0-2, 1 Sv, 1 Blown Save, 3.23 ERA (8.2 IP/ 4ER), 8H, 3BB, 5 K
• Hitting: 23-49 (.469), 6R, 19RBI, 4 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 6 BB, 11 K, 1 SB, .527/.591/1.119
• Defense: .861 Fielding Percentage (5 errors on 36 chances)

Player C:

• Pitching: 6-0, 1.05 ERA (46.2 IP/ 7 ER), 33H, 7 BB, 54K, 5 CG, 1 Shut Out
• Hitting: 14-48 (.292), 9 R, 12 RBI, 2 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 7 BB, 3 K, 1 SB, .375/.395/.771
• Defense: .961 Fielding Percentage (2 errors on 51 chances)

What is your vote for League MVP (Rank 1st, 2nd, 3rd)?


Season Long Stats:

Player A:

• Pitching: 1-0, 5 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 12K
• Hitting: 37-90 (.411), 35 R, 11 RBI, 6 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 18 BB, 7 K, 13 SB, .539/.622/1.161
• Defense: Catcher (don't have CS percentage but it was solid - Good defensively)

Player B:

• Pitching: 2-3, 1 Sv, 1 Blown Save, 2.66 ERA (23.2 IP/ 9ER), 16H, 9 BB, 27 K, 1 CG, 1 Shut Out
• Hitting: 36-89 (.404), 11 R, 30 RBI, 8 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 13 BB, 24 K, 3 SB, .485/.516/1.002
• Defense: .862 Fielding Percentage (8 errors on 58 chances)

Player C:

• Pitching: 10-0, 0.71 ERA (78.2 IP/ 8 ER), 44 H, 10 BB, 99 K, 9 CG, 4 Shut Out, 1 No Hitter
• Hitting: 30-88 (.341), 20 R, 20 RBI, 8 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 12 BB, 4 K, 7 SB, .438/.465/.904
• Defense: .947 Fielding Percentage (4 errors on 76 chances)

Who is your vote for area MVP (Rank 1st, 2nd, 3rd)?

 

[Peak]

I am going to put up stats of some players. I am not going to say anything else and look for some opinions on who deserves MVP.

What is your vote for League MVP (Rank 1st, 2nd, 3rd)?

Who is your vote for area MVP (Rank 1st, 2nd, 3rd)?

Both awards, I would go C, A, B in that order. I like seeing a two way player being dominant, and Player C fits that perception. Player A looks good as well, so a close second for me, as his offense was a little better than Player B.

 

[TennesseeJed]

A,B,C

Chicks dig the long ball. Followed by MVP awards go to better hitters, and B’s numbers are better than C.

 

[belljr]

Quick glance

A,C,B
C,A,B

 

[Instinctive]

Quick glance

A,C,B
C,A,B

this is where i landed also

 

[Chadstroma]

I'm going C for both. Pitching wins games, 1.05 and .71 ERA is impressive. He also adds in some work on offense and better defense as well. I don't think the better offensive production from the others surpasses the full contribution of C in pitching, fielding and hitting. I think of MVP as "if we were playing on the playground and I am the team captain, who am I going to pick first" and it is C. Easily. With him pitching.... you have a darn good chance to win and even when he is not pitching he will add a good amount of help to the team.

 

[El Floppo]

I'm gonna go with whoever is your kid.

 

[Gally]

I'm gonna go with whoever is your kid.

But I don't want that answer. I want an unbiased, honest assessment.

I believe I can be unbiased as a baseball guy but maybe I am being blinded in some way.

Just looking for honest answers

 

[Chadstroma]

So even with a regressed swim season that is nearing the end, Conference is up next week and then after that there is one ISI meet that he is signed up for before Regionals followed by State. He has only cut time off one event this season. His 50 fly time went up dramatically (his best stroke), +6 at the highest but on his last meet he got it back down to about +2. For conference, he is swimming the 50 Fly and 100 IM and the relays for the team. The last meet he is in, 50 Free, 50 Fly and 100 Breast but I have asked the team to see if it was possible to get him added to the 50 Breast because he cut his time last meet in this and is .02 away from making regionals for it.

So, as it stands, he will compete in regionals in the
50 Free (1.11 away from State time)
100 Free (6.11 away from State time)
50 Fly (qualified for State)
100 Fly (4.2 away from State time)

His times are very close on other events as well, however, at this time he will only have a chance to improve his times in the 100 Breast and 100 IM.
50 Back (1.52 away from regional time)
50 Breast (.02 away from regional time)
100 Breast (1.74 away from regional time)
100 IM (.31 away from regional time)

It was a rough season. He missed a ton of practice due to soccer and track to start the season. Then it ended up being WWIII between him and my wife and I which was very dramatic but I was able to have a good conversation with him and it has helped a ton since then. He is still not excited about going to practice but it isn't a fight or as much of an issue as before but all that added up, he missed a ridiculous amount of practice time this season. He is kind of riding the coattails of last season to get into Regionals and State because I am unsure if he made the cut times this season (the way they have it, it would take way more effort than it is worth to figure that out) but for the amount of success this kid has had in a sport that is his least favorite and that he is the least committed to is absolutely amazing. It is nice to see in one sense but then it is disappointing in another sense as there is so much natural talent for him in swim that is not being tapped into but it is his life and his sports journey... I am just here to enjoy it and help guide him as a father.

