Posted by snafu4u on 3/4/2023 8:07:00 AM (view original):
So to start this recruiting season the trend continues! I just lost my primary target 57/43. I was on the recruit with 80 AP a cycle and “staked my claim” as others suggested by going all in early. 6 cycles in an A+ school came in and started pouring resources too. I had a preference advantage and 400 AP lead so I kept my foot on the gas hoping to fend them off, but their 1/3 letter grade on me let them jump right up into contention and of course, I lost despite almost the 20% advantage.
i know a lot of folks made a lot of comments, but FWIW, this is kinda the opposite of anything i was suggesting. staking your claim isn't really going to keep folks off your primary target, that's just not how recruiting works anymore. its too competitive for top tier players, sometimes there are guys here and there who go without battles, but that seems fairly random. staking a claim on the guys you aren't thrilled to have at the start of recruiting, but wish you had at the end of recruiting... that sometimes works. it used to work somewhat reliably, even in 3.0 before the jobs change - but now its too competitive even for that. still, there's a chance!
i kinda also have not found much luck with putting so many eggs in one basket. i would try casting a wider net and seeing what you come up with. back when i was at uconn and you were at... nova? i tended to have battles for all the players i wanted the most. pre-jobs change this is. but i had pretty good luck with the second tier of players, less folks were willing to fight me for those, the region as a whole didn't feel overly saturated. i'm sure its more competitive up in the northeast than when i was there, owing to the jobs change mostly, but still.