Otto C. Campbell Blog

Monday, December 18, 2017

Vegan "Pub Cheese" Dip, Sharp Cheddar Flavor!

Gathering with friends or family this holiday season? Spruce up any appetizer party platter with this Vegan "Pub Cheese" Dip. It has a smoky, sharp cheddar flavor, but is light and lovely enough to dip generously. Spread on crackers, pretzels, bagel chips, carrot sticks, apple slices or celery. I am totally in love with the warming smoky flavor that has undertones of sweetness from the cashew base and a touch of maple syrup. Party hosts: whip this up for your snack platter. Party guests: Bring this along with some dippables to help your gracious host out a bit. (And either way you get to dive into creamy Pub Cheese, soo, win win..)Read more »

This is a summary, images and full post available on HHL website!

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Q&A with a Family Part 2: What happens with football recruiting during a coaching change in December?

When an athlete accepts a Division I scholarship offer for any sport, they feel strongly that this is the school that they want to spend the next four or five years of their life at. And while some may decommit and eventually pick another program, the majority of athletes stay strong to their word when they originally commit.

But what happens to a recruit after committing when the head coach at the school leaves the program in a flash only a short time before Signing Day? We had a chance to do a question and answer with a family who had the chance to go through this exact situation. Find out what they thought about the whole process and what they did to help their son get football recruiting attention in the first place. This is part two of a two part article. Click here for the previous article.

What was the first thoughts once the coaching change became official?
We were really stunned and disappointed. We were anxious to see who the new coach was going to be and if our son would fit into their plans and ours.

Once the change happened, your son opened up recruiting. Did State University #2 and Out of State University #2 come calling or did you express interest in them?
They both made initial contact.

How was the official visit to State University #2?
First Class. We were very impressed with the coaching staff, the facilities, the way we were treated, and the organization of the visit. They stressed to us that this was a no pressure situation since they knew that our son was still committed to State University #1. They wanted our son to get a better in-depth look of the Engineering Program and the Football Program. He also had the opportunity to spend time with several of the football players. In the end, it made our son’s decision a little tougher.

What was it like getting all this attention from schools that had not offered in the spring? Why all of a sudden did it seem they had scholarships waiting?
It was stressful because we thought the recruiting process was over when he committed to State University #1 in May. It can also make you second guess your initial decision. Had our son not ended his recruiting process early, he had planned on attending a number of camps at conference schools in the area. Had he attended those camps, he probably would have picked up several more offers per what the coaches were telling us on our Junior Day visits.

What sold you for the second time on State University #1?
Our son needed to meet the new coaches and get a feel for them and what their plans were for him and their offensive scheme. When we visited in January, our son met with the new head coach and knew after a lengthy conversation with him that he was passionate about State University #1’s Football Program and his vision for the future. Our was in those plans which was important to him and our family. We also had the opportunity to meet his position coach. He went over his schemes and where he saw our son fitting into the future. Our son’s first impression of this coach was that he was a confident teacher and stressed the basic principles.

How much did the families background with State University #1 factor in?
We never stressed to our son that he had to attend the same school that we did. Ultimately, over the years visiting the school for various events and activities, our son found it to be a place he could see himself getting a great education and a place where he could compete in sports at a higher level.

As a parent, how stressful was the recruiting process?
Initially, not very stressful because the offer came early. After State University #1’s coach resigned, and our son opened up his recruiting, it became more stressful wondering about our son’s future and if we had made all the right decisions.

What was the process as a family to narrow down the recruiting process?
We always stressed to our son that the final decision would have to be his to make and he didn’t have to go to the same school that his parents attended. During the ride home from each visit, we would talk about the pros and cons of the university. Nothing ever seemed to top State University #1 in our son’s eyes and in his heart.

Do you feel that college coaches were honest with you the entire time in the process?
Yes.

Did you feel that schools offered because other schools did? If so, do you think that happened often?
No.

Estimate how many unofficial visits you took and how worth while they were during the process?
Approximately ten. We felt they were very worthwhile because it reassured our son that State University #1 was the best fit for him.

