Junior wooed by NCAA Division 1 schools

As soon as the football game ended, junior Reese Moore and his parents Todd and Cathy Moore loaded up their car and head to one of the many NCAA Division One colleges trying to recruit 6-foot, 6-inch, 265-pound Indian tight end and defensive lineman.

Arriving late that night, the Moores  woke as the sun rose ready to tour a possible future collegiate home for Reese. They have looked at numerous universities including Texas Tech, the University of Oklahoma, Texas Christian University, Washington State, Central Florida, Oregon, Southern Methodist University just to name a few.

“I have really liked Oklahoma a lot; they have really great facilities,” Reese said. “I like TCU, their coaches and facilities are really nice, and Southern Methodist University has a really good atmosphere with the coaching staff.”

During a normal visit, Reese and his parents will go eat, tour the campus, and watch a football game. From a parent’s perspective, the coaches teaching one’s child is one of the biggest considerations.

“It is interesting to me to see the way the different coaches treat the kids,” Cathy said. “As a parent that is the thing I am looking for the most, to see the type of relationship they build with my child. Some of the coaches are really good and get to know them, and they ask a lot of personal questions, and some you can tell it is just a really general question or conversation.”

Another important aspect is the quality of education.

“I like to see the emphasis they put on the academics, such as their graduation rate for their football players,” Cathy said. “I like to know do the football players stay at that school or do they quit? That kind of tells me a lot about what kind of program they have.”

When touring a college not only does the player judge the school, but the school assesses the player.

“They look at your grades and transcripts, your size, everything,” Reese said. “They want to know what caliber kid you are.”

Strict regulations govern the recruiting process. Between dead periods, contact periods, evaluation periods, and quiet periods, the rules can seem confusing.

“They cannot give you anything unless you are on an official visit,” Reese said. “Whenever we eat our meal, we have to pay for it. We are also not allowed to talk with ex-players and alumni, and they cannot give us anything.”

While getting noticed by a large school may seem hard, knowing the right people can make being recruited easier.

“Coach Jackson has helped a lot through the process,” Reese said. “Without him, I don’t know if the amount of colleges would have been as good. He knows a lot of people. He just calls them up.”

Social media can also be an asset when hoping to be recruited.

“Once one school follows you, it just seems to turn others on to you,” Cathy said. “Their schools each have departments, and all they do is look at social media. They are looking to see what schools are following what kid, and if it’s somebody they need to know about. To me, the biggest key is getting involved with your social media. Set up an account for your kid, so that schools can start following them.”

Having one player being looked at by colleges can also help out other team members.

“It gives us something to look forward to and shows us the light at the end of the tunnel,” junior linebacker Bryce Karr said. “When those colleges come look at Reese, they may decide to recruit us, too.”

Even with the stress of trying to find the right fit to play football, get a degree, and sign to pledge at least four years of their life, the recruiting process has been an exciting and unique way to tour colleges for the Moores.

“I think just the people we have met has been the neatest thing,” Cathy said. “We got to meet Bob Stoopes when we were up in Oklahoma. We got to meet Buddy Hill, a famous basketball player. He was standing on the sidelines behind us, so you turn around and there he is. Just to meet all the different coaches and people you have always seen and heard about face to face is fun.”

Reese has recently received offers from Baylor, the University of Texas, the University of Virginia, TCU, OU, SMU, North Texas, University of Texas at San Antonio, Eastern New Mexico University, Texas Tech, Washington State University, Northwestern University, University of Central Florida, Vanderbilt University, University of Missouri, and from the University of Nebraska.

With one more year of high school, Reese has not committed to a college yet, and he is finding it difficult to decide with so many good schools. However, soon the weekend  expeditions all over the nation will end and finally pay off as he finds the college that’s a fit for him.