I am a Junior, And It’s March!

March 20, 2012 By

I am a Junior, And It’s March!

One of the most common questions that I get is, “I am a junior, and it is March, what am I supposed to do?” 

The class ahead of you has signed scholarships on signing date and panic sets in.  First some advice – Do Not Panic!   It is extremely early.  Majority of the K, P, & LS in the class ahead of you are still deciding where they will go college.  Be patient, but have a plan. 

Steps In The Plan:

1. Create your recruiting team.  It should involve people such as: 1. You, 2. Your Parents, 3. Your High School Coach, 4. Your K, P, LS Coach (Sailer or Rubio), 5. Your High School Academic Counselor & 6. A Recruiting Service (NCSA). 

2. Set your college goals.  Where would you like to play?  What schools match your academic interests?  Which schools match your social interests?  Which school match your athletic interests?  Create a VERY broad list of schools that may meet your needs. 

3. Work with NCSA to contact these schools.  Create your own email list to contact these schools.  This list should have a minimum of 100 schools on it (D1, D2, D3, and NAIA).  It should include schools from all divisions and all conferences.  Contact these schools with an initial email.  State your interest to play college football for them.  Link your highlight video. Link your Chris Sailer Kicking Profile Page.  Link your NCSA profile page.  List your contact info, your High School coaches contact info, your kicking coaches contact info, your GPA, and any test scores.  Inquire about their college kicking camp for the upcoming summer.  Ask for the date and express your interest to show them your ability to play for them.  Inquire about their Junior Day.  Finally, ask to be on their Recruit List for their games for the upcoming season. 

4. Set up some Spring Visits.  These could be Junior Days, attending Spring Ball Scrimmages, or simply taking an unofficial visit.  Try to set up college campus tours.  Try to set up meetings with coaches and academic counselors.  Get out there face to face and educate yourself. 

5. Attend Chris Sailer Kicking Nike Spring Camps and the 10th Annual National Kicking Spring Event Sponsored by Nike.  These camps are crucial for your exposure.  Coaches are starting to make their recruit lists for your Class.  You need to be at the Spring Event to get on these lists.  Don’t be fooled, Chris Sailer Kicking is #1 in the world when it comes to placing players in college!

6. Set your summer schedule.  No such thing as a vacation for you this summer.  Attend Chris Sailer Kicking Camps.  Attend College Camps (Try-Outs), Take unofficial visits.  This is your time to shine.  This is when you will earn a scholarship or walk-on.  Try to get to as many parts of the country as possible. 

This will set you up to have contacts and a great recruitment following for your upcoming senior season.  Be realistic in the colleges you are targeting.  Target schools that you have the ability or potential to play at.  This will be a Spring/Summer to remember if you do it correctly.  Best of luck!

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Graduating, High School, Kicking, Punting

Signing Date Has Passed…..What Now?

February 2, 2012 By

Signing Date Has Passed…..What Now?

First of all congratulations to the many Chris Sailer Kicking Students that were fortunate to sign scholarships to play college football.  Some committed early on, such as Adam Griffith to Alabama over year ago, and some were awarded scholarship offers late, such as Josh Lambert to West Virginia, literally today!  Getting a college scholarship is a huge accomplishment and I congratulate you all. 

However, like we have always said, when it comes to kickers, punters, and long snappers, it is NEVER too late.  Yes, another wave of recruiting has passed, but another is now set to begin.  Signing date has passed, so you are asking the question, “What Now”?  It is not time to cry, to panic, to quit. It is time to focus knowing that only the top 5-10% or so of specialists have made their college choices.  Over the course of the next several months, college coaches will need to find specialists.  They will begin to panic and if you have been keeping up your contacts, they will come looking for you.  You will find a home.

Yes, most D1A Scholarships have been awarded and signed.  That’s okay.  Some will still be available based on numbers, ineligibility, and injuries.  Many D1AA, D2, and D3 scholarships are now available.  Reach out to schools of all levels that fit your needs both academically and socially.  There is money out there.  You will find a school to play football that will ultimately land you a college degree. 

Here is my advice:

1. Create a huge email list of college coaches.  Send them an email saying this… “Dear Coach, my name is (fill in the blank).  I have a strong interest to play college football for your program.  I would love the opportunity to compete and win a job on your team.  If possible, can I visit the campus in the near future and show you that my desire to play for you in sincere.  Please take a minute to view my highlight video link and brief bio showing my qualifications.  Contact Chris Sailer, my kicking coach, as a reference (818-209-8921).  Looking forward to hearing from you. 

The key is not to ask for a scholarship.  Ask for an opportunity to play. 

2. Make calls.  Say the same thing as above.  If the coach doesn’t answer, state the above on their voice mail. 

3. Make visits.  Get yourself on their campus.  Try to meet coaches in person.  Show them that your interest in sincere. 

4. If there is a school that you have already been accepted to academically, use this to your advantage.  Let the coach know because it makes his life a whole lot easier. 

Recruiting is a process.  It takes time.  But the reward at the end of all the hard work in well worth it.  Believe me when I say that there is a great school out there for you where you can thrive academically, socially, and athletically.  Time to get to work and find the right fit.  Many doors will continue to open and shut.  Do not get frustrated.  Stick to the plan.  There is light at the end of the tunnel if you stay the course. 

Looking forward to the receiving your commitment emails.  I will be the first to congratulate you!

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Filed Under: Article Archives, College, High School, Kicking, Punting, Recruiting

10 THINGS TO DO TO GET A SCHOLARSHIP

April 16, 2011 By

Every year many very deserving kickers/punters slip through the cracks and do not get a scholarship.  Why does this happen?  Simple, there just aren’t enough to go around.  So, those that take the necessary steps, when all is equal, are the ones that end up getting them.  I could right a 20-page formal or informal piece on this subject, but for now, here are 10 THINGS TO DO TO GET A SCHOLARSHIP:

1. Attend Chris Sailer Kicking camps as early as possible (as soon as 8th Grade).  Why?  To get proper technique coaching, to gain knowledge of how the kicking world works, and to get early exposure. Then keep going. 

