Dragons in College

2012 Seniors
  • Ryan Chastain, Faulkner University
  • Ethan Baker, Berry University
2013 Seniors
  • Tanner Brumby, Mercer
  • Jake Dean, LaGrange
  • Silas Lott, Berry
2014 Seniors
  • Shannon Brooks, Minnesota

​2015 Seniors
  • DJ Walden, Shorter
  • Andrew Ortiz, Shorter

College Recruiting Information

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Steps to play College Football
  1. Grades: If you don’t have the grades and test score to get into a particular school, you cannot go there. They will not evaluate anything else about you (no matter how good you may be on the field).
  2. Ability: if you have the grades, then college coaches will ask about your ability and want film to evaluate.
  3. Character: if the college feels you have the ability and grades, he will call your high school coach and other influential people to ask about character.  Legal problems or problems at school could cost you
  4. Work Ethic: If you pass the first three steps, the college coach will then call to find out about your work ethic.  Do you work hard in the weight room?  Are you on time to meetings, practices, etc.?
  5. Flexibility: Don’t be picky. If you want to play in college, you can only take the chances offered.  Don’t hold out for something else if nothing else is there.
It is important to remember you are competing against 1000s of other players for these precious few scholarships.  Only 5% of high schoolers play football in college at any level, and only 1% play D-1 football. 

Timeline

Before your Junior Year…
  • Keep good grades – too many prospects have bad grades in 9th & 10th grade that cost them dearly.
  • Stay in good standing with our football program – No one will give you any scholarship without getting a reference from your high school coach.

Junior Year…
  • Keep Grades up/Keep in good standing
  • Take the ACT/SAT – many people skip this step
  • Register online with the NCAA Clearinghouse
  • Make unofficial visits to schools

Senior Year…
  • Keep Grades up/good relations with our program – review your academic standing with your counselor
  • Take all visits offered
  • Ask a lot of questions, about anything to college coaches, high school coaches, counselors, etc.

Info on Recruiting Services or Camps:
It is important to note that the following are just recommendations for parents and players on how to handle recruiting.  Feel free to utilize anything you see fit to help in recruiting. Ultimately recruiting is a parent/player issue and you should do what you think is right. No player will be punished for going against these policies; these are just opinions that have been gathered over several years of experience with the recruiting process.
  • Recruiting Services – High School recruiting is now bigger than it has ever been.  There are several internet sites, camps, etc. who are using this phenomenon to their advantage.   Please be cautious with spending money on recruiting services. Rivals and Scout are the two legitimate internet sites and they do not charge you, but you have to be profiled by them to be on the site.  The Coaching staff will promote you to colleges for free.  Usually all these services are doing is getting your name out which is what we can do for free.
  • Combine Camps – Nike, Under Armor, etc. should be very inexpensive and should be a combine atmosphere.
  • Individual School camps – these are usually one-day.  If they are longer than one-day it is not really a recruiting camp.  The one-day camps are relatively inexpensive and they are guaranteed to have college coaches watching.

Notes on the Recruiting Process:
  • Do NOT confuse INTEREST with RECRUITING – There is a difference between interest and recruiting.  Schools send out millions of letters to players each year and only sign 25 players per year.  They are not necessarily “recruiting” you if you get a letter.  The letter should just motivate you to work hard in the classroom, the weight room, and the practice field to try to stay on their list for long enough to have a chance to be recruited.  The key is to not ignore small schools, simply because you are excited when a large school sends you a letter. Keep open communication with any school that shows interest.
  • Do NOT assume your coach is going to get you a scholarship – It is the high school coach’s job to get information to colleges.  At that point, the colleges have all of the power.  Even if your high school coach really pushes for you, the school may still turn you down.
  • Do NOT mistake salesmanship for an offer – Every year, many athletes that thought they were offered a scholarship end up with no offers.  College coaches may say things that seems like they are offering a scholarship with no real offer being made.  Technically, there is no provable scholarship offer until a letter of intent has been signed and has your name on it. Any offer you get will come with a written letter expressing the offer of a scholarship.  This letter is not binding, but it does put the offer in writing.  If you do not get a letter like this, you have not been offered a scholarship.
  • You will not know when a school is no longer interested – This is one of the most frustrating things for the high school coaches.  Even Coach Parker does not know when schools are no longer interested.  They do not say why or when.  They have hundreds of guys they are interested in and don’t feel like keeping all of them updated.  If you don’t hear from a school for a while, you may have to accept that it is not going to happen at that school.

