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SUPERBOWL EXAMPLES OF WHY NLI SIGNING DAY ONLY FOR A FEW AS OPTIONS ABOUND

SUPERBOWL EXAMPLES OF WHY NLI SIGNING DAY ONLY FOR A FEW AS OPTIONS ABOUND

 Signing Period is coming the first week of February.  Most of our All State and All League high school football players and College Football hopefuls will in fact not sign.  Those special kids, the Top Prospects, who all of us Media Types herald a lot will in fact lock down a college.  But they are a small percentage.  Many of you will still have a shot and in some ways your lucky.  Because when the reality sets in that you’re still looking you will be freed up to really look hard. Please take a few minutes to Read this story and Share and Tweet it out to your players and followers the nest few days to encourage and support them!


 

I want to URGE all of you NW Football Prospects who are not going to sign a National Letter of Intent to travel to Kent, Washington on February 27th for the NW Stars Camp where College Coaches from the D2 to JUCO Level will be coming to find players for the 2016 Class to sign to play football.  That camp was responsible for many offers last year that happened well after signing day.    See NWSTARSCAMP.com to sign up.

The NW Stars Camp is in its 3rd year and a force in the recruiting game.  This is a terrific and unique camp to get looked at after signing day!

The NW Stars Camp is in its 3rd year and a force in the recruiting game. This is a terrific and unique camp to get looked at after signing day!


It is crucial for you to know right now that if you are not signing tomorrow, which is most of you, that you have a lot of options.  In the Super Bowl this Weekend you can watch Mike Remmers of Jesuit High School starting for the Panthers on the offensive line.  Mike was a walk on at Oregon State University!

You will also see David Mayo of Scappoose High School in Oregon playing linebacker for the Panthers.  David had some D2 interest out of High School but chose to go to Santa Monica JC and live in a shed in the back yard of a home and bike 5 miles to school everyday to get his shot.  This guy refused to accept he was not good enough and at 6’2″ and 220 lbs no D-1 School wanted him.  His determination won him a shot at Texas State and his work their landed him a 5th round draft to the Panthers. Now he is playing in the biggest game in the world.

2 Players among tens of thousands who did not sign on National Letter of Intent Day and great examples of why you do not have to either!

A flash back story to 2012 will help you understand what I am talking about.

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Feb 4th -2012

 The biggest day of the year is here for football players.  Years of hard work and giving up their time, their body, and their health all comes down to this.  In the public perception National Letter of Intent Day is more about what their favorite College gains in the way of Human Capital.

The battle for Star Ratings and Top players will come to a head beginning at midnight before signing day.  That is when the premier players across the Nation will begin to send in their binding National Letters of Intent in to the school or their choice.

Contractually they will bind them selves to their new school and the courtship will become a union.  At least for a year.  Most think this is a 4 year deal.  It is not.  It is a One year commitment by the athlete to not play football for anyone else and for the school an agreement to cover the costs of some or all tuition and other  allowable expenses for one year.

THIS IS NOT a 4 year deal as most people believe.

All the pressure, meetings, phone calls, texts, Facebook posts, visits, and trips… all of it comes to an end at midnight.

Thank God.

This time of year is great in one way because we do celebrate our best as they move on.  But the sad facts are that 99% of all the kids who gave all they had on Friday Nights will be left out of this party.  Only a lucky few will make it through and cash in on what is perhaps America’s biggest game.

As I watched Super Recruits Zach Banner (Lakes HS-USC), Joshua Garnett (Puyallup HS-Standford), and Cedric Dozier (Lakes HS-CAL), all hold major press events and announce their decisions I was both happy and sad.  At the virtual crossroads of jubilation and happiness and yet sadness too.

For as I tweeted and posted and enjoyed posting up pictures, film, and stories on those three the bottom of my screen was filled with calls and chats for help from the 99%.  The guys who worked just as hard but who have not been able to break through.

