I would like to start out saying that I realize to some I probably appear to be "poaching" a recruit from a fellow D3 school, and the fact that I even tried to get the recruit in question makes me a bit of a dink. I had contacted a D2 recruit in the beginning and received a backup message. I went about my recruiting, getting two D3 recruits interested in me immediately, while working on another D2 recruit, which I was ultimately able to pulldown by pumping in 13 SV and 1 scholarship. He didn't show up as interested, but ultimately signed, which confuses me a little, but that's a topic for another day. At 11pm on the night before signings started, I get an email saying the D2 recruit Welch has dropped down. Had I actually saw that email when it happened, I would have immediately gone after him. However, my job requires me to be up very early in the morning, so I am usually in bed at around 8pm. I don't see that message until about 1pm on the day of signings and once I do, I immediately send him a campus visit, 2 home visits, and a scholarship. Once I send the effort, I do notice that another school is on his considering list. Anyone who looks at my team can see I recruit local kids from the surrounding states, and that many of them are D3 level recruits. The only player I had on my team this past season who I had to either pulldown or wait for dropdown was Charles Smith, and I recruited him last season. It took me about $3000 to "poach" this recruit from another coach. Now, his conference mates have put me on their hitlist, whatever that means, and the coach says in my conference chat that he has a long memory. I guess I don't believe it's sneaking in at the last second because I started at the 2pm period and was on his considering list at 2:01 pm. Welch didn't sign until 11pm. That gave him the 5,8, and 11pm periods to stop me from taking Welch. I guess what I'm wondering, is what I did really a "dick" move, as someone so eloquently put it?

No, they're idiots --- you didn't poach anything, just because they are on an interest list doesn't mean that the kid is theirs.  The recruit is fair game until signed, and you utilized the resources available to you.  Let him have a long memory, it won't serve the internet tough guy any purpose when he doesn't know how to recruit.

WIS recruiting is not a "recruiting battle," it's a "signing war." If you don't have reserve cash to defend your recruits on day 3, it's your fault. I have only taken offense to a coach coming in late once, and it was when a coach showed up on 3 of my 4 recruits on the 2pm cycle on signing day. 

no you did nothing wrong, in addition the other coaches are probably in violation of the Fiar Play guidelines, should you wish to file a complaint and get their hand slapped... I say eff em...do your thing. 

They are just acting immaturely. You did absolutely nothing wrong.

I don't totally get this anathema on poachers. Does anyone in real life refuse to poach kids who are considering other schools? Okay, I guess Big Ten football coaches. But just look where that's gotten them. 

I do get that when there are two roughly equivalent players, it's better to go for the unattached one than try to poach one considering another school. But that's just because you can sign him cheaper. If there's one guy who is by far your favorite target, and you have the money to sign him, why not sign him? 

And the "hit list" comment sounds like borderline collusion. Possibly full-fledged collusion, depending on what it actually means. 

Posted by tarvolon on 9/28/2012 6:58:00 PM (view original):
I don't totally get this anathema on poachers. Does anyone in real life refuse to poach kids who are considering other schools? Okay, I guess Big Ten football coaches. But just look where that's gotten them. 

I do get that when there are two roughly equivalent players, it's better to go for the unattached one than try to poach one considering another school. But that's just because you can sign him cheaper. If there's one guy who is by far your favorite target, and you have the money to sign him, why not sign him? 

And the "hit list" comment sounds like borderline collusion. Possibly full-fledged collusion, depending on what it actually means. 

Completely agree on all points.

The strategies involved in recruiting are part of what I play the game for. I congratulate those that best me and celebrate when i get the better of the outcome. You recruit players to make your team better...period. I can never understand the entitlement mentality.

super, you didn't do anything wrong.  however, i understand why people feel cheated when someone "poaches" a recruit.  and at least for me, it's not because I feel entitled to the player.  i hate it because it doesn't leave me any time to recover.  I understand that is not the other coaches problem, nor should it be, but it does p!ss me off. 

happened last season with one of my teams.  was on a player early with no competition.  i even saved money to protect him when a bigger school with a bigger budget swooped in on the cycle before signings.   he had 3 times my money and a prestige advantage, so could have had the recruit at any time, but he waited til every one of my backup targets was considering someone before moving in, leaving me scrambling.  had he gone after him early, i could have made other plans (and yes, i understand maybe real life intervened and caused him to miss a day or 2 of recruiting). 

