Is a D1 football player made or born?

[NKY Bandit]

What a great thread. My belief is that D1 players are born- size and speed. A young man with exceptional drive to go along with that size and speed will be high D1. A young man without size/speed but exceptional drive could play D1 but will have to walk on and earn it.

[Cynical]

I put it this way...almost every one of our teams has that 5'10 - 6'0 kid who either plays OL or ILB, or RB, or wherever and is the heart of our team. He is all hustle, all leadership, and all hard work. He kills it in the off season and gets after it in practice. He's great at football, and is a rebound machine in basketball, and is our starting pitcher in the Spring. He's great in the school building and while he may raise a little cain on the weekends he's good to his girlfriend and good to his momma. He's that all-American boy that's in every high school in America. But when the season is over, he's gonna have a chance to go to Campbellsville or Pikeville and that's about it.

 

Why?

 

'Cause he's just a little too short, just a step slow, and frankly, for as hard as he goes, he just doesn't have "it".

 

What's "it"? ..."It" is that God-given blessing that separates the born players from the made players. And "It" is as real as can be, and if you've been around football long enough, you'll know "it" as soon as you see it.

[Remmac2]

I put it this way...almost every one of our teams has that 5'10 - 6'0 kid who either plays OL or ILB, or RB, or wherever and is the heart of our team. He is all hustle, all leadership, and all hard work. He kills it in the off season and gets after it in practice. He's great at football, and is a rebound machine in basketball, and is our starting pitcher in the Spring. He's great in the school building and while he may raise a little cain on the weekends he's good to his girlfriend and good to his momma. He's that all-American boy that's in every high school in America. But when the season is over, he's gonna have a chance to go to Campbellsville or Pikeville and that's about it.

 

Why?

 

'Cause he's just a little too short, just a step slow, and frankly, for as hard as he goes, he just doesn't have "it".

 

What's "it"? ..."It" is that God-given blessing that separates the born players from the made players. And "It" is as real as can be, and if you've been around football long enough, you'll know "it" as soon as you see it.

 

You summed it up nicely here and any coach in HS will tell you about the kid on their roster that "if he had the right size/speed, he's a D1 prospect"

A superstar is the seperation of the gifted that also works harder than anyone else (think Jerry Rice/Michael Jordan) but they start with huge gifts that everyone can't possess

[KentuckyHog]

It's both. I was fortunate when my son was being recruited to have the opportunity to talk to a lot of college coaches. They look at the measurables, coachability, and grades. They are about to invest a lot of money, usually several hundred thousand dollars minimum, and if you won't do the work outside of being athletically gifted you better be going to LSU;).

[autopart101]

It's both. I was fortunate when my son was being recruited to have the opportunity to talk to a lot of college coaches. They look at the measurables, coachability, and grades. They are about to invest a lot of money, usually several hundred thousand dollars minimum, and if you won't do the work outside of being athletically gifted you better be going to LSU;).

 

D1 coaches are hung up on size. Its an easier sell to the head coach. I like this kids he's 6'5 290 OL. His tape could not be as good as 20 other smaller kids. They are looking for what the big kid could be in a few years. With speed its the same way.

[autopart101]

What a great thread. My belief is that D1 players are born- size and speed. A young man with exceptional drive to go along with that size and speed will be high D1. A young man without size/speed but exceptional drive could play D1 but will have to walk on and earn it.

I'm with you on this. If you don't have the size/speed they need for a position it doesn't matter how good you are. Kid could set the HS rushing record but never even get a call...

[KentuckyHog]

D1 coaches are hung up on size. Its an easier sell to the head coach. I like this kids he's 6'5 290 OL. His tape could not be as good as 20 other smaller kids. They are looking for what the big kid could be in a few years. With speed its the same way.

 

I agree to a point, but 6'5 290 is a dime a dozen in high schools across the country. You've got to have the full package.

[ATLCat]

Both.

 

On the Born Argument:

- Obviously certain kids just have better genetics.

- Some are born with a "name" that will command attention. A D-1 school will be much more apt to take a chance on a kid if his father was a star player.

- Where you are born matters. I think about a school like Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, GA. This is a school that produces 6-8 Major D-1 players a year. I say out of each class one or two would not be D-1 prospects if they played for another school in Georgia, let alone in rural KY. The bottom line though is these D-1 factories are more heavily scouted, there are more "package deals" to try and lure highly rated prospects, and there are more offers extended just hoping to get a foot into the pipeline.

