Selective School Football Recruiting:
A discussion with John Papas of New England Elite Football Camps and Consulting.

If you are hopeful about attending a NESCAC Conference* , Patriot League^ or an Ivy League^&   program, it would be hard to find someone more knowledge with whom to discuss the process than John Papas.  Pappas is  the head coach at Buckingham Brown and Nichols school of the ISL, director of the New England Elite Football Camp and a former Division I-AA football coach at Harvard, Division III at Tufts and Division II at Bentley College.

*(Amherst, Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, Hamilton,  Middlebury, Trinity, Wesleyan, and Williams)
^(Bucknell, Colgate, Fordham, Georgetown, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh)
&(Brown, Columbia, Cornell Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn Princeton, Yale)

The New England Elite Camp is the largest private football camp in New England (non college based) and annually employs 60-70 college coaches.  Papas seems to know everyone in college coaching and he has a good idea of the type of student and athlete they are looking for. There is a good chance that each year at his camps,  college coaches have spotted a potential player or are getting their first chance to see a player they have an interest in.

Athlete's Advisor sat down with coach Papas for an audio interview to learn more about him, his camps and the private work he does with families in helping them navigate the confusing and time confusing college football recruiting process.

The following audio clips will download and play as an MP3 File. A new window will open,

Clip 1  - Coach Papas talks about his coaching experience at the college level (D-I, II and III), and his public and private high school coaching experience and how it has given him a clear view of recruiting at all levels.

Clip 2 - Coach talks about the New England Elite Football camps. He hires 70 college coaches a year at what has become the largest private football camp in New England. Great for exposure to college football coaches, especially those heading into their senior year when it is down to "brass tacks."

Clip 3- Papas talks about why families come to him for private assistance in the football recruiting process. Usually families look into things themselves and then realize they need someone to facilitate the process. Papas meets with the family, watches the film, interviews the parents and the player and looks at academics. Papas then works to build a list of about 5 schools where he feels there will be a good fit academically and athletically. 

Clip 4 -  Video. What is the difference between a family sending a video to colleges and going through Coach Papas with that same tape to the same college? Time, Aggravation and Money! Plus getting to the truth guicker!

Clip 5 - The game of recruiting. Cutting through the non-committal coach's speak and getting an honest answer about where you stand with a college coach. This is perhaps the most valuable aspect of what Papas can do for a family. He can get questions answered that a parent or a player can't. 

Clip 6 - The process - Papas explains his role in contacting the coach on your behalf to get the ball rolling.

Clip 7 - Papas talks about the the importance of getting the football recruiting process early and the all the timing of all the steps leading up to the process. An informed early decision is key at some of the selective schools. 

Clip 8 - "We're never out of it!"  Was what Papas said about his ability to help kids, even as late as February of your senior year.  Papas can help with prep school placement as a part of your long term strategy as well.

A Recruiting  Analogy
To understand what Papas can do imagine being laid off from your very specific mutual fund marketing job for example. Now, suppose there was a person or firm that had a direct line access to the hiring managers in that specialized field at the top 10 companies you want to work for. What if they could take your resume, put it on the hiring managers desk and ask, "Is this someone who can help you? Do you want to interview them because they are interested in you?"

This head-hunter can now come back to you and tell you exactly where you stand with the hiring manager. No waiting, no voice mails, no unreturned emails, no last minute-sorry we went with someone who had a different skill set, etc.  Would you pay for this persons time and service? Yes you would. This is why families looking at investing well over $100,000 in their child's education come to Papas.

 "There are certain ways to get certain kids into certain schools" says Papas, "and this is something I know how to do. It's based on experience.  I am the one guy who has been able to sit in on recruiting meetings at all levels of NCAA football"


Are you interested in playing football in New England or the Northeast, perhaps at an Ivy, NESCAC or even a Patriot League school?  Want to save yourself a lot of time and aggravation in the recruiting process?  Call NE Elite Consulting at 617) 923-4227 or email coachpapas@aol.com