I have a question about the difference in recruiting in DI compared to DII/DIII. I do pretty well in recruiting in DII and DIII. In the last two recruiting classes I had in DIII, we were ranked #1. I've moved up to DI and have been trying to recruit in DI, and I am missing something in recruiting good players. The prestige for this team (B-), I've heard there is a big difference in recruiting in DI than in the other divisions, but I don't know what I'm missing.

I'm just asking for the difference between the divisions so I can learn what I need to do.

?Thanks for any help.

The obvious difference is that you can go after better players than you could in D2 or D3, and you can be more aggressive because you can sign them in RS1 (assuming you were recruiting from higher divisions in D2/3.

But it can still be difficult to recruit for the 4 and 5 star players as a B- because the A's and A+'s often still seem to have the upper hand in competing for those guys (the rich stay rich and get richer).

I personally find that D1 recruiting is much less stressful than at D2 or D3, where RS1 is all about positioning for RS2. RS1 in D1 can be about meeting your needs early, and shooting for the moon later on with the "late" preference top level guys.

I always start with scouting. Are you getting enough information on a big enough pool? At UMass, which should be comparable to Dayton and GW, I will get ~275 guys to level 4 on a year when I have 3 scholarships open. Sometimes a little more. Now yeah, a lot of those I will throw out, but having that big pool gives me a lot of options. And I see all the potential gems in the given area, and those guys who will grow into stars are what you want to build your program around when you’re moving into a mid-major.

You don’t have to fill your roster, of course, unless you run FB/P, so don’t be afraid to take a walkon and use the resources next year if no one out there makes your team better. Jucos can be good value, turning over resources fast, and *also* making your team better, bonus if they come in with your set knowledge.

Recruiting is a numbers game, to a large extent. Players just a little better than replacement level are cheap and pretty easy to get, if you scout efficiently. Those are emergency, or “Plan C” types. You can lock up players a notch above that (“Plan B”) with just a few visits, usually. And if those guys have good WE and potential, even if they start low, they turn out to be the types of guys I talk about in the first paragraph. So the rest can be spent taking *intelligent* risks battling for the star players that make sense. Legit 1-3 star player who are a good preference match should be within your reach once you are at B- (A+ teams can sometimes lock you out if they want to, but often would rather invest more in better looking players). If you can get in on a few of those battles every season, while filling up the rest of your roster locking up those Plan B players, you will be on your way. Sometimes you’ll get shut out, and that’s ok. Keep punching up. You’ll get there.

I’d say the biggest difference is it moves faster. At D3 you’re used to waiting until the end of RS2 to sign. At D2, recruiting moves faster than at D3 since you can sign D2-projected recruits who want to sign early in RS1. At D1, prestige drives the recruiting game, but you also have to pay close attention to when the recruit wants to sign and other preferences.

Do you typically try to avoid all battles at D2/D3? Avoiding battles all together is probably not your best D1 strategy… it means your bar could be set too low.

You will have to learn the RNG rule for D1 as a low level D1 recruiter. Basically, D1 is very much a battle for almost every player, and I sometimes go High (vs an Opponent's Very High) on the chance I can get a lucky roll. I mean, If I have the resources, I also get to very high, bt it might be easier toi get 3 guys to high than 1 to very high .. and on average, you will get 1 of the 3 guys you have on high.

Yep .. i am the a$$hole that everyone is complaining about (I lost a guy when I was VH to a H team :D).

Thank you, everyone, for your input! I will take all of your suggestions and work out a plan that will work for me. GL to everyone in your leagues!

Posted by shoe3 on 4/2/2022 10:11:00 PM (view original):
I always start with scouting. Are you getting enough information on a big enough pool? At UMass, which should be comparable to Dayton and GW, I will get ~275 guys to level 4 on a year when I have 3 scholarships open. Sometimes a little more. Now yeah, a lot of those I will throw out, but having that big pool gives me a lot of options. And I see all the potential gems in the given area, and those guys who will grow into stars are what you want to build your program around when you’re moving into a mid-major.

