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Post by Coach Vint on Nov 30, 2010 22:01:26 GMT -6
I dont believe in the "it" factor. I think there is good coaching and bad coaching. Coaches that can motivate and have a good game plan, mixed with talent. Where I live I coach a freshman team and our cross town rivals have the "tradition". Every year they kick the snot out of our varsity team. Every year I hear about their tradition. Its not tradition, it is hard work, talent and a belief that you can beat anyone anytime. It starts with the HC and trickles down to the lower coaches. There is no magic or luck. Its old fashioned hard work! I hear even some of our coaches gush about our rivals "man that guy is just a winner". It honestly pisses me off that these guys wont look in the mirror fix the issues and start acting and coaching like winners. You are either coaching it to happen, or allowing it to happen. Winning is not an accident, or something that happens because of tradition. Winning consistently is about a process. It is about belief and high expectations. You earn the belief because of the preparation that is done during the season and in the off-season. If you want to have a great program stop talking about what you don't have. Get rid of the justification for mediocrity. Instead, focus on what you do have, and the reasons you will be successful. Reinforce those beliefs everyday. CoachCB made outstanding points! If you are in a program where the culture stinks, change it. It will be a process. It starts with passion and enthusiasm for football. You get your coaches to ooze enthusiasm each day. You create the culture. You create the commitment from the town, teachers, parents, and players. Is it easy? NO! That's why very few schools are at that point. At some point they stunk. I can tell you this... if you talk enough about why you aren't the best... you'll never be the best. That I can guarantee.
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Post by Coach Vint on Sept 3, 2010 12:38:24 GMT -6
Send out film, transcripts, test scores, game stats, and info on ht, wt, weightroom #'s and 40 time. Call college coaches as well, or email them with a heads up. Let me go a step further...
If a school in your area has an open visit day your prospects should all attend. They should bring film with them, as well as all info listed above. Kids also need to return every questionaire they get from colleges.
When I was at the D2 and NAIA levels we blocked time to watch film of prospects one night a week during the season. We only responded if we were interested, as it would be way too time consuming to respond to every kid. If we liked the film and grades we would call the coach and begin corresponding with the kid.
When you send film, address it to the recruiting coordinator. If you don't know who that is call the football staff.
The higher the level, the earlier you must begin getting the player exposure. D-I and IAA- End of 10th grade as most offers made by start of fall season.
D2, NAIA End of junior season- (Some NAIA schools start later) D3- Spring of junior season-
The most important thing is to be proactive!
I hope this helps!
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Post by Coach Vint on Aug 19, 2010 12:48:43 GMT -6
Coach to your values, and nothing less. Be true to yourself and do everything you can to have a profound impact on the development of your kids on and off the field.
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Post by Coach Vint on Aug 18, 2010 15:02:33 GMT -6
A couple of things we have done: 1. We had a lineman appreciation period where lineman ran routes on air, and skill guys went through oline drills. 2. Tug of War Competition- We divided by position groups 3. Took the entire team to the pool one afternoon.
The other thing we did was turned inside run, 7-on-7, and our team period into a competition. We had a 3rd down day and went 3rd and 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, and 5 during 7-on-7. We started with 10 gassers for each group. You win, we reduced a gasser. You lose, we add a gasser. During inside run we went 3rd and 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1. During team we went from 3rd and 10 to 3rd and 1. The kids got fired up and it made things a little more fun. We also shortened our indy periods for a couple of days, and cut practice down so they could get their legs back.
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Post by Coach Vint on Aug 17, 2010 14:57:24 GMT -6
Why don't you talk to the college program where you are taking classes? You can also talk to other schools. They always need help at the lower levels. It is much better than not coaching!
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Post by Coach Vint on Aug 17, 2010 14:51:34 GMT -6
The other thing you can do is substitute teach, or be a long term sub. You also have to have teaching in your blood as well. If you aren't sure you aren't sure. Then you may want to look at something else. There is nothing wrong with teaching elementary and coaching high school ball. It is a lot better than not coaching.
