Spring Evaluation Period – What Does A Call From A College Football Coach Mean?
The spring evaluation period runs from April 15th through May 31, and as a Junior, you or your parents or other relative can get ONE call from a head coach or his coaching staff. But what exactly does one of these spring evaluation calls mean?
As we have said before, it means the the school is definitely interested in you as a potential prospect, but it does not necessarily mean that you are their top prospect for a certain position. Having said that, if you are a top national prospect, you can be fairly certain that the call means they want you for their program.
On average, a school will place calls to around one hundred and fifty prospects during the spring evaluation period.
Some of the calls will go to A list prospects, these are the prospects that all the other football programs are hoping to sign too. These will be their top picks.
Another group of calls will go to their B list, these are the prospects that they are less serious about and may still want to see face to face in the famous eyeball test, and they may want them to also attend their summer camp.
Lastly, there will be calls going out to their C list of potential recruits. These are the recruits that are liked by the coaches, but so far these recruits, as of yet, haven’t received any attention from other schools as of yet. The coaches could be waiting until another school makes an offer before they get to serious about the recruit.
So as you can see, the spring evaluation calls could mean everything from they really want you for their program to almost nothing. But at the very lease, a call means they are interested in you to some degree. You have no way of knowing how far up the leader board you are just from getting one of these calls.
Avoid letting one of these calls throw you off track in your recruiting process, it is a long way from an evaluation call to signing day on Feb. 1st of your Senior year.
If you have received a call from a school on your wish list, you can be cautiously optimistic, but to be safe, continue to recruit many different schools at all levels.
Goal Setting and Academics
A goal is something you want or need to achieve. Goals can be short term or long term depending on how much time it takes to achieve. For example, long term goals might include improving your GPA or taking more challenging classes in high school. Short term goals might include getting a better grade on an upcoming test.
For goal setting to be successful you have to know what it is that you need to accomplish and when it needs to be done. Then you need to set appropriate and clear goals. Last, write your goals down so you have a record of them.
To help you write goals, keep these words in mind: WHAT and WHEN. Each goal needs to clearly state what must be done and by when. It is also helpful to start with the words “I will”. This makes it clear that you are determined to complete the goal. For example: I will complete the research phase for my term paper by December 1.
Below are some characteristics of clear and achievable goals:
Goals should be:
1. Within Your Skills And Abilities – Don’t set yourself up for failure by setting goals that you can’t achieve. You can’t write the essay in Spanish if you don’t have enough Spanish skill.
2. Realistic – Get real! That paper cannot be done in two days no matter how much you want it.
3. Flexible – Make sure there’s some wiggle room on deadlines.
4. Measurable – If your goal is too vague or has no deadline, it will not help you. Not: I will have some of it done in a few days.
5. Within Your Control -If someone else is involved, you cannot be sure that achieving the goal is possible.
Ten Things College Financial Aid Offices Won’t Tell You
1. You waited until April? Sorry we gave your money away. Many students miss out on financial aid because they miss deadlines. Yes, each school seems to have its own set of deadlines but you have to keep track or face the consequences.
2. Your mistake, your problem. If you make a mistake on your FAFSA form, the computer will spit out your form and return it to YOU, rejected. It will not be sent to colleges which may delay any action on your application. It is better to use the online form because it asks you to check on blanks you left and some obvious errors.
3. Our lower tuition means lower financial aid. Less expensive public schools tend to award less financial aid. You might get more at the more pricey private schools than you think.
4. You’ll pay dearly for early decision. Once you commit to early decision, the college “has you” so to speak. Why should they award you large amounts of financial aid. You may be better off skipping this option.
5. We don’t believe that you are poor. Some parents try to look more “needy” on paper by spending income. That method may not help as much as making sure assets are not in the child’s name.
6. We’ll judge you by your house and your car. Luckily the value of your home is not considered in most financial aid formulas. To calculate amount of financial aid, colleges calculate your expected family contribution from your adjusted gross income and assets. This does not take into consideration your real disposable income (high mortgage amounts, etc.).
7. We’ll let you borrow more than you can afford. Many colleges are not concerned if you will be able to afford to repay the loans you get. If you must borrow exhaust federal programs first since they usually have lower rates.
8. Outside scholarships help us, not you. Federal guidelines require that outside scholarship money (such as local scholarships) be considered as a resource in meeting financial need. That means you may get less from the college if you get local funds.
9. We won’t “negotiate” but we will “review”. Many college financial aid offices will be put off if you question their decisions and try to “negotiate” with them. Don’t use that word. Instead, ask them to “review” their decision and try to develop rapport with the person you are talking to in the office.
10. Think freshman year was expensive, wait till senior year. College tuition keeps increasing yearly. Costs for everything will go up over time.
Developing The Will To Win
Everyone acknowledges the importance of being a team player, but we all also know there are times when you must decide to step up and singularly demonstrate the unstoppable urge to win?
While there is no “I” in “Team”, there is a definite “I” in “Win”, and in the game of football, it takes a team of individual players; all of them having the will to “Win”, the will to out score opponents game after game.
We have all seen games where an athlete hangs back hoping that a teammate will step up and make the play. This usually does nothing to win the game and typically contributes to a loss.
Do you have the will to win? What are some of the things you can to summon the courage to display the will to win?
Give yourself permission to win, to excel, to demonstrate your talents even if it does make those around you envious. Did you know that when you show your will to win you encourage those around you to behave like winners also. You actually give them courage to win. The will to win is contagious!
Use rejection, judgment and jealousy to help you aspire to greatness. Regardless of how uncomfortable you make your teammates, you will never be happy or enjoy real success downplaying your skills, talents, and accomplishments in an effort to make others feel more comfortable.
When people put you down and say you can’t do something, channel your frustration and anger and let it spearhead your drive into the elite levels of competition.
Develop a winning attitude. It is simple to cultivate a winning mindset, simply determine to complete every task, regardless of what it is, to the very best of your ability. Deciding to aspire to do your very best, regardless of the nature of the job, will almost automatically give you the inclination to succeed in everything.
Arkansas Football Coach Fired
The recent firing of Bobby Patrino, head football coach for Arkansas, should give all potential football recruits reason to take pause and consider what should be the reasons why they want to be recruited by a certain football program.
It is a well-known fact that many recruits are enamored by the idea of playing football for a famous coach, but as is evidenced by the doubt and confusion among the 25 newly signed 2012 Arkansas recruits, the loss of a head football coach for any reason could prove disastrous to the program depending upon several factors including how long it takes to hire a new head coach and who is actually hired.
Many of the 25 recruits were attracted to Arkansas because the football program, coached by Patrino, was said to be in position to win the National Championship next year. Without a head coach, the Razorbacks may not fair so well. In addition, if Jeff Long, the AD, doesn’t fill the position soon, 2013 recruiting will also be hurt.
What Can You Learn From This?
Avoid signing with a school based on a certain coach being there. Remember, you are accepting an athletic scholarship from the school, not the head coach. Do not let all your hopes and dreams be smashed with the fate of a coach.
Sign with a school that will give you an education that you can plan a career around besides football. Overwhelmingly, college football players do not go on to the pros.
Sign with a school where you will feel comfortable attending even if you get injured, the head coach leaves or the football program goes south.
Your top priority should be to use your football scholarship to pay for your college degree. Regardless of how alluring the limelight is for any college level football player, that should be secondary to your education. You will be in college for 4 to 5 years, but the preparation you make in those years can prepare you for a life’s career.
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