Intro
Having a sound offensive system and gameplan is crucial, but just as important is finding that right players to fit that system. This guide should provide some clarity on how to recruit offensive players correctly.
This video walks you through what we will discuss in this post. I break down minimum roster requirements and individual player tendency types, but I ignore those as attribute and rating info matters way more.
Minimum Roster Requirements
Below are the five main offensive schemes. Numbers in green are higher or lower based off the Balanced offense. Notice how Flexbone needs at least four HBs compared to the standard three.
Notice the totals for each are the same at 23. Always use my +1 rule when recruiting so having four QBs on the roster at all times instead of just three is ideal. Since there are eight positions, having at least 31 offensive players is best.
Hopefully, you see why knowing these minimum requirements will make roster management and recruiting much easier. 70 always felt like a perfect amount to keep a deep roster. But for schemes that have goofy requirements, just stay ahead of the minimums and you will be fine. This goes for any scheme you pick.
Attributes & Ratings
We will be talking about attributes and ratings a bunch so it helps to understand what they are and how they relate to eachother. The chart below shows every attribute you will see on a prospect info screen. Each one relates to a player rating. Some are more obvious than others, but this goes a long way in finding the right players to fit your offensive system.
Below is a chart showing several ratings and how they convert to certain attributes for most, if not all of the NCAA Football games for the Playstation 2 & Xbox. As far as I know, these ratings are the same for NCAA Football 2002-11 but I can’t confirm this. I do know they are compatible for NCAA Football 06 & 07. This info originally came from someone who gave it to Evil Dave which is on his NCAA Football 07 Recruiting Guide.
I have tested and proofed many of these ratings, but it is possible something maybe off one point or so. This chart is best used to see what how good prospects will be when you recruit them. Speed (SPD), jump (JMP), strength (STR), tackle (TKL), run blocking (RBK), and break tackle (BTK) attributes are shown. Other attributes like catch (CTH) are position specific so I hope to provide those conversions in the future among any others I can configure.
Quarterback – QB
The most import position in football. QBs will make or break your success regardless of scheme so it’s imperative you understand how to recruit them correctly. You can’t tell by the four main attributes shown above on the initial in-season recruiting screen if a QB can throw well so you won’t know how good of a thrower they are until the next week when you can see their full profile. However, Speed is the most important for running QBs so you have that to work with at least.
Focus on the info in the yellow boxes above. 40 Time is important if your QB will be running a bunch. Arm Strength and Pass Accuracy are vital for any offense that prioritizes the passing game. Lastly, height and weight are icing on the cake if they are high.
Halfback – HB
If QBs are the most position on offense, HBs might be #2. I can’t tell you how many individual awards I’ve won with these guys, and that is using a wide variety of schemes too. The only attribute you can’t see on the initial In-Season recruiting screen is Hands. But 40 Time, Bench Press, and Sqaut are all helpful to know for HBs. The faster, smaller HBs tend to have better catch ratings but not always.
Every offense is better if your HBs are fast. Prioritize Hands if your HBs will be catching many passes. Strong HBs never hurt either, especially for offenses that require HBs to run between the tackles a lot. Lastly, height and weight matter in this game. Bigger dudes are usually harder to tackle.
Fullback – FB
FBs are useful in almost every type of offense except for most Spread attacks where they are hardly used. Much of what you see below will look similar to what we covered with HBs. You can prioritize all four attributes. Field Awareness helps if your FB will be blocking a lot so he won’t miss as many assignments.
Any FB that is fast can get to their blocks and run their routes faster. Prioritize Hands if your FB will be catching the ball. You will notice most FBs aren’t as strong as HBs. Some big and strong HBs make better FBs.
Wide Receiver – WR
WRs come in all shapes and sizes, but all use the same attributes that are vital for success. The biggest downside to recruiting WRs before the season starts is not knowing their Hands/Catch rating. Use the three attributes below along with their size to get an idea of what WRs you need and hope in week 1 you picked guys that can also catch well.
Notice how I prioritize most attributes. The bigger WRs tend to work best on the oustide while most smaller and faster WRs are great in the slot. Some offenses need both, some only need one type. What matters most is if they can catch as dropped passes will drive you nuts. The prospect below is a unicorn who is huge, strong, and fast for his size with amazing hands.
Tight End – TE
TEs are usually really big WRs or much smaller offensive linemen depending on what you need. They are important in some schemes and not so much in others. Big blocking TEs are easy to spot here. Just find the biggest and strongest you can find. You won’t know if your TE can catch until the next week when you see his full info.
This guy is another unicorn. He’s huge with great speed for his size than can also catch the ball well. Focus on Hands and 40 Time if you need a pass catcher above all else. Size and strength is all you need for blockers.
Tackle – T, LT, RT
Perhaps the most important dudes on the offensive line, they tend to be be your best pass blockers, and the odds of you running off-tackle are high. Having the best offensive line in general should always be a priority. Thankfully, you have all the info you need to find the best linemen. Size and Strength are obvious but good Awareness is vital for good pass protectors.
As mentioned above, size and strength are key, and having someone who is smart doesn’t hurt either, especially with pass protection. Run-heavy teams only need size and strength.
Guard – G, LG, RG
Guards aren’t much different than Tackles in terms of needs, but Guards can make or break a great running game. Many run plays fail because Guards can’t get a good push on Defensive Tackles. Everything is here to find the Guards you need with size and strength being the main priorities.
Unless you will pass most of the time, just focus on size and strength. This prospect is huge and strong, perfect for any offense that will run the ball.
Center – C
Centers can be treated no differently than Guards other than good Awareness matters a little more as that typically leads to less high snaps from the Shotgun. As mentioned earlier, treat these guys the same as Guards unless your offense is Shotgun-oriented as his Awareness can affect the amount of high snaps you will have.
Centers tend to be smaller than Guards and Tackles but the priorities are the same, especially what I mentioned above. This prospect can fit in any offense. He may not be the heaviest, but his strength more than makes up for it.
Athletes
Athletes are the great enigma when it comes to recuiting. Some of the best players I’ve had were Athletes. They come in all shapes and sizes and can only be recruited in the offeseason. You won’t know what position fits them best until you get to Position Changes, but let’s look at a few examples. You will notice how I highlight and focus on basically all info given for Athletes.
Potential QB
Anytime you see Arm Strength and Pass Accuracy on an Athlete prospect info screen, there is a great chance he is a QB above all else.
The Big Tweener
Athletes who weigh between 250-280 are more than likely TEs or Defensive Ends (DE). However, notice below how there is no Hands attribute which makes it more clear he probably plays on defense. He could also be a very undersized offensive linemen.
Big Boys
Any Athlete who weighs around 300lbs is probably an offensive linemen or a DT. I’ve noticed over the years that these guys tend to be better DTs but not always.
The Unknown
Perhaps the most popular type of Athlete, these are harder to tell what position they are best at. For example, the prospect below might be a CB, FS, SS, HB, or WR. Any Athlete around this size can work anywhere, even good at multiple positions, not just one.
What about Potential & Discipline?
To be honest, I rarely look at these as the hard numbers matter more. Potential is nice as you can see if a player can progress faster than others. Discipline is random though. An A+ Discipline player can still get in trouble.
Position Changes
This chart gives a nice rundown of offensive position changes. The most important thing to remember is NOT to move first-year prospects until after their first season. Their ratings can get wonky and plummet.