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Post by Coach Vint on Aug 16, 2010 10:31:24 GMT -6
This does not happen overnight. It is a process that happens over time. There are also a variety of reasons this happens. This brings me to a simple quote: You are either coaching it, or allowing it.
How did it get to this point? What specifically do they lack confidence in? What is the root of the problem?
Here is the key: How do you fix the problem? What process can you put in place to change the situation? No one on this board can answer that as we are not there. I can tell you that it will take the entire program working this out. It will mean facing reality and not avoiding it. It may mean some immediate pain, but that pain potentially will lead to growth.
You said: "I can see it in the coaches faces when some of the calls are made, as well as the kids." If it is on the coaches faces, it will lead to the kids. They might very well be feeding off this. This is not a unified front.
You say the problem is a connection to the kids, but you seem to show a lack of confidence in the play calling. Both are significant issues, but both can be fixed. The alternative is that you will have a miserable season. The first place to look is inside yourself. "What can I do to help this situation?" Again, you can ignore the problems, or you can face them. You know what happens if you ignore the problem. The choice is yours.
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Post by Coach Vint on Aug 16, 2010 10:11:40 GMT -6
I have been there and we followed up with a disappointing season. Hopefully this will help you avoid mistakes we made. We came out talking championship everyday. What happened is we lost sight of what helped us to success in the first place. It is the mentality that we have to earn everything we get.
So, what did we do? We actually stopped talking about winning on the field. We began to focus on the journey, not the destination. Life is about giving everything you have, all the time, and never taking anything for granted. It is about overcoming obstacles, even when you don't think you can make it. We talked about each day being an opportunity you only get to live once. We never again would let our players develop a sense of entitlement, regardless of how hard they worked.
I wouldn't worry about championship. Talk about winning today. Do everything you can to be the best you can be. Do everything you can to help us be the best we can be. Do everything you can to help your buddy be the best he can be. Never, ever, wait for something to be given to you. It never will no matter how deserving you are.
This is very general, but complacency takes many forms, and one is overconfidence. It is about expecting things to happen to you because you have earned them. I think you lose your hunter mentality at that point.
My point is this: Regardless of what you do, make sure they understand last year is over.
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Post by Coach Vint on Aug 15, 2010 17:57:01 GMT -6
I think quite a few misunderstood what I said or more appropriately I didn't explain myself very well. After 47 yrs and over 300 wins I find that we have defeated many people who were athletically more talented than we but didn't realize that talent doesn't always win. Their is that little extra something that makes you win. Call it whatever you wish but it is there. A times we all over coach and that was what I was trying to get across. Xs and Os do not win games or lose games, people do whether they are coaches or players. To get too technical or "scientific", especially with high school kids can be very detrimental to achievement. Believe me, no one is more a stickler for the "little things" than me. I have never gotten angry over losses. I have gotten angry over performance and more so over a poor execution when we won than when we lost. Phantom played for us so I think he understands the philosophy better than others. Losing is not a crime. Trying not to win is and to me that is the first emphasis regardless of what "scientific" system you are using. Defeat may test you; it need not stop you. Coaching this game does not take schemes as much as it takes time. If you cannot devote yourself entirely to the game get the hell out. You insult those who put in the time to get their kids to do what they do better than what your kids do what you want them to do. remember that nothing great in the world has been accomplished without passion. Football is a game of passion. You must have a passion for victory that you pass on to your kids. If not.. well the result should be obvious. I apologize to any who may have taken offense to my remarks. Hawke I agree with you 100%! The schematics don't matter if you don't have the dudes, and the dudes don't matter if they don't have heart! The schematics were the least important thing we did, and yes, we did overcoach some things. I managed to coach some superior athletes to mediocrity! Hawke, you are right on with this. Winning is about developing a will. Not a want, but a will. It is about your leadership development program, and character education. Do you have a way of building a commitment from your players to meet responsibilities and obligations? It is about your work ethic in the off-season with your strength and conditioning program. Can you get your kids to play as a team? Can you get your kids to truly give everything they have? Winning is not an accident! It is very purposeful and deliberate, and is much more than having great athletes or great schemes. Thanks for sharing your wisdom with some of us older young guys!