And in that space you can feel the agony and despair and the regrets too.  It is not easy to prop up a kid who was an All League and an All State player when the moment comes that the phone has stopped ringing.  The moment when they have a private thought or two where they know they were not quite good enough.  Maybe even the moment of pity and or even rage as they watch the informational stream of celebratory accolades and well wishes being hailed down upon the elite few.  And for many these elite few are guys they bested on the field in more then one game.

Johsua Garnett and Zach Banner were Top 50 National Recruits in 2012

Johsua Garnett and Zach Banner were Top 50 National Recruits in 2012

That only makes it harder.

Life is not always fair and it is not always about who works the hardest; even if it should be.

But hope springs eternal as they say and for those that truly love the game they move ahead.  They ask questions, make phone calls, and work harder.

“What should I do?  I don’t have anyone to sign with,” one top recruit asked me last night.

The answer was simple.

“Don’t sign.  Keep working and look at the good side of this,” I replied.

“Good side,” he queried back.

“Yes!  Your not bound to anyone and yet your available to everyone.  Your a free agent, ready to play, and able to work to find a home.  You have unlimited possibilities,” I said.  ”This is a just a day on the calendar for a lucky few.  Your not one of them.”

A moment or two of silence follows.

Then he says, “You mean I can still sign later on?”

“Sure if you want to.  Happens all the time,” I replied as the pressure left his face.

“Really?  Man I better get back to work and hit the phones.  And I will look at anyone who will give me a shot.  I just want the chance to show what I can do,” he concluded.

“That’s the right attitude.  You will find a home if you want to.  But it won’t be easy,” I said.

“Thank you so much.  I feel a lot better!”

Now the truth is the big D-1 schools are pretty much done.  But it happens occasionally that we will be looking  all the way through June.  Last Summer Washington State called looking for three guys who were top talent who had not signed with anyone.  They had three top recruits who did not make it due to grades.    So you can bet that was a busy day for us.

Now for you 99% guys listen.

The sky did not fall right?   You are probably bigger, faster, stronger, and more healthy then you were during the season.

Are you telling me you went through 5 -10 years of taking a beating on the field just to give up off the field because of a small little road block?  Man if that is the case you probably better hang them up!  Your done for sure.

But for many of you ready to plunge ahead we say “Regroup”!  Get with Mom and Dad and your coaches.  Get your best 3 minutes of film, get a good copy of a transcript, maybe get a copy of collegecoachesonline.net for $29.95 giving you contact info for every coach in America, and maybe get to work!

Work the phones, return calls to schools who liked you before signing day came, and be proactive.  Look into walking on to a school?  Did you finish your FAFSA?  Maybe you can get enough financial aide and no or low interest loans to make your collegiate dreams come true.  You can follow several paths to get their but the point is you can get there!

Smaller schools will have spots open.  Junior Colleges are recruiting hardest right after signing day.  Division 3 and some Division 2 spots will be available and many of the Regions best will shake off the signing day blues and walk on at a school where they feel they can compete.  The point is there are many chances left.

Now is the time to get after it more then ever.


National Letter Of Intent Day Begins February 3rd, 2016 and runs through April 1st, 2016.  Tomorrow is the start.  Best of luck to you all and again get to Camp on February 27th, 2016 in Kent, Washington where Coaches are coming looking to offer the best kids they see!

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SUPERBOWL EXAMPLES OF WHY NLI SIGNING DAY ONLY FOR A FEW AS OPTIONS ABOUND

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I am the Founder of the Northwest Prep Report. For 17 years I have led the way to the best of my ability to promote the best talent from the Pacific NW free of charge. It is my pleasure to continue to serve High School athletes from all over the Pacific NW and beyond. Formerly with Rivals.com my sites have now crossed over 8,000 stories, 7 MILLION Video Views, and 15,000 regular followers. Together with the best football people in the USA we pursue excellence for our NW athletes.

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