Player’s Guide By William Carter and Arlie Rahn Edited by Steven Ellis RECRUITING First thing you need to do is check out your Defensive Coach (DC), Offensive Coach (OC) and Special Teams Coach (ST). Remember, you do not have to get 5 star players immediately; you can get 3 star players and your coaches can develop them into better players. You want to create a stable program over the long haul that attracts recruits, not a short-term and unstable program that will not be attractive to potential recruits. Always think long-term. For Offensive Coach (OC) selection, O-line development is critical because they are the ones who will open up holes for your RB to exploit and protect your QB in order to have the time to complete passes. For Defensive Coach (DC) selection, cornerback development is most important because teams will throw on you no matter how good the defensive line is so you want to have fantastic pass defense, as well as using the cornerbacks to stop the run if they do not throw. So, now, once you have gotten your coaches, then you start recruitment. If you are a big name football program with high prestige then you can go after those 4 or 5 star recruits because you might be attractive to them. This is where building a stable program over the long haul comes into play- stability and high prestige can be very attractive to recruits. If you are a lower level program without a lot of prestige, go after 3, 2 and 1 star recruits because with your coaches will be able to develop them over time. How to Pick Recruits: Pick recruits by their interest level, NOT their stats or chip color. If they are not interested, you will just be wasting money and scholarships for little return. Also, you more than likely will only be able to get recruits from your region, especially if you are a medium-or-lower level program because you don't have that recognition yet. When picking a player, it's best to pick one who: 1) has high interest in your program 2) is in a position of need 3) You can give a scholarship to (those are enticing). Regarding “position of need”, this does not mean only the number of players in a specific position but players than can be developed to fill needs. Let’s say you have an offensive line that is all composed of players who are all rated 2/4. You might think I need to recruit more offensive linemen. You don't. Your OC can develop them, and you can play ball to their strengths. In that case, the OL is not a position of need. But let us say in the defensive back position, you only have 5 CB/S. No matter if they are all 5 star people, you need more than 5. So this is an area of need, and an area you would recruit in. Also, and this goes for big name schools as well, only pick players that you would have some sort of chance to get. Someone in Arizona being offered a scholarship by both Arizona State and Arizona would be safe bet to recruit and sign. A recruit from California getting offers from Ball State, NC State, Virginia or another program located in the East would probably decide not to commit, even if you used every cent of recruitment money and all scholarships. It is clearly easier to recruit within your state and region- so keep that in mind. When it comes to scouting them out to see what it is to make a player happy in order to get them to commit to you. Look to start recruiting and scouting processes as soon as they are on the watch list. The more you spend on recruiting a player, the quicker you find out what they are looking for in a school and what motivates them- allowing you to tailor your recruitment pitch more effectively. Make sure you do not throw a pitch to a recruit too early, even if it is 8 weeks into the process. Just keep contact and wait until you find the most effective method to make your pitch. Do the work and invest the time/money until you know for sure what the recruit is looking for- then make the pitch. Finally, when it comes to development, skills trump conditioning because in some cases even highly-conditioned people can be outplayed by those with skill. Recruiting “Chip” Color Code Key: These appear next to a recruit or player’s name and is used to show the player’s or recruit’s skill and athleticism. A “Blue Chip” prospect/player is considered one of the elite recruits/players in the country- so expect the competition to recruit him to be fierce. Blue Chip - Excellent Green Chip - Good Yellow Chip - Above Average/Average Orange Chip - Average/Below Average Red Chip - Below Average/Poor DETERMINING SCHOLARSHIP USAGE With a limited amount of scholarships, you want to get the most “boom for your buck”. At some positions, there may be a clear need- i.e. you have no or too few QBs, so you must recruit for that position. But in some situations, you may not need to do that. For example, you have 7 OTs, 4 OGs, 0 Cs on your OL. You may think you must expend a scholarship on a Center. This is when the 'change position' button is your friend. Take one of those OT or G and make them a C (during week 6 of the Preseason). That way you can use a scholarship on something else. Same for DBs. If you have many FS and not many CB, convert some (FSs seem to covert well to becoming CBs). Those undersized DEs (around 6'4”, 245lbs) can make good TEs if you need them. Make sure that the player you convert has a good Adaptability rating, or attempting to convert a player will NOT work too well. FBs make good RBs, however, RBs don't make good FBs unless you got a good blocking one. Kickers and Punters really don't switch well. Always attempt to give your OL some adaptability training because I've found that you can switch them up between positions and they do fairly well at any one. PLAYER TYPES (BY POSITION) Offensive Players Quarterbacks 1. Pocket Passer QB - usually have incredible arm strength but slow as molasses. Get this one if you have a good offensive line or you will get sacked a lot because they suck at escaping pass rush. 2. West Coast QB – These QBs are the ones on the low end of pocket passer strength and can scramble a little. 3. Mobile QB - Can really run. Some have great arm strength and some have middling. Get this one if you want to run some option or have porous offensive line. 4. Balanced QB - combination of 1 and 3. Most times these types of QB do one better than the other (either is good on passing and low on running, or opposite) Running backs 1. Inside RB - these are the ones that run up the middle against the linebackers and defensive lines. Size is good. Speed may be fast, or it may be in the middle. Average is like 4.5-4.7 40m dash. What they lack in speed they make up for in size. Best size for an RB you want to use to run inside is 5'10-6'2, 200-235lbs. If they are too big they will be fatigue easily and if they are too small they will not break tackles. 2. Outside RB - these are the fast, smallish RB/HB that runs to the outside. Typically they have high 40 m dash. Also I find them to be great receivers if they have good agility because they can break tackles. Size anywhere from 5'8-6’0”, 165-200lbs.. If they are too big they may not have the quickness. Wide Receivers 1. Speed WR - These are the fast, deep, vertical threat receivers who use their speed to beat defenders. Route running and hands should be above average if possible. 2. Possession WR - have good speed around RB speed, but their strength is their ability to hold onto balls. Route running, along with hands, should be above average. Keep in mind that any receiver, no matter how fast or how well he can run routes, will not help you if they can’t catch a pass. Optimal size for any receiver is 6'0-6'6 + 180-230 lbs. A converted, undersized TE would be good as well Offensive Linemen 1. Finesse Lineman- these ones are usually not as big as the other type of linemen (6'1-6'6, 260-290lbs.) and they rely on skill moves and blocking to hold the line or make holes. 2. Power Linemen - these are the large ones (6'1-6'7, 300 + lbs.) that rely more on strength to do stuff, although they have skill as well. I prefer to have a mixture of both finesse and power men. OTs should be more Finesse to hold off that good pass rush while OGs should more be Power so they can knock people over to make holes for RB. Optimal size and skill set trend for OL: OT - 6'3 280-300 and trends more to finesse OG - 6'3 320-340 and trends more to power C- a hybrid of size, power and finesse Tight Ends 1.