What would you say was the most difficult part of the recruiting process?
The initial phase of sending out videotapes and anxiously waiting for a reply. Wondering if he has what it takes to play at the next level. Secondly, going through a coaching change before he signed his National Letter of Intent.

Do you have any other words of wisdom for families out there reading this?
One thing that really caught the attention of coaches was that our son is a very good student. Academics have to be #1 throughout their high school days. When coaches visit younger players at Large High School #1, one of the first things they say is, “How are your grades?” If you don’t have the grades, they won’t be able to make you an offer, no matter how good of a player you are.

Start your recruiting process early. Visit a lot of schools. Attend one day summer camps so you can save money and it doesn’t allow coaches to over evaluate your child.

Make a file to help you stay organized and to document any communication between your son and coaches at all of the different schools that are involved.

Be realistic on the level at which you think your son can play.

It’s not the high school or high school coaches job to promote your son, it’s your responsibility. They will be happy to help but ultimately the time you put into the recruiting process will directly benefit your family.

Try to enjoy the entire process.

Once again, a special thanks for the parents in their help!

The post Q&A with a Family Part 2: What happens with football recruiting during a coaching change in December? appeared first on Recruiting-101.

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Sunday, December 17, 2017

Including only scholarship worthy plays in your recruiting highlight video

For some sports like football, an outstanding recruiting highlight video can make or break what type of attention that you will receive in the recruiting process. I have stressed for years the importance of having a quality product put together and the impact that it can have on you. But in working on one recently, something really stood out to me.
If you read different sources, some say you need to include your best twelve plays, your best twenty plays, or any other random number you can come up with. But in my mind, there is one thing you should really think about when producing a recruiting highlight video. Is this play scholarship worthy?
If you are the one doing the highlight video yourself, that question is something that should enter into your mind every single play that you use. If you are hiring it out, make sure that the company you have gone with knows what they are doing and has an eye for what college coaches are looking for. If you are doing this on hudl, make sure the plays are organized by the best ones, not just the first game, second game, and so on.
I hate to bring this story up again but for an athlete had his highlight video produced by a company in their home town where most of their work was done with wedding. The video was well presented but the problems occurred when the plays started. The first video of the recruiting highlight video was of the athlete at quarterback handing the ball off. Do you think him handing the ball off was scholarship worthy? What is even worse is that this recruit was not even being recruited at quarterback.
The moral of that quick story is that even if you have friends who know how to edit video, make sure they know what college coaches are looking for. If they don’t, then move on. There is no doubt in my mind that it is worth paying a few more dollars to someone who knows what they are doing. That knowledge can be the difference between a scholarship and a walk-on spot at the school.
Going back to the main theme of the article, if you are a running back, think about if each play you put is scholarship worthy. Is a two-yard touchdown up the middle really going to help you get a scholarship? If the answer is no, don’t include it. The touchdown appears on your stats so if it is lackluster, it doesn’t need to be in your highlight video as well.
What you want to include are the impressive runs. It may be a play where you juked someone, broke through a tackle, or gave a great stiff arm. Even if these plays are only 10-yard gains, the ability that you show may make the difference in the eyes of college coaches. Breaking three tackles and juking someone for 15-yard is more scholarship worthy than a perfectly blocked 80-yard run where no one touched you.
So before finalizing that highlight video, go through each and every one of the plays that are included. Is this play good enough to get me a scholarship? And if you don’t know or are too bias to tell, then it may be best to hire out the video and get it done by a professional.

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Saturday, December 16, 2017

Q&A with a Family Part 1: What happens with football recruiting during a coaching change late in the process

Can you please describe the overall recruiting process that your family went through?
The recruiting process started in the summer between our son’s sophomore and junior years. He attended the State University #1 one-day Prospect Camp and one day of State University #2 three-day padded camp. He also attended a 7 on 7 Passing Camp at State University #2. Being a starter on the State Championship Team jump started his recruiting due to the exposure he got during the semifinals and State Championship Game.

