We are in the offseason and several of our kids we have before featured in the 2021 class are getting “Junior Day” invites to schools. Parents are frantically calling around inquiring as to whether these are events they should make every effort to attend or are they just wastes of time, energy, and money. Here at KPGFootball, we thought we would toss in our dime.
We have read an interesting article on this very subject published in an online blog which goes by “Recruiting 101.” According to the article linked here, “…there is no doubt taking the time and making the trip to Junior days is worth it.”
The reason? Well, it is in the very definition. “Junior Day” is where a college brings in a number of the sought after recruits in the current junior class. The prospects can see the school, meet the coaches, and learn about what the school has to offer athletically and academically.
Some Junior Days will have a good number of players brought in while others have a more tailored approach to identifying and then pursuing prospects which fit that school’s offensive and defensive schemes and philosophies. Most kids brought in on Junior Day will end up being offered by the school which invited them. Certainly not all, but most has been our experience. Even should the school inviting the Junior not offer, the kids brought in almost always end up playing somewhere on some schools dime.
According to the above article, “…getting an invite really does mean a great deal” but that sort of depends on the school and the coaches. Coaches who have taken a more tailored approach to inviting prospects to a Junior Day are generally ahead of the ballgame recruiting-wise. That means, the coaches know what kids they want to further evaluate and are not just shooting in the dark hoping to hit something.
The Coaches who cast the net a bit wider? Well, an invite to that school for Junior Day may not mean nearly as much. When you arrive, look and see how many other recruits are there and how sought after by the school they appear to be.
Many prospects will get an offer at the Junior Day event. Others still will hear “…keep working hard and we want to evaluate you at our summer camp.” In either event, it is certainly worth going and if you should net a summer camp invite out of it don’t be down-trodden. Go to the camp. You’re a competitor, right? Then go compete!
This is Coach HB Lyon, reporting for KPGFootball, and we’re JUST CALLING IT LIKE WE SEE IT!
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