You don’t have to fill your roster, of course, unless you run FB/P, so don’t be afraid to take a walkon and use the resources next year if no one out there makes your team better. Jucos can be good value, turning over resources fast, and *also* making your team better, bonus if they come in with your set knowledge.

Recruiting is a numbers game, to a large extent. Players just a little better than replacement level are cheap and pretty easy to get, if you scout efficiently. Those are emergency, or “Plan C” types. You can lock up players a notch above that (“Plan B”) with just a few visits, usually. And if those guys have good WE and potential, even if they start low, they turn out to be the types of guys I talk about in the first paragraph. So the rest can be spent taking *intelligent* risks battling for the star players that make sense. Legit 1-3 star player who are a good preference match should be within your reach once you are at B- (A+ teams can sometimes lock you out if they want to, but often would rather invest more in better looking players). If you can get in on a few of those battles every season, while filling up the rest of your roster locking up those Plan B players, you will be on your way. Sometimes you’ll get shut out, and that’s ok. Keep punching up. You’ll get there.

275? I feel like I’m never close that. You running a camp?

At D1, I run a 200 recruit camp every season. It is 1/2 the price of other methods.

I've picked up several DI schools in the hope of finding the right strategy. I've run camps, went after mid-level players, and tried many ways with no luck. I would have a pool of players to pick from, and it's frustrating because I do pretty well in DII/III recruiting. All I have been doing is running the DI schools I've picked up into the ground. Maybe I shoot too high, and I lose a lot of recruits to schools with higher prestige. Interest would be very high but will lose the recruit to a higher prestige school in the end. I've tried players who want to sign early, sign late doesn't make a difference. Time to stay away from DI schools again, but that's what you want to go after, the DI schools. This is not my first time trying. I've tried DI in the past but never could keep the team competitive. So I will go back to DII/III and try again later. Thanks again, everyone.

I would suggest at D2 and D3 picking more battles to engage in… to prepare yourself. Like Hugh said, at D1, the majority of your recruits are going to be fought over.

Posted by hindukat on 4/8/2022 9:59:00 AM (view original):
I've picked up several DI schools in the hope of finding the right strategy. I've run camps, went after mid-level players, and tried many ways with no luck. I would have a pool of players to pick from, and it's frustrating because I do pretty well in DII/III recruiting. All I have been doing is running the DI schools I've picked up into the ground. Maybe I shoot too high, and I lose a lot of recruits to schools with higher prestige. Interest would be very high but will lose the recruit to a higher prestige school in the end. I've tried players who want to sign early, sign late doesn't make a difference. Time to stay away from DI schools again, but that's what you want to go after, the DI schools. This is not my first time trying. I've tried DI in the past but never could keep the team competitive. So I will go back to DII/III and try again later. Thanks again, everyone.

Taking over a crappy DI program definitely takes some time to rebuild and improve your prestige. How long are you giving it with each team? Also, try taking the same approach that has made you successful in DII and DIII with recruiting. Go after high potential guys. You aren’t going to win the battles for the 700+ guys with a D prestige team. Try to find that 550 guy that may turn into an 800+ guy.

All good advice here. Another trendy comment in the forums sometimes...... if you're at a non big 6 program and you're just arriving in D1, try to build "the best D2 team you could ever build" at your new D1 school first. Then once you have a full roster of your own players (3 to 4 seasons), then start to reach a little higher. If you're doing that and getting a small school to B-, you're on the right path.

If you're taking over a team that is a B- immediately, and you're in a big 6 conference and your roster isn't very good when you arrive, then you are facing one of the hardest tasks in HD. With the D1 populations really high now days, it's tough to build a struggling big 6 school from scratch. Play the long game, and curb expectations for a while because it can be bumpy.

Top has put some great advice on here about utilizing a tiered strategy for battles; that is, planning ahead on recruits that are worth the fight and recruits you count on signing for little to no money.

It’s a learning curve for all of us: knowing when to engage in the battle and knowing when to disengage and cut your losses.