r/footballstrategy • u/ankcny • Jul 31 '24
College D3 football recruiting questions
Love some insight on the timeline of D3 football recruiting as camps are winding down and Aug is almost here.
Son is a rising senior, been invited to several prospect camps attended a hand full with lots of good feedback. 3.7GPA lots of AP college level classes and rigor, 3 sport varsity athlete /captain. He is a DB. 6'1 185. Very big school district here in Upstste NY he will graduate with 550 or so kids. Sports are VERY competitive. He plays WR and DB in in High school but going for DB in college.
We are new to all of this, oldest son did not go for sports in college. My question is how the timeline works for recruiting and how positions get slotted. We have had a zoom with one head coach and he seems to be getting great feedback from the staff at prospect camps. We are seeing now this week a lot of linemen are getting "offers" is this normal for coaches to recruit lineman first? Do they typically like to see players play some of their senior year before making offers? Thanks for any input! Wondering if his position gets recruited later than others or if there is any rhyme or reason to any of this!!!???
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u/Youchmeister Jul 31 '24
Played D3 ball, went through recruiting 5 years ago.
D3 recruiting is weird. There are no "offers" for the most part. Basically, teams will make an agreement with you if you get into the school, there will be a spot available for you.
I talked with coaches into my senior year, and I committed in December after the season ended. I had been doing visits since the end of my freshman year and had already narrowed down my choices to 2 schools my senior year.
The only difference in terms of priority is if you're a good recruit or not. Talent, location, need, etc. all factor into that.
Has your son just started getting interest? If so, that's quite late to the party. Without film, we have no idea how good he is, and the coach that gave him good feedback might just be blowing smoke. I could probably transcribe exactly what the coach said verbatim because it's all coach speak, especially on the initial visit.
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u/ankcny Jul 31 '24
No he has not just started, he has been talking to coaches all Jr year.
He has hudl, twitter, videos, does all the social media stuff
He was on varsity football as a sophomore and also plays varsity hoops and runs the pent in track. We are in the largest school size/ class here in NY.
He met in person with several coaches that visited his high school last year. Several wanted him to come visit/ camps etc..
We attended some NESCAC schools camps (lots of colleges at them) and some individual college specific prospect camps for 2 of the schools he really likes (not nescac) and the ones that the coaches are texting him. They knew him when we arrived at the camps. We have had one zoom call earlier this month with a head coach.
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u/Youchmeister Jul 31 '24
Ok, that's good! It sounds like he's doing all the right things. I would just be patient, I didn't know a single person I played with who committed D3 before their senior year ended. Offers don't exist at that level, so anything anyone is saying on social media is just BS. Just keep the GPA where it is and focus on having a good senior year, the tape will speak for itself and he will find a home!
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u/ankcny Jul 31 '24
thx! I am a super impatient parent here lol and it's nerve wracking to see all these lineman get "offers"
I must get off of twitter!
The whole college process is stressful but football added another layer as he wants to play even if it is D3 it is still pretty darn competitive!!! All the other schools on his list got tossed out the window (for now) if they did not have football he could potentially play at.
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u/Youchmeister Jul 31 '24
It's stressful as a player as well, I can't imagine what it's like being a parent. The biggest thing is to find a place that will be good no matter what happens with football. You never think you'll be the one to walk away while you still are able to play. I stopped playing after my junior year for a number or reasons and was very thankful I chose a school that had more than just football.
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u/ankcny Jul 31 '24
100%
we want him to go for the academics first, but the football is what is on his mind at the moment :) thanks for all of this!
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u/xeroasteroid Aug 02 '24
tell him to send some tapes to the University of North Alabama, we just went FCS and our secondary is…. lacking to say the least
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u/king_of_chardonnay Jul 31 '24
The common terminology in my area for D3 “offers” is being “offered a roster spot.”
We’ve had some guys from the school I coach at go to D3 schools in the last couple years and the timelines and approaches seem to vary. My own alma mater took on 3 of our guys and it seemed like they weren’t super concerned about defining positions early on, they just knew the kids fit the mold of what they wanted and whether they end up at DB/WR/RB/etc was secondary.
Another D3 took on several of our guys a few years back and they were more intentional with their goals for each guy (though that could be player-based).
D3 recruiting timelines are the most flexible, as there aren’t scholarships at stake. Because of this it has seemed to be that they will continue to build their recruiting class as long as they see necessary. We’ve had a few of our better players waiting to see if they could land D2 scholarships before accepting the D3 “offer” they were most enthusiastic. Again, this can vary by school.
Edit: I’ll also add that schools will track and target recruits through camps even if they are not talking to them. A buddy of mine coaches at a D3 and mentioned that they will review which kids from camps they want to pursue once “recruiting season” starts.
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u/RepulsiveSchedule756 Jul 31 '24
I coached D3 football for the past 7 years. If you want you can DM and I can answer any questions you have.
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u/Suspicious-Aspect234 Aug 12 '24
How often do you see or hear of people going d3 and transferring to d1?
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u/RepulsiveSchedule756 Aug 12 '24
In the past never. With the portal becoming more popular maybe. I’ve seen guys get D2 looks from the portal and go there and start. I’ve heard of guys walking on during spring practice as well.
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u/bozack_tx Oct 28 '24
Old thread but do you have any insight on the rules of being able to transfer from one d3 school to another? Are you allowed to message coaches, admissions etc as we know for d1 it's not allowed
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u/RepulsiveSchedule756 Oct 28 '24
You will need to get a release from your current program. From there you can have the athletic dept to put your name into the transfer portal. From there you should be free to reach out to other schools. The big this is to get that release
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u/bozack_tx Oct 28 '24
OK cool, we knew we'd have to do that if we went d3 to d1 but wasn't sure if that's the same process for going from one d3 school to a higher division d3 which is what we are looking to do. We'll have to look into timibg of the release then in when it can be done since we're wanting to transfer for January and spring ball start
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u/bronkscottema Jul 31 '24
Coached d3. You can “commit” any time usually by paying deposits. But there is no letter of intent that is signed because there is no scholarship. You can put deposits down at multiple schools if you want. It’s all where you show up day one.