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Post by Coach Vint on Aug 12, 2010 11:30:54 GMT -6
After ten years at the high school and college levels I entered investment banking with Smith Barney, and then Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. The money was good but I missed coaching and teaching every single day. In fact, I got to the point where I was flat out miserable. If teaching and coaching is in your blood, you will be miserable doing anything else.
I am very excited to be back in education!
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Post by Coach Vint on Aug 9, 2010 21:39:45 GMT -6
Yes I do use facebook. Thanks for the well wishes. I hope things are going well for you all! www.facebook.com/#!/jvint1
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Post by Coach Vint on Aug 9, 2010 15:23:42 GMT -6
We were playing on the road in a heated game and were up 4 with about 3:50 to go. We get a stop and the other team punts and downs the ball at our 2. We run two running plays, and they call a time out after both plays. On 3rd and 5 we break a 40 yard run. Again, they call a timeout. They are out of timeouts. The clock on the scoreboard said 3:20 to go when the scoreboard mysteriously goes out. The ref comes over saying he will keep the time.
We run a couple of more run plays, get a first down inside their 20, and the ref on our sideline asks us if we want to take a knee to run out the clock. He says there is under a minute to go. We take a knee, and then get a delay of game letting the clock run. It is now 2nd and 17, and we take a knee again. We ask how much time, and the referee says 1:25! We are livid, and our head coach gets a 15 yarder for arguing with the referee. .. We are now 3rd and forever from around midfield. The next play we run power and break it for a long louchdown run. Late in the play the ref on our sideline throws a flag. We get called for illegal formation! We lose another 5 yards! We are trying to remain calm. Then our running back breaks another long run, and at about their 20 the safety punches the ball out. It bounds towards our end zone, and one of our receivers jumps on the ball at about the 10. The ref throws a flag and calls us for illegal forward pass! You can imagine how happy we were about this! We end up having to punt and putting the ball down to their 25 or so. The referee then tells us the clock still has 1:10 left! I actually broke a clipboard over my knee! Didn't say a word, but the ref throws a 15 yard flag. They throw a short pass and we tackle the kid in bounds for a short gain and the ref signals the clock to stop while they set the ball. They run a reverse and we tackle the kid in bounds. They take forever getting the play in. We ask about the time and the ref says 50 seconds and the clock is stopped! The next play they throw a hail mary. Our DB jumps up to bat the ball down. One of their receivers pulls him down, the ball hits off his helmet, and into the arms of another of their receivers. He runs into the end zone, and their whole team mobs him. The referee then raises the ball and blows his whistle! We ask him about the time, and he tells us the play ran the clock out. That play magically took 45 seconds! Not to mention the offensive pass interference!
Needless to say we had a new film person who did not know to pause the camera. That meant you could simulate the clock. Our wide also showed there was no illegal formation. We sent the unedited tape to the league commissioner, who told us judgement calls cannot be appealed. He said, hey, you got screwed, deal with it.
That was like 10 years ago, and it still burns me to this day! It was therapy to share!
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Post by Coach Vint on Aug 9, 2010 11:59:16 GMT -6
Two years ago I left coaching to pursue money in the private sector. After two years of being miserable I am getting back in! I was married this summer and my wife teaches in Lubbock, Texas, and I was fortunate enough to get a teaching position here at a 5A high school. I spoke to the head coach about helping out in any way possible, and it looks like some things are possible.
While I still did clinics and camps the last two years, I missed building the relationships with the kids and coaches. I am looking forward at a new adventure!
Thank God for Coach Huey and this board, because it allowed me to stay somewhat in the know!
