It’s that time of year — where high school seniors take their final final exams, graduate and turn their attention full-time onto their college football career.
Hopefully onto their academic future as well.
But if you were a star in high school, do not rest on your laurels. You are guaranteed nothing at this level. In many places, your coach may be dissing Division III, saying that if it’s not scholarship, it’s not real football, that it’s just an extension of high school. That’s bull—-, ill-informed rhetoric from people who might well be looking to pad their own resume rather than toward your future.
So when you come to Division III, don’t do what this player did in an e-mail to D3football.com:
Look out for me next year im planning to do be things next year. My name is (player’s name here) I will be attend (D-III school name here) next year. So just keep a heads up and you should be hearing about me soon.
Let me just say this: Division III football is not just an extension of high school. Yes, there are a few hundred programs that are allegedly and have some talent, but that doesn’t mean Division III is devoid of talent and that you can just step in and expect to “do be things next year” — whatever that means.
I removed the player’s name and school’s name to protect the innocent, though I did not fix any grammar, obviously. That is an actual e-mail we received here at D3football.com within the past week.
To the young man who e-mailed — it’s a good thing it was e-mail and not the message board. Your conference’s posters would eat you alive. And with every sack you take over the next four years — though there was a sophomore who started at your position at your school last year, so expect some clipboard-holding — you’d get an earful from the stands.
To freshmen — welcome aboard, to both Division III football and to D3football.com. But be prepared to work. It does not get handed to you. No matter what you did in high school.
“Yes, there are a few hundred programs that are allegedly and have some talent … ”
They’re allegedly what, grammar guy?
Although I back Pat’s post here in principle, I think it’s OK for a freshman to come in with confidence, thinking he may be able to play or contribute right away. It happens. In many cases for the 237 D3 teams expected to be in action next season, freshmen will make an impact.
But there’s a fine line between confident and overconfident, or cocky, or annoyingly self-promotional. In a lot of cases, you’ve been told during recruiting you’ll be able to come in and [i]compete[/i] for a starting job. So often there’s another guy (or guys) already in the program who thinks that job is his too, and will do anything in his power to win it.
In essence, I back Pat 100% in this regard: There’s nothing easy about Division III football. In a lot of cases, the players are a few inches shorter and a few steps slower than college football’s top level, and not being big enough or good enough only makes those guys’ fire burn hotter. The schemes are much more complex than high school and the game moves much quicker than high school does, no doubt about it. Those of us who go to games Friday night and then Saturday afternoon have become able to spot the difference with the naked eye.
So, freshmen, come in with confidence. But bring some humility too. If you plan to work hard, pay attention and get in where you fit in, you might just have a big impact in 2007.
If you don’t, thought, stick with it. I was reading/posting about this on Post Patterns this week, about how less than half of the freshman recruited to play Division III football will make it through their senior years, for various reasons. Maybe less than a third. A lot don’t make it through their freshman year, or to opening day even.
But I always have respect for anyone who pays their dues, and perhaps bides their time, and doesn’t quit along the way.
After all, most of us D3 players do it for the love of the game. And if you really, truly love it, imagine how hard it’s going to be without it.
Thanks for this great site!
I am presently awaiting a decision from the Veterans Administration (VA) as to my educational benefits for serving in the military for 11 ½ years. In preparation for my schooling—I have been also searching Division III schools—in the Southeast or Southwest looking for a “QB” prospect over the next four years and for whom teach “political science” as that is the major I wish to undertake.
Although, I am “43—years young” I now look to reach my ultimate goal in life to play college football. Obviously, instead of going to college after high school; I joined the Navy and now—the time is right for me to reach my goal to “QB” a college team and obtain a degree in the process.
Can anyone please provide me some guidance as to any schools in the above-stated areas that might be interested in a “team” player and proven leader—and of course, in need of a “QB” to win championships?
I thank you for your time and consideration of this request. I can be reached at: verpafounder@verpapublishing.us and there are pictures of me on the site—to show you I am genuinely interested in achieving my goal to “QB.”
