Recruiting Questions

[ND90]

Hello Army fans. I have several football recruiting questions pertaining to West Point (and perhaps the other military academies) that you may be able to answer for me.

- If a player is recruited to West Point and commits to going, does he follow the same application process that all other students applying to West Point follow? I don't know a lot about the application process to West Point, so perhaps there may be different "paths" for all applicants, and maybe a football recruit path is not unusual. I'm just curious if a football recruit is "helped along" in the process for gaining admission.

- This question is probably just another way of stating the prior question. I'm a Notre Dame fan, and follow ND recruiting closely. While ND has higher standards for football recruits than many other FBS schools, many of the recruits would not make it into ND if they went through the normal application process. Are there football recruits that make it into West Point that would not be at West Point if they had to apply like everyone else?

- Since all the cadets at West Point are receiving a free education, is there a special designation for football players? That is, how does the NCAA 85 scholarship limit apply? Or does it even apply to the football roster?

- Every FBS college program has walk-ons. Since every West Point cadet is on scholarship, the distinction between a walk-on vs scholarship player at other schools doesn't seem to apply. Or does it? What is the walk-on program like at West Point? Is there a different perception held of those cadets that were specifically recruited to play football between those that walked-on?

- Is recruiting handled similarly at the Air Force and Navy Academies? If not, what are the differences?

Thanks for any responses you can provide! My son just started researching the process for applying to West Point. While he probably will not be good enough to play football at West Point, some of these questions popped into my mind as we have been discussing the application process.

 

[Charles Grevious]

All recruited athletes go through the exact same admissions process as other cadet candidates. They are assisted by the Admissions Support Staff in the Athletic Department.

The 85 scholarship limit does not apply as all cadets are technically on scholarship. The Walk-on program is very similar to Division Programs across the country.

 

[ND90]

Thanks for the response Charles Grevious. I appreciate the information.

 

[BlackKnightStrong]

Originally posted by Charles Grevious:
All recruited athletes go through the exact same admissions process as other cadet candidates. They are assisted by the Admissions Support Staff in the Athletic Department.

The 85 scholarship limit does not apply as all cadets are technically on scholarship. The Walk-on program is very similar to Division Programs across the country.

Good stuff CG!

 

[RedlegRanger]

I apologize for the late response. I've been out of the country. I work extensively with the Admissions Committee and can answer your questions.

Are there football recruits that make it into West Point that would not be at West Point if they had to apply like everyone else?
Yes, but every candidate: recruit, soldier, scholar, leader, woman, minority, or majority candidate goes through the same admissions process and must be fully qualified. The advantage that the non-majority candidate has is that they do not have to be the most qualified applicant from their Congressional district. They just have to be fully qualified. USMA can special select from its pool of qualified candidates to meet class composition goals. That explains why some congressional districts have more than 1 Appointment in a certain year. [/I]
Since all the cadets at West Point are receiving a free education, is there a special designation for football players? That is, how does the NCAA 85 scholarship limit apply? Or does it even apply to the football roster? Every cadet is on scholarship and there is no differentiation on the NCAA side. Some conferences place limits on how many can dress or travel. The only other restrictions are based upon the ability to support the numbers. Do we have enough assets (coaches, lockers, equipment, practice space, etc...?) The Commandant may get frustrated if he does not have enough cadets to support his activities so there is a balance that has to be maintained.
[/I]Walk-ons
We have lots of walk-ons. One of our NFL players was technically a walk-on. We picked up Josh McNary after he stood out at Prep School.[/I]
Is recruiting handled similarly at the Air Force and Navy Academies? If not, what are the differences?
Yes, it is very similar for the three academies. The differences are minor and we tend to look for the same type of kid. My experience is that USMA pays more attention to "whole-person" stuff more and USAFA/USNA pays more attention to the SAT Math. In several cases, they seemed to almost ignore the SAT Verbal when the SAT Math was over 650[/I].

 

[Bulletproof09]

Originally posted by RedlegRanger:



I apologize for the late response. I've been out of the country. I work extensively with the Admissions Committee and can answer your questions.

Are there football recruits that make it into West Point that would not be at West Point if they had to apply like everyone else?
Yes, but every candidate: recruit, soldier, scholar, leader, woman, minority, or majority candidate goes through the same admissions process and must be fully qualified. The advantage that the non-majority candidate has is that they do not have to be the most qualified applicant from their Congressional district. They just have to be fully qualified. USMA can special select from its pool of qualified candidates to meet class composition goals. That explains why some congressional districts have more than 1 Appointment in a certain year.
Since all the cadets at West Point are receiving a free education, is there a special designation for football players? That is, how does the NCAA 85 scholarship limit apply? Or does it even apply to the football roster? Every cadet is on scholarship and there is no differentiation on the NCAA side. Some conferences place limits on how many can dress or travel. The only other restrictions are based upon the ability to support the numbers. Do we have enough assets (coaches, lockers, equipment, practice space, etc...?) The Commandant may get frustrated if he does not have enough cadets to support his activities so there is a balance that has to be maintained.
Walk-ons
We have lots of walk-ons. One of our NFL players was technically a walk-on. We picked up Josh McNary after he stood out at Prep School.
Is recruiting handled similarly at the Air Force and Navy Academies? If not, what are the differences?
Yes, it is very similar for the three academies. The differences are minor and we tend to look for the same type of kid. My experience is that USMA pays more attention to "whole-person" stuff more and USAFA/USNA pays more attention to the SAT Math. In several cases, they seemed to almost ignore the SAT Verbal when the SAT Math was over 650.

Detailed very well Red……