Recruiting Red flag recruits (according to coaches)

Gator Fever

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The chance of landing a recruit that could be a game changer will often trump
the risks involved in taking on a kid that could turn out to be a real cancer to the program.
I suspect the "Poster Boy" of red flags has to be Willie Williams, a 5 star recruit out of the
Miami area who's escapades on various recruiting trips were so outrageous that the NCAA
stepped in and changed the rules of what can and can't transpire during the recruiting process.
Willie, billed as the next Lawrence Taylor, bounced around several schools before finally washing
out of football altogether. Brushes with the law followed his tanked career.


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Yep he never amounted to much at all football wise. Didn't have the instincts for the ball to be a top player at that position. Good thing we didn't end up with him.
 

GatorJ

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That's because everyone knows it takes special talent to make special teams.....well other than a few on this board and Butters staff seem to know that....
It appears to me to be like that of managing your stock portfolio...You have to take some stuff with a higher risk if you want the highest/fastest returns. Sure you can get burned if you're not paying attention(like letting players buy their own supplements) but in the end that's what you're getting paid millions for...to manage the risk.
There has never been a dominant winning program that didn't have some questionable players....OU in the 70's and 80's, Miamuh in the 80's and 90's, USC and UF in the 2000's , Bama and FSU presently...Hell even supposed "nice guy" CFB coaches like Tom Osbourne and Sweatervest were found to be housing some real scumbags on their rosters....It's just the way the game is played and always has been.

Wasn't he the one that was setting off fire extinguishers on his visit here? And then mocked Gainesville for being a small podunk town?

Didn't he also Grope a student in an elevator on his trip here? Or something like that?
 

TheDouglas78

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Wasn't he the one that was setting off fire extinguishers on his visit here? And then mocked Gainesville for being a small podunk town?

Didn't he also Grope a student in an elevator on his trip here? Or something like that?

He got charged with sexual assualt (unwanted sexual touching of a female student) while on his visit here, and he did the fire extinguishers.
 

TLB

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Yep he never amounted to much at all football wise. Didn't have the instincts for the ball to be a top player at that position. Good thing we didn't end up with him.

So, you're saying Mac still has a chance as we're always late to offer?
 

InstiGATOR1

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I view most of these as more yellow flags than red flags. Ala soccer if you get to many yellow flags (cards), they add up to a red flag (card). And of course as some have said, if you are a marginal prospect like 99% of the prospects these can be yellow flags, but for 1% prospects some coaches will ignor them.

And some of these should not be red or even yellow flags at all. That a kid wants to get down to brass tacks on the first visit and see if you plan to offer are not seems to me to be a mature move on the part of the kid. The kid will not waste time with or will not it if you are hoping to string him along while you wait out some other prospect. You will know that this is not a kid who will be bsed.

I guess some coaches wont like it. Still you are entering a business relationship not trying to seduce someone.
 

TheDouglas78

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I view most of these as more yellow flags than red flags. Ala soccer if you get to many yellow flags (cards), they add up to a red flag (card). And of course as some have said, if you are a marginal prospect like 99% of the prospects these can be yellow flags, but for 1% prospects some coaches will ignor them.

And some of these should not be red or even yellow flags at all. That a kid wants to get down to brass tacks on the first visit and see if you plan to offer are not seems to me to be a mature move on the part of the kid. The kid will not waste time with or will not it if you are hoping to string him along while you wait out some other prospect. You will know that this is not a kid who will be bsed.

Seemed to me at least how I read it, it's if in the first few minutes of the initial contact (phone call/meeting at camp/HS school) they mention it. If the kid is on his first visit, and he mentions it I don't believe there would be an issue. If they are being brought out, it's time to get serious.
 

InstiGATOR1

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Seemed to me at least how I read it, it's if in the first few minutes of the initial contact (phone call/meeting at camp/HS school) they mention it. If the kid is on his first visit, and he mentions it I don't believe there would be an issue. If they are being brought out, it's time to get serious.

I certainly agree with how you describe it. I just disagree that it is a red flag for a kid to try to see if schools contacting him are serious. I know coaches would like to string along every prospect just in case they get turned down by someone they want more. That is not in the interest of the recruit and it does not seem like a red flag or a lack of interest in the sport for a recruit to try to guage the interest of the team.

If evaluation is the issue, then it gives the team a chance to explain their evaluation process to the player. These schools contact tons of guys. The assistant coaches doing most of the recruiting do not want to lose their job by being caught short on recruits, so they string along guys who may have little chance of ever getting an offer. Some kids every year miss midmajor offers because some higer level assistant has strung them along. Being smart is not a red flag in my book.
 

TheDouglas78

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I certainly agree with how you describe it. I just disagree that it is a red flag for a kid to try to see if schools contacting him are serious. I know coaches would like to string along every prospect just in case they get turned down by someone they want more. That is not in the interest of the recruit and it does not seem like a red flag or a lack of interest in the sport for a recruit to try to guage the interest of the team.

If evaluation is the issue, then it gives the team a chance to explain their evaluation process to the player. These schools contact tons of guys. The assistant coaches doing most of the recruiting do not want to lose their job by being caught short on recruits, so they string along guys who may have little chance of ever getting an offer. Some kids every year miss midmajor offers because some higer level assistant has strung them along. Being smart is not a red flag in my book.

If you have had multiple phone calls/visits/ etc and you ask not a red flag. On the first contact, i could see it being a red flag or just a reason to take pause. Most contact happens before their senior year for a number of these players. I was recruited in Track, my first contact happened by Sophomore Year. I also played football with a few guys that signed D1 scholarships, watched one cut off another school who had been contacting him for 6 months saying are you going to offer, if the answer is no, stop calling.
 

Mr2Bits

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Nice read but none of this applies to high 4stars and positively to 5stars.
Also notice all the quotes are D2 and D3 schools.....most of those apply to all top 100 guys and every coach is willing to look past them especially the crazy parents part!
 

TheDouglas78

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Also notice all the quotes are D2 and D3 schools.....most of those apply to all top 100 guys and every coach is willing to look past them especially the crazy parents part!

like in all areas, talent will get other things overlooked.
 

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