So I am considering a move back into Knight but I wanted to get a little feedback first. When I last played I coached at Nebraska and left with a B- prestige so I'm still able to get some DI jobs. I left because the recruiting and random recruit decisions/commits got too frustrating. My question is, if that was the factor that drove me away should look back at DI, if so should I look into a smaller conf or a power 5? Or... would DII probably be a more enjoyable experience? I know the recruiting terrain is tougher at DI I'm just curious if it still seems random.

Depends on what bothered you before.

Recruit decisions now include preferences (playing time, distance, success, offense and defense sets and styles of play), and you don’t have to be “in the lead” to get a commit, you just have to be in range. Home visits are also capped at 20. The net effect is that recruiting is more like recruiting - where coaches make their pitch, and the recruit makes his choice - and less like drafting, which is what D1 recruiting felt like before.

There can be big upsets and surprises in recruiting. A team that gets to the very bottom of signing range (~20% in a two way battle) will win a recruit about 20% of the time. Keep in mind, the difference in effort credit in that battle is much closer than 80-20, but the odds are stretched to favor the leader. If it will bother you to lose battles, you should consider dropping to D2. Avoiding battles is not a good way to be competitive in D1, but it can work at lower levels.

Posted by hookemhorns7 on 1/21/2019 10:22:00 AM (view original):
So I am considering a move back into Knight but I wanted to get a little feedback first. When I last played I coached at Nebraska and left with a B- prestige so I'm still able to get some DI jobs. I left because the recruiting and random recruit decisions/commits got too frustrating. My question is, if that was the factor that drove me away should look back at DI, if so should I look into a smaller conf or a power 5? Or... would DII probably be a more enjoyable experience? I know the recruiting terrain is tougher at DI I'm just curious if it still seems random.

If you don't like randomness to heavily determine recruiting then D1 is not your thing. Randomness of Early Entries is even worse. Play D2.

Posted by Benis on 1/21/2019 10:58:00 AM (view original):

Posted by hookemhorns7 on 1/21/2019 10:22:00 AM (view original):
So I am considering a move back into Knight but I wanted to get a little feedback first. When I last played I coached at Nebraska and left with a B- prestige so I'm still able to get some DI jobs. I left because the recruiting and random recruit decisions/commits got too frustrating. My question is, if that was the factor that drove me away should look back at DI, if so should I look into a smaller conf or a power 5? Or... would DII probably be a more enjoyable experience? I know the recruiting terrain is tougher at DI I'm just curious if it still seems random.

If you don't like randomness to heavily determine recruiting then D1 is not your thing. Randomness of Early Entries is even worse. Play D2.

Benis means probability, not “randomness”. Recruits are not randomly assigned to your team (unless you take walkons). Nor do players randomly declare for the draft. The choices you make, in relation to the choices other coaches make, fully determine the probabilities. It’s not remotely “random”.

But in the end, the recruit makes the decision, not the coach. And 51 beats 49 about 52% of the time, rather than 100%. If that’s going to make the game less fun for you, and you want to compete on a national level, D2 is likely to be more your thing.

Posted by shoe3 on 1/21/2019 11:12:00 AM (view original):

Posted by Benis on 1/21/2019 10:58:00 AM (view original):

Posted by hookemhorns7 on 1/21/2019 10:22:00 AM (view original):
So I am considering a move back into Knight but I wanted to get a little feedback first. When I last played I coached at Nebraska and left with a B- prestige so I'm still able to get some DI jobs. I left because the recruiting and random recruit decisions/commits got too frustrating. My question is, if that was the factor that drove me away should look back at DI, if so should I look into a smaller conf or a power 5? Or... would DII probably be a more enjoyable experience? I know the recruiting terrain is tougher at DI I'm just curious if it still seems random.

If you don't like randomness to heavily determine recruiting then D1 is not your thing. Randomness of Early Entries is even worse. Play D2.

Benis means probability, not “randomness”. Recruits are not randomly assigned to your team (unless you take walkons). Nor do players randomly declare for the draft. The choices you make, in relation to the choices other coaches make, fully determine the probabilities. It’s not remotely “random”.