 

 

On the Grown Argument:

- Recruiting has became pretty standardized. EVERYONE has a Hudl profile now. The highlight video is still valuable, but it doesn't carry the weight it once did. Coaches spend most of their recruiting time on the elite prospects... by and large the days of coaches scouting the individual games have gone by the wayside more for an "All In" approach to the elite guys. Anymore the best way to get noticed for an upcoming guy is to work the camp scene. Kids are getting better coaching how to excel in a camp/combine environment.

- For every Damien Harris who has been given the genetic lottery, there is also a Keion Wakefield. Wakefield's size is underwhelming and in an interview he talked about how he used to be the little guy on the team that played in garbage time as a kid. Now Wakefield will be a D-1 prospect due to his work ethic and coaches who were willing to work with him.

- Watching the Kansas State/Auburn game the Sexton kid from KSU stood out. Here is a guy that is 5'11 183. Does not have elite speed or leaping ability. He comes from rural Kansas. Yet he is one of the best WR's in the Big 12 and nearly single handily helped knock off #5 Aburn because they couldn't stop him. What made him so good was his routes were flawless... he caught everything that came to him... and he always was in the right place when his QB needed help. There are about 50+ Curry Sexton's across KY right now from an athleticism standpoint, but what will make them D-1 prospects are all things they have to hone and perfect.

[IceIceBaby]

Born.

 

You can learn skills. You can be "made" into a quality player and have success beyond HS athletics with the right work ethic, but a true D1 caliber athlete is born that way. You can see from a very young age, in almost all cases but with some exception, that the kid has a special future ahead if he stays the path.

 

You have to have a combo of some inherent skills, size, speed, and then you are "made" through the development.

[Hellbird]

There isn't a clear cut answer.

I'd say a lot has to do with measurable and those you are born with. At the same time if they don't work at their craft they will never gain the talent to reach the DI level.

 

If you aren't born with the genetics for the size and speed and build, then more times than not you won't ever get a sniff at DI even if you may play better at a certain position than some who go DI.

 

So I'd say it starts with the measurables you are born with before anything else.

[NKY Bandit]

There isn't a clear cut answer.

I'd say a lot has to do with measurable and those you are born with. At the same time if they don't work at their craft they will never gain the talent to reach the DI level.

 

If you aren't born with the genetics for the size and speed and build, then more times than not you won't ever get a sniff at DI even if you may play better at a certain position than some who go DI.

 

So I'd say it starts with the measurables you are born with before anything else.

 

Did you just agree with me? Uh oh. Can I change my mind? LOL.

[Oldbird]

Born. There are examples of athletes who have not played a single down of high school football and play football at a high level (both D-1 and NFL). This really doesn't happen in any other sport except football.

[Bluegrasscard]

Better have a whole lot going on in those bloodlines....

 

Though it may seem trite this is true.

 

You see some parents of D1 players. Dad is 6'5" and mom is 6"1 and both may have been college athletes. Thus junior comes in a solid 6'3" or more.

 

From experience - parents that are 6'2" and 5'1" can generate 2 5'10"s and a 6'2". Guess which one at least considered the next level in football?

 

Here is the NSCA recruiting guide:

 

http://www.ncsasports.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/SportsSpecificRecruitingGuide1.pdf

 

Page 28 has the 'template' sizes that high level D1 is looking for.

 

The shortest is 6'0" (RB). The other positions are 6'2" or more. TE, OL, DL are 6'4".

 

I had a former college player father tell me that at D1 level they do focus on size and speed (as noted - they can not teach those). They have the (arrogant) attitude that then can teach you everything else in most cases.

[autopart101]

Though it may seem trite this is true.

 

You see some parents of D1 players. Dad is 6'5" and mom is 6"1 and both may have been college athletes. Thus junior comes in a solid 6'3" or more.

 

From experience - parents that are 6'2" and 5'1" can generate 2 5'10"s and a 6'2". Guess which one at least considered the next level in football?

 

Here is the NSCA recruiting guide:

 

http://www.ncsasports.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/SportsSpecificRecruitingGuide1.pdf

 

Page 28 has the 'template' sizes that high level D1 is looking for.

 

The shortest is 6'0" (RB). The other positions are 6'2" or more. TE, OL, DL are 6'4".

 

I had a former college player father tell me that at D1 level they do focus on size and speed (as noted - they can not teach those). They have the (arrogant) attitude that then can teach you everything else in most cases.

 

Spot on. They tend to thing High School coaches are clueless they can teach the game just not size speed. This is my stance they know what fits the mold and won't beak it often.

[kypride]

Born