 

[Chadstroma]

Conference Meet last night.

My older son placed 3rd in his 100 IM and 50 Fly. However, he cut 2.61 off his IM time and qualified for Regionals.

So, he now has five regional events (50 Free, 100 Free, 50 Fly, 100 Fly and 100 IM) and one state event (50 Fly).

On the medley relay, he had a good split time on the fly at 35.92 which though still a second off his best, would have been good enough to take 1st place. He instead swam a 37.83. I asked him about it after and he said "I don't know, it felt slow."

What this kid has accomplished while swimming is his lowest priority and least favorite of his sports with missing a lot of practice times is amazing. I am just dumbfounded by it and torn by it as well. On one side, wow, that is great that he has done so much. So many swimmers dream of making one regional cut, let alone multiple and making state cuts as well. On the other, how much natural talent is not being tapped into for him. He is a good athlete and has chances to do well in other sports but I really do think he has the most natural talent in swimming.

My little guy placed 4th in the 25 Breast but dropped 2.45 off his time. He placed 7th in 50 Free while adding nearly 5 seconds on his time.

 

[Chadstroma]

Last meet before regionals and state.

My son added the 100 Breast for regionals, so he now has five regional events (I just recently learned that if you make state in an event, you do not swim it in regionals).
50 Free
100 Free
100 Fly
100 Breast
100 IM
And then state in 50 Fly.

He just barely missed state for 50 Free today as well. He missed 50 Breast by .02 and without any doubt in my mind would have had it if we were able to add the event to a meet but deadlines already passed. We could have swam both tonight at time trials at the meet were at today but it was an hour away and would mean we would have to stay up there for over 4 hours waiting. He had no interest in doing that. Not bad at all for a sport he doesn't get excited about.

 

[Todem]

@Gally

Player C for both.

 

[Todem]

It has been a great off-season for my son. His season ended in mid May and since then it has been 6 days a week in the weight room, arm was shut down for 6 weeks and we just began light long toss from 90-120 feet this past weekend. We have been going to the field 3 days a week just doing infield and outfield and speed and agility training. He has gone to his indoor batting facility doing extensive tee work, front toss and machine work with fastballs, sliders and curve balls (82-95MPH range).

But guys.....he has gained an additional 10 pounds in just over 2 months (all muscle) and since a year ago he grew another 1.5 inches. He is 19. So a true late bloomer.

He is now 5'11 1/2 and 165 pounds. He is ready to compete for a starting position this Fall. He got his fall schedule already and it will be 6 weeks of practice and 14 intrasquad games with one final tuneup vs a team TBD to end the Fall.

A few seniors have been in touch with him pumping him up and expecting him to make the leap his Sophomore year into the starting lineup. Exciting stuff.

He is busting his ***.

 

[Chadstroma]

I was talking to one of the parents that is on the board of directors and super into swimming... she said that she thought my son could make D1 swim team if he kept at it. Pretty dang high praise.

 

[msudaisy26]

Not my child, but my niece is one of the top setters in the country of the 2026 class and after 40 plus offers she has committed to NC State.

 

[Chadstroma]

This weekend was Regionals for my son in swimming.

He had five events for regionals. Finished with two 4th places, one 5th and one 8th. Podium on all except 100 Fly where he DQ'd (though had a 4th place time). They said he did not touch the wall simultaneously. Something he has never had a DQ over. (As a note, the last time he had a DQ was at regionals two seasons back on 50 Free with a false start- again the only time he has ever had that happen).
100 Fly- DQ
50 Free- 4th (dropped .79)
100 Breast- 8th (dropped 19.56 note- this is long course season versus this is a short course time, so he had not swam short course for a while)
100 Free- 4th (dropped 4.92)
100 IM- 5th (dropped 1.35)

He was .32 away from a state time cut in 50 Free and 1.19 away in 100 Free.

This Friday is his State event with the 50 Fly.

He ages up to 12U right after state. However, he is looking good to make regionals in 12U in his first season. Already he only needs to cut the following times to make regionals (based off the current times, times will be adjusted so that could either make it even less time or more time needed) which should be doable.

50 Free- 1.02
50 Fly- 1.2

 

[gump]

6-yr-old has Jr Golf World Championships in 3 weeks…since baseball ended in early June…I’ve been focused on getting to the range 2 times/week and playing 18 2 times/week…to ramp up his consistency, focus, golf stamina, etc.

Well…yesterday he shot 37-33 = 70. Par 72…played it at 2800 yards.