But in the end, the recruit makes the decision, not the coach. And 51 beats 49 about 52% of the time, rather than 100%. If that’s going to make the game less fun for you, and you want to compete on a national level, D2 is likely to be more your thing.

I find D2 super boring personally

"... probability, not “randomness.” Recruits are not randomly assigned to your team (unless you take walkons). Nor do players randomly declare for the draft. The choices you make, in relation to the choices other coaches make, fully determine the probabilities. It’s not remotely 'random.' "

Thank you for such a clear and concise comment on this topic. I have read numerous threads about "randomness," coin flips and dice rolls. Since this game has no dice or coins, those threads were funny but ultimately time wasting drivel. Maybe now a few more users will understand the game a little better.

While recruiting actions are regulated by probability, scouting is, from a user standpoint, effectively random and becomes ever more so as you drop in divisions where the available recruit pool expands.

Posted by gomiami1972 on 1/21/2019 6:22:00 PM (view original):
While recruiting actions are regulated by probability, scouting is, from a user standpoint, effectively random and becomes ever more so as you drop in divisions where the available recruit pool expands.

Are you talking about random in terms of geographic talent distribution? I guess it’s not exactly predictable year over year, but it isn’t random, either. The player or 3 in the D1 pool from the Dakotas is pretty reliably going to be garbage for D1 programs; and you can usually expect a dozen or so high level players from states like CA or TX. Choosing where and how to scout can have a significant effect on the size and quality of the pool you create. Obviously there is some luck involved too, like the year OK had 3 legit top 100 guards.

Posted by shoe3 on 1/21/2019 8:55:00 PM (view original):

Posted by gomiami1972 on 1/21/2019 6:22:00 PM (view original):
While recruiting actions are regulated by probability, scouting is, from a user standpoint, effectively random and becomes ever more so as you drop in divisions where the available recruit pool expands.

Are you talking about random in terms of geographic talent distribution? I guess it’s not exactly predictable year over year, but it isn’t random, either. The player or 3 in the D1 pool from the Dakotas is pretty reliably going to be garbage for D1 programs; and you can usually expect a dozen or so high level players from states like CA or TX. Choosing where and how to scout can have a significant effect on the size and quality of the pool you create. Obviously there is some luck involved too, like the year OK had 3 legit top 100 guards.

No. It is random which recruits show up for your private camp (if you are in an area that has many more available than the number you invite,) random in who your assistant coach scouts (either new or within your recruit pool, distance setting notwithstanding,) random whether there will be any recruits that you do discover will prefer your O/D set, distance, playing style, playing time, etc.

I don’t do private camps, and my assistant scouts everyone in the pool I assemble to level 4, so this is probably just a matter of us using different scouting strategies. Sure, you don’t control what preferences the players have, but if you cast a wide enough pool, you’ll get plenty of options.

Posted by cubcub113 on 1/21/2019 10:33:00 PM (view original):
What I hate about DII is scouting it's so annoying

Why is D2 scouting annoying? But D1 or D3 scouting is different?

I often hear why D1 sucks (EE's anyone!) And why D3 sucks (horrible recruiting style). But I never really hear complaints about D2 in any manner. So i'm really curious of the response here. I've only heard 1 other coach say that D2 was his worst of the 3 divisions.

Posted by topdogggbm on 1/22/2019 4:02:00 AM (view original):

Posted by cubcub113 on 1/21/2019 10:33:00 PM (view original):
What I hate about DII is scouting it's so annoying

Why is D2 scouting annoying? But D1 or D3 scouting is different?

I often hear why D1 sucks (EE's anyone!) And why D3 sucks (horrible recruiting style). But I never really hear complaints about D2 in any manner. So i'm really curious of the response here. I've only heard 1 other coach say that D2 was his worst of the 3 divisions.

Yeah I think D2 is the best division by far.

I applied to a long shot DI didnt get it so I think I will settle down at DII to get my feet wet again. Thanks all for the feedback.

Posted by shoe3 on 1/22/2019 12:42:00 AM (view original):
I don’t do private camps, and my assistant scouts everyone in the pool I assemble to level 4, so this is probably just a matter of us using different scouting strategies. Sure, you don’t control what preferences the players have, but if you cast a wide enough pool, you’ll get plenty of options.

You are describing DI. You can't do that in DIII.