Best wishes,
/s/
Jeff Trueman
As a former D3 player and four-year starter, I agree wholeheartedly with Pat Coleman’s and D3Keith’s advice to incoming freshmen. Freshmen do have a chance to make an impact, but the vast majority will spend their season (or two) slugging it out on the scout team. The key to success is to not get discouraged when you find your name at number 4 or 5 on the depth chart (even though when you were being recruited you were told you would be challenging a sophomore for number 1). It can be a tough thing to swallow for players who had great success in high school and were at the top of the heap only 9 months pervious. Your freshmen season can be a humbling experience, but in the end, it will teach you what it takes to be successful if you don’t throw in the towel early.
Every year thousands of players with great potential get discouraged when they find out they are not going to be running with the 1s & 2s. Some are intimidated by the size, strength, and speed of their teammates. Others succumb to the physical and mental demands of camp. Some blame the coaches for not recognizing their “greatness”. The end result for many is quitting before the end of camp or by the end of September when the demands of school and the social opportunities of campus life become apparent.
What every freshman needs to understand is that your teammates are all pretty good athletes (yes, even the right tackles!). Almost everyone in camp was at least an all-conference player back in high school, and that most upperclassmen are stronger, faster, have better honed skills, and know the system better than you do. High School coaches that tell you that D3 is just like high school are idiots.
Still, you can be successful if you have the physical and mental toughness to gut it out and are prepared to take advantage of every opportunity. My Dad was a college coach for 30 years at the DI, DII, and DIII levels. Hanging around summer practices for 18 years prior to my freshman year provided me with some insight into how the college game operates. My father also gave me some great advice on the day he dropped me off at camp. He told me “Keep your mouth shut, arrive early for practice and meetings, and be the first freshmen in line for drills”. His words helped me immensely. No one likes a loud mouth self promoter (these guys are usually the first to go), coaches love guys who are there early, and you never want to get in front of an upperclassman in a line during practice the first two weeks of camp (it shows a lack of respect), but you also don’t want to be labeled a slacker so be at the front of your peer group.
Setting realistic goals can help immensely. Although the coaches who recruited me told me I would be competing for a starting job, I was not surprised to see my name at number 4 on the depth chart my first week of camp. My goal that August was to make the traveling team, and I did that by busting my butt during practice, and giving 110% during scrimmages and special teams drills. I was far from being an exceptional athlete, but I worked hard. I tried not to make my self a target by telling everyone how great I was (I was too small, weak, and slow to be convincing even if I had), but on the field I never backed down from an intimidator.
I didn’t play in our first game, but I played in the next three, and started the next 37 games after that. Luck also played a big part of my success. Injuries and position changes helped move my name up the chart. There were fellow freshman (and upperclassmen) who were better football players and who would have started in front of me if they had not quit in August and September. The lesson is that you have to stay positive, even during the dog-days of August when you are sore, later in September when your “party like a rock star” roommate wants you to go out with him on a Tuesday night, or even in November of your sophomore year when you are still running with the look squad. At the end of the day, it isn’t about the playing time. You are a part of the team and you need to do the things you have to do for everyone to be successful. I have found that in football, as in life, you get out of it what you are willing to put into in. If you stay with it, you usually take away much more.
As a parent of a “potential” D3 Football player in 2008, I really appreciate Gator88’s comments. My son is just now starting the recruitment process. For him, there are several “intangibles”. First off, he is young. He will graduate HS at 17. So there is always the question of “if he is still growing”. Second, he plays for a “smaller” high school. We know they usually get overlooked by colleges, even D3…. Third, even though he has been a starter since his Sophomore season, there has always been other linemen that receive the “spot light”. Even this coming season, there is another Senior who is receiving attention from D1, D1AA, and D2 schools. Even though last season he “graded out” as the best OL on the team, he is playing “2nd fiddle” to a big name player.
Gator88, you hit the nail on the head. You wrote many things that I have been telling my son for 3 years. Nothing will be “handed” to him. He must work hard to earn his spot.
Can anyone offer any insight as to how the D3 recruiting process works? Since there are no scholarships, are players “signed” to play at a school or are they just “invited” to camp? Do players “try-out” or are they considered on the team if they are invited?
My son is a senior on one of the best HS football programs in the country. Last year, he was setting himself up well to have a productive senior season when he dislocated his shoulder and had to have surgery. He is now entering his senior season as 3rd on the depth chart at his position, with minimal potential for significant playing time. His position coach told him he could potentially play D3 football if he was willing to put the time and effort to being a student-athlete. He is and we are now looking at what his options are. Any advice?