1. Recruiting 2014 TUCKER RECRUITING

2. INTRO TO RECRUITING SITES The phenomenon that is known as college recruiting is nothing new. To diehard fans, the idea of known who the next “program changer” was and where he would be attend college has been a topic of hot debate for years. Magazines such a Parade All-Americans and newspapers like the USA Today tracked this stud athletes from the beginning of their high school days to National Signing Day, the glorified culmination of years of recruiting bottled up into a day of joy (and sometimes tears) as these prospects sign their Letters of Intent and choose their destination for the next 4 years…

3. INTRO TO RECRUITING SITES …around 2001, this insatiable thirst for following the recruitment of players to on a whole new form as a company known as Rivals took over the industry by not only providing online and up to date information on recruits, but organizing and ranking them nationally based off of performances at camps as well as film, and live evaluations. Today, recruiting sites are a mega million dollar operation that provides prospects, colleges and the not so casual viewer with insight into the national recruiting landscape…

4. INTRO TO RECRUITING SITES …as a result, it is imperative you (the parent) and your child (the prospect) are knowledgeable as to the various recruiting websites out there, the differences between them, how colleges obtain and use this information, and what recruiting sites can do for you.

5. WHAT CAN RECRUITING SITES DO FOR YOU? Good question! Similar to the great philosophical debate about which came first: the chicken or the egg??? ANSWER: it depends

6. WHAT CAN RECRUITING SITES DO FOR YOU? PROS Can track other players at your position or in your state Can receive info about upcoming camps and events Creates competition Helps colleges learn more about you CONS Can create bad publicity if not done correctly Creates rumors Time consuming and creates a lot of hassle Causes a lot of confusion about the best way to actually get recruited and/or earn a scholarship

7. MAJOR SITES- RIVALS RIVALS, Inc. – http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/ http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/ Origins Origins: 1998 - present Claim to fame Claim to fame: "Star system" 3 facts 3 facts : 1st to create national player rankings Introduced online video highlights Is connect with all 4 major ALL-STAR games Employers Employers: 300+ Head analyst Head analyst: Mike Farrell Camps Camps: RIVALS CAMP SERIES & RIVALS 5STAR CHALLENGE Exciting Fact Exciting Fact: 1st site to produce the coach "recruited by" function

8. MAJOR SITES - SCOUT SCOUT, Inc. – www.scout.com www.scout.com Origins Origins: 2001 - present Claim to fame Claim to fame: recruiting TV shows (Countdown to Signing Day) 3 facts 3 facts : Is known for its recruting blogs, forums, & chat rooms Creates magazines as well as its online features Caters to college recruiting as well as info on the PRO’s Employers Employers: ??? Head analyst Head analyst: Jamie Newberg (TV) & Chad Simmons (camps) Camps Camps: VTO CAMP SERIES & VTO ELITE 100; MVP CAMPS Exciting Fact Exciting Fact: originated as TheInsiders before setling on scout.com

9. MAJOR SITES - ESPN ESPN RecruitingNation. – http://espn.go.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/index http://espn.go.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/index Origins Origins: unknown – present (ESPNU 2006 – present) Claim to fame Claim to fame: RecruitingNation & the UnderArmour Game 3 facts 3 facts : 1st to create initial national rankings for JUNIORS Known for its TOP300 ranking system Uses the numeric grading scale Employers Employers: ??? Head analyst Head analyst: Tom Luginbill & Craig Haubert Camps Camps: NFTC (NIKE) & The Opening (NIKE); UnderArmour National Underclassman Combines Exciting Fact Exciting Fact: ESPN’s RecruitingNation is the leading media source for the UnderArmour game though its teamed up with Nike and the Nike camp circuit.

10. MAJOR SITES – 247 247sports – www.247sports.com www.247sports.com Origins Origins: 2010 – present Claim to fame Claim to fame: Composite score rankings & updated player timelines 3 facts 3 facts : 1st to create initial national rankings for JUNIORS Known for its TOP300 ranking system Uses the numeric grading scale Employers Employers: ??? Head analyst Head analyst: Rusty Mansell Camps Camps: ??? Exciting Fact Exciting Fact: last year (2013), 247sports signed a contract that made them the official partner for the US ARMY ALL-AMERICAN BOWL, one of the nations TOP 4 postseason all-star games.

11. OTHER RECRUITING SITES beRecruited – http://new.berecruited.com/ http://new.berecruited.com/ Origins Origins: 2000 – present Claim to fame Claim to fame: allows prospects to create profiles that include academic info 3 facts 3 facts : Used by 68% if colleges & universities Prospects can create their own profile Prospect can monitor feedback and responses from coaches Employers Employers: ??? Head analyst Head analyst: none Camps Camps: none Exciting Fact Exciting Fact: company was founded be a former division I college swimmer.

12. OTHER RECRUITING SITES BleacherReport – http://bleacherreport.com/recruiting/archives http://bleacherreport.com/recruiting/archives Origins Origins: 2007 – present Claim to fame Claim to fame: unique TeamStream app w/ real time updates 2 facts 2 facts : Provides a multitude of media outlets to provide up to the minute info Affiliated indirectly with 247sports Employers Employers: ??? Head analyst Head analyst: none Camps Camps: none

13. OTHER RECRUITING SITES SB Nation – http://www.sbnation.com/college-football-recruiting http://www.sbnation.com/college-football-recruiting Origins Origins: 2000 – present Claim to fame Claim to fame: ??? 3 facts 3 facts : ??? Uses unique data driven and detailed historical data to generate excellent recruiting reports and diagrams Employers Employers: ??? Head analyst Head analyst: none Camps Camps: none

14. OTHER RECRUITING SITES

15. 2014 SPRING CAMPS *NOTE: the information on this slide has been provided via HUDL as well as in a handout

16. HOW DO COLLEGES USE RECRUITING SITES? Colleges buy subscriptions to these major sites Rivals, 247sports, etc. Also use other Recruiting Databases that aren’t often known to the public Use databases to generate their original recruiting boards Gather basic info as well as highlight video, and info on camps a prospect may have attended Look for tendencies between the recruiting databases to “rank” prospects Track scholarships offers by other schools recruiting prospects Can see who else is after a given prospect w/o asking the prospect Can find out where a kid may be visiting a school in advance Can learn players top 5, 10 favorite schools Can see what coach from another college is recruiting a particular prospect

17. REFERENCES Rivals http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=36178 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivals.com Scout http://www.scout.com/3/company.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scout.com Espn http://p.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/31/espn-college-sites-forming-partnerships/ http://espn.go.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/index 247sports http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/247Sports.com 247sports.com