what always interests me is how defensive "poachers" get when you get mad and tell them to watch their backs.  if I know that's how you recruit (and again, it is a perfectly legitimate and effective strategy), then you should be prepared for someone to do it to you.  and no, I won't take a bad player just to "get even", but if i have the choice between 2 comparible players, and "poaching" one from someone who did it to me is an option, yeah, i will rememer that and factor it in. I figure it is also a recruiting strategy to warn yo that if you do it to me I'll come after you, as maybe, just maybe, that might get someone not to do it to me.

Posted by hogstench on 9/28/2012 5:14:00 PM (view original):
No, they're idiots --- you didn't poach anything, just because they are on an interest list doesn't mean that the kid is theirs.  The recruit is fair game until signed, and you utilized the resources available to you.  Let him have a long memory, it won't serve the internet tough guy any purpose when he doesn't know how to recruit.

This.  This is perfectly stated.  Sloth, don't lose a second of sleep over this, you didn't do anything "wrong".  There is no such thing as "poaching".  A recruit isn't someone's until they sign with that team, period.

Posted by bhansalid00 on 9/28/2012 10:14:00 PM (view original):

Posted by tarvolon on 9/28/2012 6:58:00 PM (view original):
I don't totally get this anathema on poachers. Does anyone in real life refuse to poach kids who are considering other schools? Okay, I guess Big Ten football coaches. But just look where that's gotten them. 

I do get that when there are two roughly equivalent players, it's better to go for the unattached one than try to poach one considering another school. But that's just because you can sign him cheaper. If there's one guy who is by far your favorite target, and you have the money to sign him, why not sign him? 

And the "hit list" comment sounds like borderline collusion. Possibly full-fledged collusion, depending on what it actually means. 

Completely agree on all points.

I completely agree with this also.

I don't ever pump money into someone on the signing turn that I have never had considering me before that turn ... and I am usually not happy if someone does it to me.  That said, it is a valid recruiting strategy and there is nothing "wrong" with it.

By  not liking it, what I mean is ... I will make an entry of who did it to me, and if the opportunity presents itself for retaliation, then I do :-)

However, what everyone here has said is absolutely true ... if someone grabs a recruit from you, then it is your fault, not theirs.  You have to have the $$$ to protect the players and if you don't then that is how the cookie crumbles.

Posted by tarvolon on 9/28/2012 6:58:00 PM (view original):
I don't totally get this anathema on poachers. Does anyone in real life refuse to poach kids who are considering other schools? Okay, I guess Big Ten football coaches. But just look where that's gotten them. 

I do get that when there are two roughly equivalent players, it's better to go for the unattached one than try to poach one considering another school. But that's just because you can sign him cheaper. If there's one guy who is by far your favorite target, and you have the money to sign him, why not sign him? 

And the "hit list" comment sounds like borderline collusion. Possibly full-fledged collusion, depending on what it actually means. 

I brought trouble on myself with this post. I get three guys considering me in the first two cycles of recruiting, and I wake up the next morning to find I'm in battles for all three! I didn't mean it, WIS. I don't really like battles! (of course, none of them were poaching. One I knew would happen, because there was a Sim on him already, on another one me and another guy got in at the same time. The last one I had the guy considering me overnight before three other schools (one a DII school) jumped on in the morning. That kid had potential. I had to let him go)

The only thing I would ever take offense at in this arena is if someone repeatedly targets the same school.  If you are just doing what is best for your team, good job.  Chincilla at Michigan State in Allen crossed this line a while ago.

The only thing I don't like is when someone comes in at the very last cycle.  I think it's poor form.  But I'm not going to write some scathing CC post against the person.  

The only thing I'd do is hopefully get the opportunity to get him back.  Meaning - I'm normally averse to battles, but I'd be less likely to avoid a battle involving that school.  And I certainly wouldn't hesitate to pull the same last minute move if I was still looking for a recruit and they had someone I liked.

But there's absolutely nothing shady with what the OP did.  Also, like others have said - That conference sounds like they're colluding against you.  I'd send a ticket.  No reason for your future enjoyment of the game to be lessened because they get collective burrs up their arses.