Good Luck to y'all!
Coach Vint
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Post by Coach Vint on Apr 15, 2010 19:48:20 GMT -6
[/quote]The first HC I worked for used to say that the kids or parents could call whatever play they wanted to...for $500.[/quote]
That right there is funny, and a fair price. With my luck a parent would come walking up with a wad of $100's and call me out! Of course we would then have new uniforms!
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Post by Coach Vint on Apr 11, 2010 10:08:14 GMT -6
It is a teachable moment. Kids are going to grow up and get po'd at their boss. They are going to not like a decision at some point, and we have can help prepare them for that moment. Our Kids are allowed to ask questions. However, we teach them there is a time, a place, and a tone. If you can master all three of these you will have much more success. Tone has a lot to do with the first two. We tell the kids you can question anything you want behind closed doors and in private. If you aren't sure whether you should ask during the heat of battle, don't. Save it for the office.
I would tell the kids this is no different than when I disagree with the principal. If I have an issue that needs to be addressed, would it be better to address it in a hallway full of students, or in private? They begin to see the light. When you are making $250k a year, you may not like something your boss does. What is the best way to handle this. Most important: The coach/teacher/boss/parent has the final say, and it may not be fair in your eyes. At that point deal with it.
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Post by Coach Vint on Feb 10, 2010 20:22:44 GMT -6
Lubbock is a great city! And John, I am glad you are doing well!
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Post by Coach Vint on Feb 6, 2010 23:31:16 GMT -6
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Post by Coach Vint on Feb 6, 2010 23:28:51 GMT -6
I left coaching a couple of years ago as I had an opportunity come up with Smith Barney in investment banking. I love what I do, but I miss coaching a ton. If there is anything I can do, or any information I can share, please let me know. I love working with coaches and helping guys improve their programs. I still work with kids as I do a lot of volunteer work now for several non-profit organizations here in Lubbock, Texas. My email is coachvint@gmail.com if there is every anything I can do for any of you guys. I love following the sight and seeing the wealth of knowledge here!
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Post by Coach Vint on Jan 29, 2010 20:40:09 GMT -6
We began by raising expectations. Not winning games, but asking players to take pride in everything they did. We put them onto teams of six. Each team had a captain who was responsible for his team's performance. We scored them on attendance in the classroom. They got points for weight room attendance and punctuality. They got points for improvement. They got points for leadership. Each week each team selected their pride player of the week who most exemplified what we stood for. Out of this group the coaches voted and the team that player came from got bonus points. When a team was punished only the captain ran. The captain was allowed to pick one other player to run with him. This made guys learn to be accountable to each other. While we were vocal we corrected mistakes by teaching kids how to do things right. The only time we were negative was from a lack of effort or a lack of accountability.
We also used a character education and leadership development program which helped greatly. I wish we had done more with traditions. I liked that in the first post. That can help to grow pride. We had them dress alike on the field. If anyone was out of uniform they were all going to be punished. We called these exercises reminders. If one kid had a wristband, they all had wristbands.
The most important thing to remember is that pride comes through effort and belief. This takes a tremendous amount of time from your coaches and players. You have to keep reminding them they can be better and they will be better, but they have to earn it.
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Post by Coach Vint on Jan 29, 2010 20:29:51 GMT -6
Thank you for posting that article. It demonstrates the huge transformation our society has gone through. The reason is very simple. About 25 years ago administrators decided everyone could be a winner. No one was going to be allowed to lose anymore, and we had to lift up everyone's self-esteem. I am sure they meant well, but somewhere this led to a lack of accountability.
The fact is that every one of us will experience many failures. If we are willing to learn from each failure and work hard to improve, we will become successful. This does not mean we will reach our goals. It means we will be the best we can be. The real problem is kids expect everything to be handed to them. We have shifted to an entitlement society.