2. Set goals and create a plan as a freshman in high school.  Form a team.  You are the captain.  Now you need reliable teammates.  Your team should consist of your parents, your coach, your school guidance counselor, NCSA (recruit service), and a kicking coach (Sailer). 

3. Earn your scholarship.  The sooner you realize that a scholarship is earned, not given, you will begin to work hard.  Work hard and reach your full potential as a person (character), in the classroom (grades and test scores), in the weight room (strength, speed, and flexibility), and on the field (kicking and punting).  You will earn your scholarship – not your coach, not your parents, not your kicking coach.  Make it happen and it will. 

4. Use social networking….the right way.  Use Facebook, Twitter, Blog and many others to learn, stay up to date (follow Chris_Sailer), and most importantly promote yourself.  The internet is very powerful.  The more a coach sees your name, the better.  Understand that this is your online resume.  As much as the internet can help you, it can also kill your chances.  Be smart…enough said. 

5. Create highlight videos.  You can never have enough.  Get them up on CSK, NCSA, and YouTube.  Just like social networking, turn yourself into a virus.  Start early to learn.  During your junior and senior season, you better have one ready when a coach calls.  It should be a click away. 

6.  Have a good high school career.  Sometimes this is out of your control due to the quality of your team, coach, snapper, holder, etc.  However, it is up to you to make the best out of bad situation.  Let your coach know you want to be the best.  Show him you’ll work hard.  Set up a game plan with him for extra time spent on special teams.  Get with your snapper and holder as often as possible (year round).  If you don’t have one, pick one.  Ask a friend, recruit and athlete, etc.  Get it done.  Send your snapper to Rubio (they will get WAY better in one lesson – trust me).  Stats can help you, do your best to make this your advantage. 

7.  Attend College Camps during the summer of your sophomore year (a good idea) and during the summer of your junior year (a must).  These are tryouts.  If you are good enough, here is where you can prove it to them.  Regardless of how much exposure you have had, most coaches still want to see it with their own eyes.  Seal the deal!

8. YOU Make the phone calls.  Coaches want to talk to you.  Tell your parents to encourage you, but to “spread out”. (See RUBIO BLOG for the definition of “spread out”) These coaches have to spend the next 4-5 years with you.  They will make sure that they like you.  When you meet a coach in person, answer your own questions, don’t let your parents answer for you. 

9. Take your SAT and ACT early and often.  The sooner you qualify, the better.  The more schools that you can qualify for, the better.  Make sure you are a qualifier so that if you have to go to a junior college for any reason, you can get out before getting your AA.  You only have to go through this once in life, so suck it up. 

10.  Get to Vegas for the National Event early and often.  Early to learn, gain experience, and get exposure.  Be the guy we know, not the guy we are just finding out about.  Simple, put it on your calendar now….I am going to Vegas 8 times (every January and May for all 4 years of high school).  This is the biggest stage.  Trust me.  See you May 14th!

Three CSK Kickers that got it correct: 
Matt Goudis (Miami), Andre Heidari (USC) & Connor Loftus (Penn)

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Filed Under: Article Archives, College, Graduating, High School, Kicking, Punting, Recruiting

Do High School Stats Matter?

March 10, 2011 By
Do High School Stats Matter?
One of the most common questions that I get asked by both high school players and their parents is, ” How much do your high school stats matter when it comes to recruiting”?  This is a GREAT question.

Let me start by saying, that the more that you have going for you, the better.  Some very important factors:  great character as a person, team leader, positive influence in the locker room, hard worker, good grades, SAT scores, ACT scores, extracurricular activities, head coach’s evaluation, principal’s evaluation, kicking coach’s evaluation, camp exposure, highlight video, high school statistics, etc. etc.  I could go on and on.  Be the best that you can be in everything that you do.  Period.  Control what you can control.  Reach your full potential in every area you can think of. 

So back to the question posed.  Yes, if you have great, even good high school stats, it can surely help you.  If you do not have good stats, or really just any stats at all, it won’t particularly hurt you.  It will come down to your skill level when all is said and done.  The stats may help you get exposure, but there are also other ways to go about getting exposure.  Again, see the list above. 

You might wonder, well if the stats are no good, that must mean the player is no good and must not be able to kick under pressure.  This may be true, but also may not be.  At the high school level the opportunities given to each player vary greatly.  Some things to consider:  strength of team, quality of high school coach and attention paid to special teams.  quality of snapper (Yes Rubio, I will interject here with your blog request, more later), quality of holder, quality of blocking.  In high school you will see a huge difference in the above from school to school.  In college, not so much.  In the pros, not at all.  So we all must take these factors into consideration.  And believe it or not, most college coaches do. 

I can give you dozens of examples, but here are three that focus on simple field goal stats.  1-15, 2-3, 5-12.  Not great right?  How about scholarships to the PAC-10, Big 12, and SEC.  The moral is, do your best to find a great program, work hard with the coaches and other specialists provided, and never give up no matter how bad your stats are looking.  You may hit a 55-Yarder that turns heads, you may not.  Either way, if your stats don’t accurately reflect your talent, you still have so many other ways to find your way onto a college team, .  Ultimately, college coaches investing thousands of dollars, will find the best kickers and punters the nation has, regardless of stats. 

And yes, kickers and punters, it all begins with the snap.  At the high school level especially, be thankful for every great snap that you get.  Snappers, “We can’t do it without you”. 

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Filed Under: Article Archives, High School