The things I remember most from all the recruiting craziness that was - gasp - the year 2008 had little to do with the college I ended up at.
I remember driving around to all these DIII/DII smaller colleges and universities with my mom and dad that I had never heard of in places I never knew existed.
We got to hang out for hours and hours in the car talking about life, school, football and whatever else came to mind.
I look back and can’t help but feel incredibly grateful to my parents who neither played a sport in HS, let alone college - both had to work at young ages from working class families. And, they certainly had no idea how something as whacky as college football recruiting would work.
So you have to apply to the college AND get recruited onto the same college’s team at the same time?
So you’re a contender for this team per their coaches -what exactly does that mean?
Wait - college is HOW much? Apply for financial aid and see what happens?
This was pre Twitter, pre social media, pre everything and it was still insanely stressful.
But, it was also, maybe, a little more straight forward.
There wasn’t this sense of playing one school off of each other, there was no crazy need to post and document every visit and call with every college coach to “build your following on X” either.
(Then again, I was a pretty mediocre specialist who probably wouldn’t warrant that kind of competition from colleges)
When you emailed or called the football office - at least for more DIII/DII and some FCS - you generally got a hold of the head guy or the coordinator.
Offers were pretty straight forward.
I remember my coach:
“OK, great - so you coming?”
“Uh, yes, I’d love to!”
“OK, see you in August, Cahill”
And, with a hand shake, that was that.
I couldn’t tell anyone how blessed I was to receive an offer from X etc.
Yet, somehow, gravity didn’t turn off.
Everyone says recruiting has changed an insane amount, as had college football. And that is definitely true.
But, I think, recruiting is the same as it’s ever been.
Parents still want their kid to go to a great school leveraging football as the hook that can get them through admissions and both keep them interested and engaged socially/academically.
Players, more or less, want to play somewhere where they are valued and will get a chance to play (there are some who just want the DI label, but most just want to play, in my opinion)
Coaches, players and parents still really have no actual clue how a college or university decision is going to pan out, exactly.
College football has people. People make mistakes, leave jobs, make subjective calls, injuries happen, homesickness happens. Whether you’re the kid at the local DIII down the road or the kid going to USC, you’re going to have 2-3 moments of “What the heck did I just get myself into?”
And, whether your kid ends up at Harvard or Community College University, most parents will still wake up first thing in the morning with a mild panic attack wondering “Did we get this thing right?”
The next cycle when visits start this Winter and Spring, really take a moment to enjoy the rides with your folks. Turn your phone off. Tell them how much you appreciate everything they’re doing for you.
Yes, I remember every game I played (and didn’t) in college, but I remember the time with my parents and family even more looking back 10-15 years later.
That’s all for now,
Coach Cahill
P.S. Are you absolutely daunted by the college football recruiting process and are looking for expert advice from start to finish? Book a free 1 : 1 Discovery Call now.
I only work with families long term and keep a limited roster of less than 10 families I work with any given time.
We’ll talk about whether not we might be a fit to work together long term.