Momster

He's 2017. And taking his time....

Good lesson for all of these kids. Def think many of these kids speak out of frustration. When I think of being 18-23 and having to give some kind of comment publicly after playing in an intense sporting event, it is a wonder it doesn't happen more often and much worse. What you say out loud, photograph, every mistake on and off the field or every act that can be seen doing can and will be taken out context, will follow you these days. You see it on twitter, facebook and youtube every day. I always sort of wonder on the interview side what kind of coaching the kids get on that front.

Prukop was an awesome player and kid.

SDSU just hired a new OL coach who accepted yesterday. I looked at Merkert's clips. Big boy. What role would he play specifically at a college? I watched his tape. He has the size and I think he'd have to play at college level with a coach willing to put additional time and effort. Someone will pick him up.

Lots of reasons go into why a kid picks a college and even more of why or why one of them doesn't want to play a sport for them. I've never once heard a kid say let me look at their past accomplishments to this degree and not look at the coaching staff of the wins and losses. If they do see past records usually past losses or wins are under different coaching as I've stated with so much turnover--so who really cares? It is more in my opinion about who can they play for, do the locals support the college teams and I will say it again--did they "like" the coaches, and this is going to sound silly but what kind of food does the school offer (just ask the kids--it comes up WAY more than you think it would when they check out the food at the schools--and coaches underestimate the power of a kids stomach), can the student athlete actually want to attend a program here and live in this community? I even heard one parent and kid (not us) arguing at a football camp where he was offered a scholarship where the kid didn't like the town because it didn't even have a Buffalo Wild Wings or and no Chipotle with in walking distance and he was upset because the school cafeteria couldn't make decent mac and cheese and apparently he was a big one for mac and cheese. He called the town "lame." Kid criteria is NOT the same as adult criteria. Just sayin.... If I was UND, you look for the kid who would look at the "got screwed" and say, yeah, about that--I don't want to win for a school that always wins, I want to be part of the underdog come back kid story.

I like UND. Thanks!

No. I know everyone around him has high expectations and they want him to play in college. Right now he just doesn't want to talk about it and everyone asks him 100 times a week if he wants to play in college. Right now, today he just wants to eat Chipotle and play video games because finals were stressful. We don't ask unless he wants to talk about it or brings it up. We are supportive of him but when everyone keeps asking him I just tell him let it go for today because today big strong boys have things they can be doing and I put a shovel in his hands and tell him there is a pile of snow with his name on it. Some days he comes home and gushes about what he wants to do and then he goes silent about it for weeks on end. His coach will tell me he's met with various college coaches and he doesn't always tell us and would you believe he says he forgets to tell us and I believe him. I am his Mom and kids don't tell their mothers everything for sure.

There are football coaches that come and hang out at the high school winter sports events and act surprised they are running across athletes by accident they are very obviously there to see even during lock out times. It is quite obvious there are communication strategies of letting athletes know they are wanted so when lock out times open up this doesn't appear to be so odd as it reads.

Your note is great! The ride overall just exploring playing college football has just been more bumpy than I think he was expecting related to coaching turn overs over overhype and what seems like program drama so I think I am actually glad of the lesson he pulled out of watching it all and what his friends have experienced so far which is how important it is to go into it trying to choose the right school fit. Sports and $ aside. That isn't to say any sort of $ wouldn't influence the situation for him and probably any other kid with the economy the way it is but what good is a full scholarship if you are miserable and the school doesn't have the programs you want to support your education and career with for the rest of your life?

The process so far has been an odd thing. Lots of coaching departures in these programs over the last two years since he's been going to camps. As a kid, there is a ton of truth to targeting schools you are actually wanting to attend for the long haul vs just playing a sport for because a sport can end any time for any reason. I think the biggest surprise to the family so far and especially my son is how much these coaches come and go and what some of them will say and how much of it is reality (or not). Just my personal opinion, some of the rules are more real now. Having just watched so much turn over in staffing that sometimes turns several times over in short duration makes it actually kind of odd they hold these kids to no transfer clauses so many times which stops them from moving on but they can move at the drop of a hat. He's looking for a stable program, decent school, nice town, down to earth, pragmatic, no nonsense surroundings and staff. UND was fantastic visit and he loved how down to earth and approachable the staff was. Impressed how much research the coaches had done on the visitors.

yepper

You would think they could come up with something better than any of these options.

UND needs O linemen. And an all star QB. Just sayin...

K I know several of these boys and I know a few of them have visited but wasn't sure if offers had been made or not. Thanks

I looked at the 2016-2017 prospect lists in Wiki. Where do the names come from and what is the level of interest of both the athletes and the coaches?