My grandfather had a great way of hiring people on the farm. He would take them to a pile of dung next to a fence. He would tell them to shovel the entire pile to the other side of the fence. When they finished they had to let him know. This took four or five hours as the pile was six feet high. Once they finished they would tell him. He would then tell them they had to shovel the pile back to the other side of the fence. If they did this without questioning him or complaining he hired them on the spot. If they even looked at him cross-eyed for a second they didn't get the job. I learned very quickly that college was a good choice.
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Post by Coach Vint on Jan 21, 2010 21:31:15 GMT -6
Warrior, you are right on. I coached HS, NAIA, and D2 ball. NAIA recruiting is year round! It is absolutely a grind and thank God I was single! D2 was different because there was a signing day and some actual rules. Whether you coach HS or college the hours are long if you do it right. I also had to teach at the NAIA, and not PE. I taught Freshman English, and they kept adding to my teaching load. I agree as well that having a connection or something extra is important in many respects. Recruiting is also a vital talent. If you can bring dudes in you will help your career. The key is that if you put everything into coaching, whether HS or college, you will be successful. If you do things the right way and for the benefit of the kids, you will be a success. Regardless of where you coach, make the most out of the opportunity.
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Post by Coach Vint on Jan 21, 2010 21:18:07 GMT -6
One year Bob Stoops was at a urinal in the bathroom and a young coach tried to hand him a resume. Without missing a beat Stoops threw it in the urinal and kept on relieving himself. The young coach stood there dumbfounded. I don't think he got the job...
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Post by Coach Vint on Jan 17, 2010 16:42:14 GMT -6
A few years ago I asked Bobby Bowden what it takes to make it in coaching. He said, "son, you have got to have it, and if you have to ask what "it" is, you ain't got it. And that's okay."
It really takes a combination of everything mentioned. You need a lot of luck, connections, hard work, and perseverance. You also need that something special. It is that something that very few people actually have. Without that, only daddy can get you the job you need.
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Post by Coach Vint on Nov 20, 2009 21:14:56 GMT -6
I don't mean to be rude, but you must meet if you are going to be prepared. If coaches don't want to meet they shouldn't coach. It takes commitment and it isn't for everyone. What level is this? If you are coaching seven year old flag football I can see the need not to meet. Otherwise you must spend time preparing as a staff.
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Post by Coach Vint on Feb 19, 2009 15:39:01 GMT -6
Two things: If you have a kid you think is D1 or 1AA, don't wait until the middle of his senior year to send out film. Send film out of that kid as soon as possible. If he has s stud sophomore year, send a 3 to 4 minute highlight film and 2 games after his sophomore year. Send it with a copy of his transcript. Send film during the junior season as well, as well as an updated transcript and SAT/ACT score. Call the recruiting coordinator and ask him to come by during the May recruiting period.
Point 2: Just because we think a kid is D1 doesn't mean he is. It sometimes is a numbers game. Too many kids set their sites on a D-1 school because they are getting some interest. Then, no offers come, and they have no where to go. If a kid doesn't have an offer by summer of his junior year, start sending tape to the D-II's and I-AA schools.
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Post by Coach Vint on Oct 12, 2008 13:44:03 GMT -6
I think the "they are just volunteer coaches" says a lot. When I first started coaching I had two position coaches on offense that were "just volunteers" and I treated them as such. They got pissed and one quit, and one bad-mouthed me the entire season. The next season 2 more volunteers quit. I finally learned that I had better value and respect each coach. I sat down with the volunteers we hired the following spring and told them they were going to be valued and have a lot of responsibility. I made sure I gave them a ton of instruction, and also listened to their suggestions. Rather than tell them what drills I wanted done, I sat down on two Saturdays and watched drill tape with them. We talked about each drill and the coaching points. Then, we talked about how the drill fit into our system. They came up with a list of everyday drills, and a list of drills to choose from each day. They did a great job, and one became a head coach, and the other became a coordinator. It is all about communicating with people and finding out how to help them grow themselves to grow the program. We had our disagreements, and sometimes they were outlandish, but the backbiting all but ended with me changing my attitude.
