recruiting fouled up

[Razorbacker]

I started a sim-and-recruit dynasty with SMU and I've come to the conclusion that recruiting sucks in NCAA 06.

Here's a tip: Go for studs during in-season (ISR), because you CAN get them even if they have VERY little interest. You can NOT get a player with little or no interest during the off-season recruiting (OSR) period.

I've been getting 4 to 6 4- and 5-star players a year during in-season recruiting. When I'd go to off-season recruiting, NO 4 or 5-star recruits were even remotely interested however. Few 3-stars were interested.

It took an unbeaten season and now 5-star program prestige to get 4-star recruits to notice me in OSR.

In ISR, all that matters is giving big points to recruits... I had one 4-star OL I was recruiting... I was giving him like 5 points a week, stringing him along, and I made the top-5 cut and was No. 4 on the list. Then I switched things up and put 30 points on him. I just to No. 1 and had a huge lead in interest over all the other schools. I dropped down to 10 points (using those extra points on other recruits), and eventually got him, along with five 5-stars... getting all six guys I was giving points to.

Recruiting sucks because in OSR if a guy doesn't have you in his top 5, you ain't gonna sign him... don't waste your time. If you are a 1 or 2 prestige school, the ONLY way to upgrade is to get studs in ISR.

Recruiting has lost its luster with me and it was a big lure of this game...

[wolverinejay]

Yep, EA Tiburon made off-season recruiting a lot harder. I remember reading in an interview with one of the producers for NCAA 06 that it would be more of a challenge this year. They said it would be extremely difficult to land top recruits unless you were in a BCS conference. The programmers added conference prestige as a hidden part of off-season recruiting so the only way you will get a bunch of 4 and 5* prospects interested in your school is to accept a conference invite to a major conference.

[MPhilly03]

Yep, EA Tiburon made off-season recruiting a lot harder. I remember reading in an interview with one of the producers for NCAA 06 that it would be more of a challenge this year. They said it would be extremely difficult to land top recruits unless you were in a BCS conference. The programmers added conference prestige as a hidden part of off-season recruiting so the only way you will get a bunch of 4 and 5* prospects interested in your school is to accept a conference invite to a major conference.

Okay that makes a lot of sense. However, it does raise some more questions:

1. Why should I be able to get four and five start players in season but then have huge issues in the offseason? Seems like it should be more similar.
2. Do bad schools in BCS conferences still have a better shot at four and five star players?

Just wondering since I started an Academic school and put them in the Sun Belt. The team stunk but over the past couple of season I was able land enough decent talent to make it competive in the conference and out of conference. However, it sounds like to build on that I am going to need to try and get into a BCS conference to have a shot at the best recruits.

[chrisbzn832]

Okay that makes a lot of sense. However, it does raise some more questions:

1. Why should I be able to get four and five start players in season but then have huge issues in the offseason? Seems like it should be more similar.
2. Do bad schools in BCS conferences still have a better shot at four and five star players?

Just wondering since I started an Academic school and put them in the Sun Belt. The team stunk but over the past couple of season I was able land enough decent talent to make it competive in the conference and out of conference. However, it sounds like to build on that I am going to need to try and get into a BCS conference to have a shot at the best recruits.
Sh*tty BCS schools get more top recruits than decent non-BCS schools. In my dynasty with UFl, I noticed that schools like Kansas and Baylor were picking up more top talent than a team like Boise State, which had only lost three games in two years and played in a couple big bowl games. Getting solid talent into less prestigious schools is a b*tch this year. I run one dynasty with Air Force (All-American) each year and I am having a hrd time with them right now. I swept the Moutain West the first year and only lost one game, but my first recruiting class was freakin horrible.

[JuneWouldThrow]

This is where proper use of the recruiting/discipline/training sliders come into play. Since the AI controlled teams keep their sliders at the same levels, you can really develop your "average" recruiting classes better than the other computer controlled teams. If you're using a non-BCS team, low prestige team, or just trying to take a sh*t team and make it into a winner, the sliders is how you can even the odds somewhat.