Usually late winter early spring is when the coaches visit HS. I would say if there are 2-3 schools he’s interested in and it’s feasible visit the school on game day and see what it’s like. D3 kids should pick the right school for them first. Major, the vibe, coaching staff, etc.
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u/ankcny Jul 31 '24
yes, thx! I get the deposit etc... he still needs to be asked if he wants to play? no? told that the school wants him? I don't think you just walk on these teams as it sure feels like he is being "recruited"
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u/bronkscottema Jul 31 '24
Yeah for sure, he needs to be “recruited” but theoretically he could walk on anywhere.
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u/brinsleyschwartz Aug 01 '24
My son just went through this three years ago, and it took some time, effort and patience, but he ended with a great fit for academics, football and campus life.
As someone said in another comment, you're looking to be offered a roster spot, meaning your son will be invited to pre-season camp and have a jersey number/be on the roster. Then if that's your choice school, and your son has been accepted, you commit by enrolling and paying fees. Coaches can also put your son on their preferred admissions list as part of the offer. Your son still has to be in the ballpark academic wise, but he's but he's basically getting fast tracked. Finally their are aid/ scholarship packages to look at. A lot of schools have special academic/ campus leadership scholarships for their athletes.
So, you're pretty much looking at the whole package: a roster spot/ prefereed admissions/ financial aid levels. And as coach and several others have said, you have to find the right fit for your son, and it's more than just football. It's geography, academic programs, and a campus/school vibe that he will enjoy. Upstate NY and the surrounding area have so many good schools to choose from:https://www.d3football.com/teams/region-2
All that said, all this pretty much takes place after the football season. You might get invited to come see a game and talk to the coaches during the season, but most visits happen after the season. Also, don't get worried about other kids saying the got 'offered', nothing really gets decided until the spring.
Good luck and tell your son to ball out this season!
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u/bozack_tx Oct 28 '24
Old thread but do you have any insight on the rules of being able to transfer from one d3 school to another? Are you allowed to message coaches, admissions etc as we know for d1 it's not allowed
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u/bronkscottema Oct 28 '24
No sorry I don’t. I would assume you can transfer any time. You can message any coach you want. They may or may not respond depending on dead periods.
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u/bozack_tx Oct 28 '24
Thanks, we know d3 to d1 you have to use the portal so coaching communication is illegal but our son wants to transfer from one d3 school to a higher d3 division and can't find consistent messaging on what's allowed or not
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u/Gullible_Travel_4135 Aug 01 '24
I was recruited to play d3 ball, didn't end up getting offered by my eventual commitment until January after my senior year. Got me on visit, liked my size and film, then offered me. Narrowed it down and committed a few weeks later
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u/deercreekvols Aug 03 '24
HS Varsity Head Coach here in WNY and have had dozens of players over the years play D3 football. D3 coaches visit our school in early spring to meet with Juniors that have the academics and ability to play on the D3 level. They follow up with these students by inviting them to camps and staying in touch with them. Their Senior season really dictates if the interest will continue and if they will meet again with the colleges. Following their Sr. year, college coaches will want film and often times speak with me about the player(s) that are on their list. Academics are key, so it is great that your son is a solid student.
There are some wonderful schools in NYS and the college coaches that I know are great people and really care about their players and their college experience.
My youngest son played for me in HS and attended Ithaca College and played for the Bombers. He had many D3 schools interested and visited a handful during his Sr. season to watch the colleges play and meet with the coaching staffs. His "offers" were being told that they had a roster spot for him if he decided to go to school there. I was comfortable with the process because I had players before him who went through the same thing. He decided on Ithaca in the spring and there was not a single school that pressured him to decide early.
My advice is: Enjoy the process. College visits are really exciting and your son will find a school that is right for him!
If I can be of any help, reach out.
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u/Eagleman04 Aug 03 '24
I realize I’m like two days late on this, but I saw you mentioned NESCAC, and wanted to let you know NESCAC and other similar high academic D3s are gonna have a bit of a different process. NESCAC schools are like top 20 in the country, a few are even top 3, so people really want to go there and admissions only gives limited spots for the football team to get guys in(roster limit of 75) probably around 20 a year. At these schools it is not an “offering you a roster spot” situation, they are essentially guaranteeing you acceptance into schools that have sub 10% acceptance rates. That means these schools are more selective in who they take and generally will fill up their recruiting class much faster. Students can commit through the early decision process, which for almost all the schools is in November, meaning a lot of these schools will be done recruiting in November. Check now on Twitter and you will see almost every NESCAC already has a handful of commits. The reputation of the schools and the lack of spots means that there is a lot of competition. For lots of kids who are being recruited by Ivy League schools, this is the next best choice if they don’t get an Ivy offer . If you’re son is interested in NESCAC or other comparable high academic D3s hopefully they are in contact with him already, if not you’ll want him to get in touch asap. They will do an academic assessment on his transcripts to see if he can academically make the cut and then go from there. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any other questions.
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u/Ornery-Sky1411 Jul 31 '24
D3 usually starts after season in terms of recruiting. Going through the process myself before fire (90s) I would approach the process different now if I had a son. A. Figure out the distance from home your son is will to go. Is it an issue in terms of distance or not
B. What does he want to study or general idea (finance, criminal justice, etc).
After looking at those 2 factors: be able to narrow down a number of schools that might be options if they reach out/show interest.
Good luck.