I just made my first jump to D1AA in Warner (at Dayton). I've never tried D1AA. I've heard the recruiting is different and requires more patience than lower levels.

Anyone want to sitemail me? If not, I understand. Thanks!

This is just basic information, but maybe will give you some thoughts:

1. Every coach has their own style for recruiting, and I am sure you already have yours. If you were successful before, you will do fine at 1AA. Basically, use what works for you.

2. Growth is important, but not as much as III or II.

3. Recruit to your game plan. However, you need to be able to defend the pass. Good LB's and DB's are pretty darn important, especially those that can cover and get PD's.

4. Save money for the end game and pay attention to those 1A schools that have backups that may drop back in the pool late in the recruiting process.

5. Know who is around you. This is basic, but important. If you have a bunch of mid-majors in your 360 they are going to be a thorn in your side. If you have elites around you, they are probably not going to touch the recruits you will want.

Hope this helps. Good luck. Feel free to SM me if you want to get into some nuances. Any good I do in recruiting or in this game...I learned from coaches that gave generous of their time and knowledge.

nitros

I'd add two things to nitros post

1. Have back up options. D1 teams can swoop in on your recruits and it's usually pointless to fight them.

2. Don't give up on a guy that a d1 school flipped. A lot of times the d1 coach is in a battle and looking for a back up. If they win their battle then the guy they flipped will go back to you (once they filled all of their scholarships).

I sort of echo buzzard. If you have been doing well in recruiting at the lower levels, keep doing the same thing. But...backups are absolutely important. The D1A teams can come out of nowhere on a guy you have had locked up since 2nd cycle. So you have to keep some bank and be very vigilant every cycle as to what is going on. I actually think D1AA recruiting is the easiest level.

good tips guys. Much appreciated!

I just started second cycle.

One more question, Is it reasonable for a d1AA program to try to knock off D1 sims or not? I understand battling D1 humans is not wise. But at D2, it takes some $$ but fairly simple to knock off Sims early in recruiting cycles. I just don't know if it would take an unreasonable amount of $$ to knock off a higher level program

Yes. Just pound them with CV's. Longer you wait = harder (which you probably already know). Also, don't let the mid-majors push you around. You can go head to head if you budget 20% more in money (rule of thumb).

Posted by nitros on 10/31/2016 4:45:00 PM (view original):
Yes. Just pound them with CV's. Longer you wait = harder (which you probably already know). Also, don't let the mid-majors push you around. You can go head to head if you budget 20% more in money (rule of thumb).

Awesome! Thanks Nitros!

The d1 sims are beatable and are usually on good 1aa recruits. It's a valid strategy but you have to be careful because if you take on to many you can run out of money quick.

Move to D-IA. Then you'll have no trouble assembling the best D-IAA talent.

Not many people talk about this, but I think it is especially important in D1. Find a team with a strong history in a very strong conference. If you can get into a conference that sends a lot of teams into the playoffs/bowls, the extra recruiting money is going to help you tremendously. My other word for D1AA is patience. Watch what is happening around your territory, and get ready to go after players that the D1A guys are passing on. And don't spend too much money too early. As others have said, the D1A guys can swoop down and take your players in a heartbeat.

Welp, that didn't go so well. I thought I was doing well but made a major gaffe. I underestimated how many CV's it'd take to knock off the sims at this level (and D1 programs) I did something like 4 at a time...and kept going.... I thought I was always about to knock them off like in D2. But they took way more than expected. Ended up wasting over half of my money this way. For example, I spent $19,000 (5 Cvs, then 3 CV's, then 4 CV's, then 60% play time + 2 CVs + Guaranteed start as Frosh). Only to still have a D1 Midmajor still on him too. I'll end up losing him as I don't have enough $ to knock the sim off.

Posted by bigpoppa85 on 11/2/2016 10:26:00 PM (view original):
Welp, that didn't go so well. I thought I was doing well but made a major gaffe. I underestimated how many CV's it'd take to knock off the sims at this level (and D1 programs) I did something like 4 at a time...and kept going.... I thought I was always about to knock them off like in D2. But they took way more than expected. Ended up wasting over half of my money this way. For example, I spent $19,000 (5 Cvs, then 3 CV's, then 4 CV's, then 60% play time + 2 CVs + Guaranteed start as Frosh). Only to still have a D1 Midmajor still on him too. I'll end up losing him as I don't have enough $ to knock the sim off.

That's certainly not the ideal approach but hopefully you're starting to get a feel for what it takes to knock off a DIA Sim. Nonetheless, you're learning and I'm sure you'll get the hang of it. Just keep experimenting and learning. Next time out, maybe ease into things - target a few key guys and "green" them before moving on to the next batch. Build up your class in chunks until you've got a solid base, then see if you can upgrade with DIA leftovers after signings. This approach has always worked well for me.