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Post by Coach Vint on Oct 12, 2008 13:25:22 GMT -6
It is a great program, and we adapted parts of it for our program. It was great for our staff as well, as we all began to evaluate our values. I would recommend the program to everyone, but you must be willing to give it time. It is worth it.
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Post by Coach Vint on Oct 4, 2008 12:13:06 GMT -6
I ahve to echo the many sentiments that you should trade. When I was coaching at a large high school I really hated when coaches wouldn't trade film. I also wanted as much film as I could get my hands on, regardless of whether we saw them in person.
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Post by Coach Vint on Oct 2, 2008 18:21:06 GMT -6
I head butt the kids, with their helmets on, of course. The kids get a kick out of it, and it releases my emotion in a positive way. I also head butt [gently of course], the Seniors at our banquet, introducing them to the school of hard knocks. I got fired up after a big play last year and did the same thing and ended up bloody. It did fire them up, but I wasn't going to make it a regular thing!
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Post by Coach Vint on Oct 2, 2008 18:09:22 GMT -6
I have coached at both the NAIA and D2 levels. There are very good players at each level, but the NAIA is not as well funded or governed. The NAIA basically allows schools to self regulate. This means a school has to turn themselves in for violations. This is why Willie Williams is playing at Union College and is eligible. You may remember he was the top HS linebacker in the country about six or seven years ago and signed with Miami. He had been arrested several times, and got into some trouble at Miami. He ended up at a juco, then at Louisville where he was dismissed from the team. He transferred to D2 Glenville State last spring, and was deemed ineligible this fall during 2-a-days. He transferred to Union where he was immediately eligible. Even though classes had already been going for a week at Glenville before he transferred, Union certified him and he is eligible. The NAIA also has non-binding letters of intent, meaning a player can sign and still go anywhere he wants. The letter is more symbolic. I know of one kid who signed with five different schools. There have been some prominent NAIA players in the NFL. Christian Okoye played at Azusa Pacific then had a long NFL career. DeeDee Dorsey is with the Bengals, and he played at Lindenwood. I think he is on IR right now, but he has made some impact plays.
The NAIA allows schools to give 24 scholarships. Of course, the 24 rule applies only to those players who are on the active gameday roster. This means some schools have more and there are other NAIA schools who might give only 5 or 6 scholarships total. Many NAIA schools depend on football for enrollment.
As far as competition the top 5 NAIA schools would be competitive with a lot of D2's, but would not be able to beat the top D2 schools. This isn't to take anything away from NAIA football. The NAIA has some very good programs. Carroll, Sioux Falls, and St. Francis could be very competitive at the D2 level. Beyond that, many NAIA schools would be lucky to win one game in the MIAA, going against the likes of Pitt State, Northwest Missouri, UNO, Central Missouri, Washburn, Missouri Southern, etc. The same goes for NAIA schools playing in the Lone Star or Gulf South.
Here is the biggest factor: When a kid is choosing a college, forget about whether the school is NAIA or D2 or D3. Look at 3 things: How will you fit in academically, athletically, and socially? Then, consider the financial aspect. If you are getting a $15,000 a year scholly to an NAIA that costs $30,000 a year, but you are being sought after by a very good D3 that costs $8,000 a year, that scholly doesn't have much value. There is great football at each of these levels, and there are great coaches at each level. As far as the NFL, they will scout NAIA schools, but unless the kid is a superstar he won't drafted. He will, however, get a shot.
I hope this hasn't come as a knock to NAIA football. There is some great ball with some great players. NAIA is a very viable option for kids, but D2 is flat out a higher level of football.
As far as D3 schools not offering scholarships, this means nothing. There are a ton of very, very good D3's. Don't let a lack of scholarship money fool you, there are many very good D3 leagues. The league with Mt. Union is awesome as is the Wisconsin league. The leagues in Iowa and Minnesota are also very good.
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