If you receive a scholarship OFFER:
  • Do NOT assume you should quit talking to other schools – keep “insurance”
  • Take “official” visits to schools that have offered scholarships
  • Be aware of the “withdrawn offer” – be aware that the school can pull their offer until you sign a letter of intent after the 1st Wednesday in February.  There is no good solution to this problem, just be aware it can occur.
  • Even after you sign, remember that the scholarships are for one-year and are renewable.  You will have to re-earn that scholarship each season. The minute you sign a letter of intent, you need to begin working to prove yourself for that institution.  You represent all of us at your new school!

Qualifying Academically
Many students do not understand how important academics are to playing college football.  You must qualify with the NCAA in order to begin school.  If you don’t have the grades, it does not matter how good of a football player you are.
Test Scores (SAT & ACT)
  • Division I has a sliding scale for test score and grade-point average. The sliding scale for those requirements is shown on page two of this sheet.
  • Division II has no sliding scale. The minimum core grade-point average is 2.000. The minimum SAT score is 820 (verbal and math sections only) and the minimum ACT sum score is 68.
  • The SAT score used for NCAA purposes includes only the critical reading and math sections. The writing section is not used.
  • The ACT score used for NCAA purposes is a sum of the four sections on the ACT: English, mathematics, reading, science.
  • All SAT and ACT scores must be reported directly to the NCAA Eligibility Center by the testing agency. Test scores that appear on transcripts will not be used. When registering for the SAT or ACT, use the Eligibility Center code of 9999 to make sure the score is reported to the Eligibility Center.

Core Courses
  • NCAA Division I requires 16 core courses. This rule applies to any student first entering any Division I college or university. See the chart below for the breakdown of this 16 core-course requirement.
  • NCAA Division II requires 14 core courses. See the breakdown of core-course requirements below. Div II will require 16 core courses beginning August 1, 2013.

​Core Grade-Point Average
  • Only core courses are used in the calculation of the grade-point average.
  • Be sure to look at your high school’s list of NCAA-approved core courses on the Eligibility Center’s Web site to make certain that courses being taken have been approved as core courses. The Web site is www.eligibilitycenter.org
  • Division I grade-point-average requirements are listed on the nest page of this packet
  • The Division II grade-point-average requirement is a minimum of 2.000.

DIVISION I
  • 16 Core Courses:
  • 4 years of English.
  • 3 years of mathematics (Algebra I or higher).
  • 2 years of natural/physical science
  • 1 year of additional English, math or science
  • 2 years of social science.
  • 4 years of additional courses (from any area above, or foreign language).

DIVISION II
  • 14 Core Courses:
  • 3 years of English.
  • 2 years of mathematics (Algebra I or higher).
  • 2 years of natural/physical science
  • 2 years of additional English, math or science.
  • 2 years of social science.
  • 3 years of additional courses (from any area above or foreign language)

Questions to ask in Recruiting
  • How good is the department in my major? How many students are in the department? What credentials do faculty members hold? What are graduates of the program doing after school?
  • What percentage of players on scholarship graduate? The response will suggest the school’s commitment to academics. You might want to ask two follow-up questions: A. What percentage of incoming students eventually graduate? B.  What is the current team’s grade-point average?
  • What academic support programs are available to student athletes? Look for a college that will help you become a better student.
  • If I have a diagnosed, documented disability, what kind of academic services are available? Special services may help you achieve your academic goals.
  • How many credit hours should I take in season and out of season? It is important to determine how many credit hours are required for your degree and what pace you will follow to obtain that degree.
  • Are there restrictions in scheduling classes around practice? NCAA rules prevent you from missing class for practice.
  • Is summer school available? If I need to take a summer school class, will it be paid for by the college?
  • What positions will I play on your team? It may not be obvious yet to the coaches, so this answer may not be very specific.
  • What other players will be competing at the same position? The response should give you an idea as to when you might expect to play.
  • Will I be redshirted?
  • What expectations do you have for training and conditioning?
  • How would you describe your coaching style or the style of the staff in general? This is important to consider as it pertains to you as a player; how will you deal with a new style of leadership and instruction.
  • When does the head coach’s contract end? How long does the coach intend to stay?Don’t make assumptions about how long a coach will be at school. If the coach leaves, would that change your commitment to the school/program?
  • What are preferred, invited, and uninvited walk-on situations? How many do you expect to compete? How many earn a scholarship?
  • Who else and how many other players are you recruiting at my position?
  • Is medical insurance required for my participation? Is it provided by the school?
  • If I am seriously injured while competing, who is responsible for my medical expenses?
  • What happens if I want to transfer to another school?
  • What other factors should I consider when choosing your college? See if they can really sell their school; do they really believe in the program and institution?