Hello, my name is Chris Norris.  Considering that we have been thru quite an experience with the recruiting process with my son Madison, we have learned a significant amount of info on the recruiting game these last few years.  Recruiting is a game of “who you know” and “being at the right place at the right time”.  We spent some times with some Warren Central athletes this evening along with talking to scouts on twitter…… WC, BD, are football hotbeds along with Cathedral who ALWAYS draw attention from college coaches because they are known to produce good football players AND they play top notch schools such as schools in Ohio who are nationally ranked. If you have a good coach, when the colleges come in, the HS coach will recommend players to them. if you school is not that hotbed, then you REALLY need to be getting into the right events to supplement this. The ranking system, as i have always suspected, is highly subjective……. people do get caught up in star rankings, but that mainly means being at the right place at the right time…… ex. one of the players i talked to this evening said he got a high ranking simply by making one good play against a really good team. Also, sometimes players get high rankings who really dont deserve high rankings………
Things to do:
  1. Make sure you network, network, network!!! Getting exposure is a sales job!!!
  2. BRING IT EVERY PLAY IN YOUR COMPETITION! Because you never know who’s watching and one good play could be your ticket.
  3. From a scout…. make sure you go to the RIGHT places to get exposure – College Camps Showcases…..sometimes this are simply 1 day.
  4. Make sure you evaluate each combine/showcase you plan to attend…… a.) see who will be there and this includes coaches, schools, 247, Scout, Rival, etc….. they are a SIGNIFICANT amount of “false” events that claim this and that and all you are getting is a false sense of exposure……..
  5. Be leary of services who claim to be able to provide services that a.) you could have done for yourself and b.) want to give you a cadillac when none of the fluff is necessary.
  6. SOCIAL MEDIA IS YOUR BEST FRIEND! Get a twitter, facebook, instagram, etc account, KEEP IT CLEAN and UPDATED cause they do look. SOCIAL MEDIA IS FREE!!!!. Follow RELEVANT people!!!! Get them to follow you!!!!!
  7. Talk to as many people as you can WHO HAVE BEEN THROUGH IT…….
  8. Dont spend a lot of money on the wow factor like THX highlight videos…… your school normally shoots video. Use that for making your HUDL video.
  9. SELL YOURSELF. Contact coaches, Recruiting Coordinators, and get them to invite you down.
  10. GRADES!!!!! Last week i spoke with four people and the FIRST thing they ask was the boys grades!
  11. Make sure the athletes do most of the work. Coaches love the initiative
  12. Learn from Social Media.  By simply reading, you can learn a WHOLE LOT about what it takes to get exposure and which combines to attend.
Well, I think that is it for now. I hope to see you at future colleges, camps, combines, etc….. Please dont be afraid to ask or anybody who you deem knowledgeable.