Previous best was 75…it’s amazing how quickly these kids can improve!

 

[Chadstroma]

6-yr-old has Jr Golf World Championships in 3 weeks…since baseball ended in early June…I’ve been focused on getting to the range 2 times/week and playing 18 2 times/week…to ramp up his consistency, focus, golf stamina, etc.

Well…yesterday he shot 37-33 = 70. Par 72…played it at 2800 yards.

Previous best was 75…it’s amazing how quickly these kids can improve!

A question out of ignorance as I do not play Golf.... what exactly is golf stamina?

 

[gump]

6-yr-old has Jr Golf World Championships in 3 weeks…since baseball ended in early June…I’ve been focused on getting to the range 2 times/week and playing 18 2 times/week…to ramp up his consistency, focus, golf stamina, etc.

Well…yesterday he shot 37-33 = 70. Par 72…played it at 2800 yards.

Previous best was 75…it’s amazing how quickly these kids can improve!

A question out of ignorance as I do not play Golf.... what exactly is golf stamina?

Staying focused and strong thru 9 or 18 hole tournaments. My son had a habit of fading at the end of tournaments. The more we play 18 now, the stronger he is finishing 9. And the more we play a week, the stronger he is when playing multi-day tournaments.

 

[Gally]

I was emailed this link from a friend. Apparently this site ranks all manor of baseball players (MiLB, College, High School) in WAR type stats. My son ended up at #135 for the country in combined WAR (hitting, pitching, defense). I have no idea how accurate this is but it seems pretty impressive considering he didn't get any D1 interest.

High School Combined WAR Rankings

 

[Peak]

I was emailed this link from a friend. Apparently this site ranks all manor of baseball players (MiLB, College, High School) in WAR type stats. My son ended up at #135 for the country in combined WAR (hitting, pitching, defense). I have no idea how accurate this is but it seems pretty impressive considering he didn't get any D1 interest.

High School Combined WAR Rankings

Interesting. I wonder how they pull their numbers. I don't see any OH players listed. I would've expected to see Jake Hanley listed. He's expected to go 4th/5th round in the draft, but he's not on there.

 

[Gally]

I was emailed this link from a friend. Apparently this site ranks all manor of baseball players (MiLB, College, High School) in WAR type stats. My son ended up at #135 for the country in combined WAR (hitting, pitching, defense). I have no idea how accurate this is but it seems pretty impressive considering he didn't get any D1 interest.

High School Combined WAR Rankings

Interesting. I wonder how they pull their numbers. I don't see any OH players listed. I would've expected to see Jake Hanley listed. He's expected to go 4th/5th round in the draft, but he's not on there.

I assume they pull from Max Preps or something similar (if there are other data bases like that out there). It is an interesting idea because it theoretically balances things out to come up with a common rating metric. They somehow take into account strength of schedule as well (or so they say in their explanation of their numbers) but again where does that come from? I have no idea.

I just thought it was interesting and had wondered how things would stack up across the country. It's probably higher than it should be but I was happy to see that his solid season was at least noticed by someone.

 

[Peak]

I was emailed this link from a friend. Apparently this site ranks all manor of baseball players (MiLB, College, High School) in WAR type stats. My son ended up at #135 for the country in combined WAR (hitting, pitching, defense). I have no idea how accurate this is but it seems pretty impressive considering he didn't get any D1 interest.

High School Combined WAR Rankings

Interesting. I wonder how they pull their numbers. I don't see any OH players listed. I would've expected to see Jake Hanley listed. He's expected to go 4th/5th round in the draft, but he's not on there.

I assume they pull from Max Preps or something similar (if there are other data bases like that out there). It is an interesting idea because it theoretically balances things out to come up with a common rating metric. They somehow take into account strength of schedule as well (or so they say in their explain of their numbers) but again where does that come from? I have no idea.

I just thought it was interesting and had wondered how things would stack up across the country. It's probably higher than it should be but I was happy to see that his solid season was at least noticed by someone.

Definitely pretty cool to see. Just curious. Max Preps has Hanley as an All American this year, so must be a different database.

***Found it: https://x.com/DigsPitcher?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^author

Pitcher DIGS

Pitcher Leaderboards

sites.google.com

Looks like a couple guys compiling numbers, mainly on the West Coast right now. Most likely with the National HS Baseball Invitational, or other games they get through Prospects Live.

Interesting nonetheless, and a great list to be on! Congrats to your son!

 

[Gally]

Definitely pretty cool to see. Just curious. Max Preps has Hanley as an All American this year, so must be a different database.

They could still use Max Preps for the HS data. THe thing about Max Preps is someone from your team has to load the data and not all coaches do that because they think other teams will use it for scouting purposes. The proplem is that it can also be used for recruiting purposes so those coaches are doing their players and overall disservice.

I am guessing they may use other databases for the college players as it is likely more available than HS across the country. It seems like they are relatively new to the HS ratings so not sure how inclusive it is.