The recruiting process and services.

I get asked almost all the time by parents, about the recruiting process? Coach Pen, who do you think can help me get my son or daughter into college? What do you think of the this recruiting company or service provider? What do you think he or she needs to work on? Why aren't coaches calling us or why do you think they hate my kid? Is the coach to blame or the school they went to sucked? My son or daughter is better than the other kid and they did him or her wrong?

 I get it parents, you love your kids and you want the best for them. That is without a doubt a fact. You watched them from little league to high school; you invested countless hours, time and resources to get them far. You dreaded the long drives, waiting at the fence for them to come out of the locker room. You had the heart to heart talks. You lectured them, gave them every opportunity to be successful. I commend you all for that and the sacrifices you made. After all, its your kid!

 I've looked at myself before answering these questions, I've looked at what I went through, people I've meet, and the problems that I've dealt with throughout my career and in my personal life. To answer the questions above is never a clear cut answer. Too many variables to account for? But I'm gonna take a jab at it and answer them anyways.

 The recruiting process is really a coaches point of view and not a parents point of view, but the recruiting companies will say its a parent's role, but what they don't tell you is; it all depends on the college if they like your kid and if your kid meets their needs and expectations. Unless you know a coach in the inside, than your kid has the upper hand. Remember, no one is in those board meetings;breaking your kids film down. The fact is the colleges knows who they want and they already made their minds up. Now, they have to play the recruiting game and get kids to come. So they make calls to secure their wanted kids or have optional kids they want to recruit on standby status. Also colleges are using a lot of recruiting websites to collect their data or information. The University of Oregon has several recruiting companies on payroll in Texas and California. Once they gain the info, they send recruiting coaches or coordinators in the area.

Parents, we need to be realistic and not dwell in denial. I meet some great parents who believe in every fiber of their being that their kid is a college D1 material. The fact is; sometimes that is not true. What ever the level they're going to start and progress is based on their development, training and natural abilities. When I was invited to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, they put is in a room while one of the coaches made a speech prior to doing the workouts. I'll never forget what he said to us in that room. he said, "Gentleman, good luck, for some of you your career ended in college, but the NFL is not for everybody...You have a better chance of being doctor, a lawyer or business man".

The true essence of football is life. Developing them into becoming better young people. Football is truly the game of life. Football serves up all of life core values, defeats, struggles and success.

Finally, the recruiting companies, what they guarantee and the services they provide. Some of these companies are really good and are connected, but the rest are in it for themselves, with flashy websites with little to no hook-ups or connection. They demand you to pay monthly or flat rate fees. These are usually people that think they can make your highlight and put your game film and send it to colleges, and than they lie to you about why they're not calling or talking to your kid; although they ran the bill up on you. With social media, youtube and huddle you have a better chance of sending your own film to schools. Your high school coach are also a good source, but it depends if the coach likes your kid or not, if the coach holds a grudge, it may not be a good idea. *Also, college coaches want full game films, highlights are okay. Remember college coaches; they're going through thousands of film from other kids. When I was an intern-coach in college, coaches watch film for about 3 minutes looking at stance, positioning, skills,and movement. If your kid does not meet the requirements, his game film becomes just part of practice. What does this mean? It's simple, his game film is erased; to tape over one-on-ones or 7-on-7! True story. I know, because I used someone highlight to film one-on-ones. It wasn't my fault, I was told to do it!

 So parents, perfect their skill-set and teach them the overall knowledge of the game. Get to know every position in the game. When I watch football, I don't watch from the fan perspective (looking for the big hits etc). I watch from a coach's stand point, looking at the overall scheme, positioning, and methods. When you can see it from that perspective its easier to play the game.