Running Back in Easley

[easley1jack]

JB, there is a RB in Easley that has rushed for over 1,000 yards basically in 8 games. Has another 400 APYs and 15 TD's. You familiar with him? Although he was the RB MVP at Ramon Robinson's combine he can't seem to get any rating service attention.

 

[dacoach]

Is his name "jack"?

 

[easley1jack]

Is his name "jack"?

His name is Will Drawdy. And, yes, I am his Dad. Expressing frustrations because he can really play, great student and better person. But, because of issues beyond his control he is not getting recognition he deserves.

 

[Salescall]

His name is Will Drawdy. And, yes, I am his Dad. Expressing frustrations because he can really play, great student and better person. But, because of issues beyond his control he is not getting recognition he deserves.

Get him involved with some of the other combines out there. Nike SPARQ is free and gets the MOST attention from college coaches. As much as I hate to say it the FBU camps will also get him a lot of recognition. They have active partnerships with XOS Digital (Service that ranks players for colleges, that the colleges pay for.), US Army All-American Bowl and Combine, etc. Jim Baxter also puts on good camps and combines, and has some media pull. I personally think there are a lot better options out there that Ramone Robinson. You just have to do a little research. One warning about those combines. Everything is laser timed. There is a BIG difference between laser and hand timed. If his coach times him a high 4.5/low 4.6 in the forty. Expect a 4.9 or worse at the combines.

One other thing would be to have your coach put the team's stats out on MaxPreps. The more exposure he gets digitally, the better.

If he wants to play in college, you can also look into NCSA. It's a paid service, and you have to put a little work into it, but it does give kids lots of exposure. Good luck!

 

[easley1jack]

Get him involved with some of the other combines out there. Nike SPARQ is free and gets the MOST attention from college coaches. As much as I hate to say it the FBU camps will also get him a lot of recognition. They have active partnerships with XOS Digital (Service that ranks players for colleges, that the colleges pay for.), US Army All-American Bowl and Combine, etc. Jim Baxter also puts on good camps and combines, and has some media pull. I personally think there are a lot better options out there that Ramone Robinson. You just have to do a little research. One warning about those combines. Everything is laser timed. There is a BIG difference between laser and hand timed. If his coach times him a high 4.5/low 4.6 in the forty. Expect a 4.9 or worse at the combines.

One other thing would be to have your coach put the team's stats out on MaxPreps. The more exposure he gets digitally, the better.

If he wants to play in college, you can also look into NCSA. It's a paid service, and you have to put a little work into it, but it does give kids lots of exposure. Good luck!

He is a senior. He has been laser timed at 4.48 at Velocity Sports in Powdersville. He went to one of Jim's camps last year. He has been to a number of college camps the last few years. Again, the biggest problem is one we can't control. He has some interest but not the level that he should have. Go to Hudl and watch his film. Thanks for the response though.

 

[easley1jack]

He is a senior. He has been laser timed at 4.48 at Velocity Sports in Powdersville. He went to one of Jim's camps last year. He has been to a number of college camps the last few years. Again, the biggest problem is one we can't control. He has some interest but not the level that he should have. Go to Hudl and watch his film. Thanks for the response though.

OK 325 reads since yesterday at 11:00 and nobody else has opinions??

 

[Salescall]

I watched his film, and he does look like a good athlete. Didn't realize he was a Senior. That makes things a lot tougher because the bigger colleges have already recruited the kids that they are going to recruit from the 2017 class. They have now moved on to 2018 and 2019. It is also more difficult to get recruited as a running back than a DB or lineman just because of the number of positions on the field.

I would expect that he would have garnered interest from several DII and a few of the smaller DI colleges. If you haven't already, talk to someone at NCSA. They may be able to point you in a little better direction, but it looks like timing may be an issue more than anything, unfortunately. It's sad, but kids really have to start marketing themselves much earlier to get noticed in the recruiting process. There is a ton of competition out there nationally. Good luck to you and your son.

 

[dacoach]

His name is Will Drawdy. And, yes, I am his Dad. Expressing frustrations because he can really play, great student and better person. But, because of issues beyond his control he is not getting recognition he deserves.

Here is what I can suggest, although this hasn't worked for everyone, but it could help.

1st - go on every college website in NC, SC and Georgia's websites and find their Athlete Questionnaire for Prospects and fill them out. They will all ask for GPA, Class Rank, Stats, Vitals, contact info, etc. So get all this together before you start filling them out.

