I'm new to D2 and don't see a D2-specific FAQ anywhere.

I'm coaching an A+ prestige school and am looking for advice.

1. What level of ranked players can I expect to be able to sign for which positions? (I thought I remembered reading that high-ranking SFs are easier than the other positions).

2. Can I sign starred players? One stars only?

3. Should I bother looking at anyone on the D2 list, or only look at the D1 and try to pull guys down /wait for dropdowns? In D3 I only recruited from the D2 list.

Thanks for the help! Feel free to sitemail if you don't want to post publicly.

I don't look at the D2 list unless it's a last option. The only D2 players I look at are the internationals, occasionally you will find D2 international guys that are better than ranked players. It really depends on how highly ranked players you can sign. Last season in Phelan the highest ranked player I could get to talk to me with my A+ prestige was the #177 C, the 176 PF wouldn't talk to me and he was a juco. But the best D2 program in Phelan signed the #110 PF. The main thing is the higher ranked the player is the closer you want him to be to go after. So the guys that seem like are a reach to sign only go after them if they are very close. It's also nearly impossible to sign 1 star guys, it can be done but it's a very rare situation for a D2 school to sign a 1 star. In my 20 combined seasons or so at D2 I've seen only 1, 1 star player signed at that was a 2 year juco.

I agree, look almost exclusively on the D1 list, but I guess if someone has great potential at D2, might be ok.

As far as rankings goes, it really seems random, but SFs up to 100-125 are maybe possble, less at other positions. Only 1 way to find out, which is to phone them.

Thanks for the input, I appreciate the knowledge!

Something that I have struggled with at D2 is that D1 teams will go after recruits that are considering you after they strikeout in getting their top choices. You might think you're sitting with a very good class after day 2 of recruiting only to lose a recruit or two or three the next day to a D1 school. And once that happens the recruit is all but gone.

This sort of happens at the D2/D3 as well but really the resources aren't there to see it happen all that much. And the D2 team typically has better options than a player that is considering D3 ball. So it happens, but not to a large extent. For the D1/D2 battles, if the D1 team strikes out, the next best options often are those that have dropped or been pulled to D2. And they have a lot more resources so they still have the relatively small amount it takes to get the recruit from you.

As a D2 coach, I've been getting destroyed by smart coaches running circles around me as I lose my best recruits to D1 teams. And my personal experience has been that I manage my money quite poorly and often find it very difficult to scout additional states and/or sign other players.

You're a better coach so I doubt you'll have the same problems. But I figure a warning can't hurt.

The key to D2 recruiting is patience. If you spend your money too early and your prized recruit gets picked up by a D1 team your going to be in trouble. Just be patient and have a backup plan in case things fall through.

I've never been able to talk to recruits with stars even with a high D2 prestige so I wouldn't waste your money.