We had a highlight tape made and attended a number of Junior Day Events at several schools. In the spring of his junior year, we also made several unofficial visits to check facilities, academics, and the football program. We had offers from a couple of recruiting services to promote our son and help with the recruiting process but we opted to try it ourselves first. With the offer from State University #1 in April of ’08 and his commitment in May ’08, he decided to end his process early because that was the offer he was looking for.

What had been your experience with football recruiting prior to this?
None. We did our own recruiting process with our daughter, who received a volleyball scholarship from Out-of-State University #1.

When did you feel your son had the potential to play college athletics?
Freshman Year

Did you use a recruiting service/recruiting agent during the recruiting process? If so, why? If not, why did you go that route?
Both (parents) are college athletes and have gone through the recruiting process ourselves. Granted, it was many years ago and things are quite a bit different today but we knew the questions that needed to be asked and we knew that we needed to promote our son through exposure at camps, a highlight video, and communicating with the coaching staffs. We had some experience with recruiting from going through the process with our daughter.

We did speak to a couple of recruiters, but after seeing the price of some of the services, we felt we would make a run of it on our own before soliciting their services. Being from Large High School #1, a school with a rich tradition in football and a great coaching staff, also was a big help in the recruiting process. The coaches do a nice job of promoting their players and have many contacts in the college ranks.

If you handled recruiting yourself, what did you do to help get your son’s name out to college coaches?
We had a highlight video made and sent it out to many different schools. He attended several junior day events. The high school coach sent his name out on many potential athlete questionnaires. During his junior year, he worked out with another Division I athlete during track. Many coaches visit Large High School #1 throughout the winter and spring. When they were talking to this other athlete, they noticed our son’sbody type, work ethic, and foot speed, and took a mental note of who he was.

Do you feel that making All State/All Conference lists is important during the recruiting process?
No. Our son did not have a single post season honor during his Junior season.

What do you feel were some of the best steps that you took to help get your son attention?
Attending camps in the summer.

Were there any steps that you took that you would have avoided when looking back now?
No

How much help did his high school coach play in the recruiting process?
The high school coach did a great job of adding our son’s name to many lists of potential players. He also returned phone calls to many coaches, introduced our son to many of the visiting coaches, and even attended one of the summer camps our son was at and spoke with the coaches there about him.

Was the guidance counselor at the school used much? If so, for what?
Yes. Our son is interested in Engineering. His counselor helped him by giving him a list of the top engineering schools to look over during his recruiting process. They also assisted us with some of the Clearinghouse information and sending transcripts out to some of the schools he was looking at.

Did you make a highlight video yourself or have it professionally done? Why did you pick the route that you did?
We had a highlight video made by a local guy. He is a graduate of Large High School #1, films all of the games, and really knows the players and what to look for in a highlight video. We had seen some of his work and liked what we saw so we went with his services. We felt it was important to have a quality product to send out to the coaches.

How many highlight videos did you end up sending out total?
Between 10-15

Before sending the videos, had you had much contact with the college coaches?
Not really, in most cases it was our son’s contact with coaches at school and from camps.

Was there much contact with the media during the recruiting process? Did you use it to help get the word out about scholarship offers?
Yes. Before our son’s scholarship offers, the only media contact was from Rivals.com and Scout.com. Once he committed to State University #1, the larger newspapers throughout the State and television crews started interviewing him.

Why did your son decide to end the recruiting process in May originally?
ISU was our son’s “dream school” for football and engineering. He’s been to the city many times for different family and athletic events. He’s always liked the campus, the energy during the games he attended, and the city. He liked the size of the school, the football facilities, and he’s always wanted to play in that conference. When State University #1’s coach offered him in April, we visited a few other schools and nothing ever lived up to his vision of that program. When we went on an unofficial visit in May and looked more in depth at the Engineering Program, the student housing, and the Academic Center, there was no doubt in his mind that this was the place he wanted to be.

Was there any thought at all that the coaches at State University #1 would leave?
No. We thought State University #1’s coach would be there at least five years.

When did your family first hear about the coaching change?
We heard rumors the day before State University #1’s coach announced he was taking the job at another school.

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