2nd - get film into the hands of the college coaches. If your head coach or the assistant coach in charge of Hudl for Easley can send film out to these college coaches, that would help. Otherwise, put together a 8-10 video on Movie Maker or similar software and show off his VERY best clips. Burn copies, and personally mail them to every college recruiting coordinator you can find online. (search each college's website for a Directory to get emails and mailing addresses)

3rd - call every college he would have a shot of playing at (be honest with yourself and him), and ask to come visit for a game. They will set you up with 2 tickets so you take him to every school you can (better hurry, there's only 4 weeks left for many of them).

4th - go talk to his high school head coach and/or position coach and ask them if they feel he could play at any level beyond high school, and if they think he can, then implore them to call on the same colleges that you are sending film to. College coaches feel more confident if a coach calls, instead of a Dad.

I have watched several of his Hudl films. He looks to be tough, quick and fast (difference between the two, of course) athlete. I saw him catching passes out the backfield so his hands look pretty good. On several of his highlights showing pass pro, he's catching the defender 1-3 yards in the backfiled and losing ground. He does stop them from reaching the QB, but he gives up a lot of ground. See if you can find a couple where he sticks the rush closer to the LOS.

Unfortunately, this is very late in the game for a D-I offer, but he could certainly catch the eye of an FCS team. There are a LOT of quality teams around the tri-state area. He looks like a kid that could play somewhere post graduation.

If you need anything else, shoot me a message.

 

[easley1jack]

Thank you guys for your advice. He does have interest from the PC, Wofford, Citadel schools. He also has interest from Wake. I guess I am really trying make more of a point to sites like this and others that they need to think outside the box. Stop talking about looking for "the diamonds in the rough" and actually finding them without regard to stereotype. My apologies if I am stepping on toes but this has been our experience and it should be different.

 

[dacoach]

Thank you guys for your advice. He does have interest from the PC, Wofford, Citadel schools. He also has interest from Wake. I guess I am really trying make more of a point to sites like this and others that they need to think outside the box. Stop talking about looking for "the diamonds in the rough" and actually finding them without regard to stereotype. My apologies if I am stepping on toes but this has been our experience and it should be different.

There are OUTSTANDING high school football players in SC that go un-noticed EVERY YEAR. Unfortunately, this site, Scout, ESPN, or any other site out there will never be able to properly hype every single kid. I have been through this process as a coach nearly a hundred times and as a Dad.... you jump through every hoop you can to get people to notice your player and hope that SOMEONE on the next level will believe you when you say, "This kid can play!"

Good luck.

 

[BulldogZ91]

Want to chime in on this as well. I don't have a child with this issue yet but I have had a nephew and two really good friends go thru some of the same things. Just remember, regardless of the chance to get on the field ultimately his goals should be the classroom. One of the kids I know was on everyone's "waiting list" and was told by several respectable D1 programs he was their guy but he just needed to be patient. He chose to go to the Citadel, played all 4 years and has a very nice job and respected degree now. The other is currently red shirting out of state at a D1. My nephew went to play another sport at a JUCO and is now waiting to walk on at an in-state D1. It's all about networking! Coach A may like your son but doesn't have an offer so he'll reach out to his old buddy Coach B at Somewhere U and maybe put in a good word for him. Best of luck to your boy, I always want to see the local kids excell. I'm in Powdersville and your son is a really good player. He reminds me of a tougher version of Bailey Rogers from Wren, now at Furman.

 

[easley1jack]

Want to chime in on this as well. I don't have a child with this issue yet but I have had a nephew and two really good friends go thru some of the same things. Just remember, regardless of the chance to get on the field ultimately his goals should be the classroom. One of the kids I know was on everyone's "waiting list" and was told by several respectable D1 programs he was their guy but he just needed to be patient. He chose to go to the Citadel, played all 4 years and has a very nice job and respected degree now. The other is currently red shirting out of state at a D1. My nephew went to play another sport at a JUCO and is now waiting to walk on at an in-state D1. It's all about networking! Coach A may like your son but doesn't have an offer so he'll reach out to his old buddy Coach B at Somewhere U and maybe put in a good word for him. Best of luck to your boy, I always want to see the local kids excell. I'm in Powdersville and your son is a really good player. He reminds me of a tougher version of Bailey Rogers from Wren, now at Furman.

Thanks for all the encouragement from those that posted. And he is lucky in that he has some opportunities. Bailey is a great young man that will have a fine career at Furman.

 

[easley1jack]

My son had a great trip to NC State this weekend. Nothing yet but they are calling him this week! We will see...