Recruiting Strategies for College Football 25

The initial stage in creating a Dynasty in College Football 25 is to recruit top prospects for your team. The most recent NCAA Football game offers a comprehensive recruitment system that allows you to evaluate your choices, scout potential players, and extend offers to them.

Although the process may seem simple, recruiting prospects is far from it. For those wondering how to secure the top talents, here is a guide on recruiting in College Football 25.

College Football 25 Recruitment Explained

The process of recruiting players for College Football 25 involves three stages: Discovery, Pitch, and Close.

At this location, you will have the opportunity to view an extensive list of potential recruits. Each name will be accompanied by a profile containing information such as their Rank, Rating, level of interest in joining your team, and their progress in selecting a college. Certain players may also have a ‘Need’ indicator beside their name, indicating that they play a position in which your team has a need to fill.

The list contains over 3,500 players to choose from. You can pick and shortlist your favorite profiles on your Recruitment Board. To access the board, press the left bumper, and you can begin scouting these talented individuals.

Prospect List menu in College Football 25 — EA Sports

There are over 3500 prospects to look through.

In order to scout individual players, you will be required to use 10 hours from your total Recruitment Hours. The number of hours allotted depends on the prestige of your school, with 5-star teams receiving more than 1000 hours while smaller teams may only receive 350 hours. It takes a total of 30 hours, or three scouting sessions, to fully uncover a player’s Physical and Mental abilities, Attributes, and Development traits.

After completing your evaluation of a potential recruit, you will have a clearer understanding of whether or not you would like to extend a Scholarship offer to them. If you are determined to recruit the player, it will be necessary to ensure that you meet their specific demands. This is where Dealbreakers become crucial, as they consist of non-negotiable requirements that must be met in order to have a chance at successfully recruiting the player.

The criteria for dealbreakers relies on School Grades, which are accessible by clicking on the ‘My School’ tab. This section displays ratings for various aspects of your school, such as:

Playing Time
Playing Style
Championship Contender
Program Tradition
Campus Lifestyle
Stadium Atmosphere
Pro Potential
Brand Exposure
Academic Prestige
Conference Prestige
Coach Prestige
Coach Stability
Athletic Facilities
Proximity to Home

The majority of these qualities are connected to your performance on the field, allowing you to enhance your overall grade throughout the season. However, it is not possible to improve the ratings for Campus Lifestyle and Academic Prestige.

Recruiting Strategies in Dynasty Mode

To initiate the recruitment process in College Football 25, present a Scholarship offer to your chosen candidate. This will deduct five hours from your allotted time. After completing this step, fast forward the time and revisit the Recruiting Board to monitor the prospect’s progress in choosing their desired school.

College Football 25 recruitment overview screen — EA Sports

Increase your influence to rank higher.

By visiting their profile section, you will receive a summary of your program’s position in their list of Top Schools. A higher ranking increases your chances of successfully recruiting them. To improve your ranking, you can implement these strategies that enhance the impact of your college:

Search Social Media – 5 hours
DM The Player – 10 hours
Contact Friends and Family – 25 hours
Send The House – 50 hours

By advancing time once more, you can observe the impact that your chosen action had on the player. The objective is to maintain a high ranking every week until the prospect narrows their choices down to the Top 5 schools. If you succeed in making the cutoff, you will have the opportunity to select one of these options to further enhance your influence:

Soft Sell – 20 hours
Hard Sell – 40 hours
Sway – 30 hours

The last step in recruiting a potential player is to Schedule a Visit. This will require your team to allocate 40 hours and can only be done once the player has finalized their Top 5 college choices. You will then have the opportunity to choose your pitch strategy, which should align with the attributes your school has been evaluated on. It is best to select strategies that relate to the player’s Dealbreaker and preferences.

If your visit is a success, you will be able to secure a spot in their Top 3 schools. As time progresses, you will receive a verbal commitment from the player, allowing you to officially sign them to your program. Continue this process throughout your coaching journey, and eventually, you will become a master of College Football 25’s recruiting system.

Best Recruiting Strategies in College Football

Upgrade Your Coach

College Football 25 Elite Recruiter abilities — EA Sports

A set of abilities will be unlocked if your coach has the Recruiter archetype.

By investing your Coach Points in the Elite Recruiter ability tree, you can greatly increase your chances of signing top prospects. This will lead to improved recruiting actions, faster scouting times, and higher pipeline bonuses. Additionally, purchasing the Always Be Crootin’ ability will give you the opportunity to increase your weekly Recruitment Hours.

Scout Thoroughly

The scouting process not only exposes a player’s skill level and potential success, but it also uncovers their personal qualities. By going through this process, you will gain a thorough understanding of what the player is seeking and how your school’s strengths align with their preferences. This knowledge will allow you to adapt your approach when it comes time to Schedule a Visit, based on the player’s individual characteristics.

Needs come first

It may be tempting to immediately focus on recruiting the top 5-star prospects and trying to convince them to join your team, but this will likely lead to tough competition with larger teams. As a result, you could end up spending a significant amount of time chasing after a player who may not ultimately be attainable.

Instead, try targeting 4-star prospects in positions that your team needs. By doing so, you can address weaknesses in your team and potentially discover a hidden talent through your scouting efforts.

Keep an Eye on Dealbreakers

If a prospect’s Dealbreaker cannot be met, it is not advisable to pursue them. For example, if a prospect is seeking a school within close proximity to their home and your college does not meet this criteria, they will not consider attending regardless of its reputation. In this scenario, it is more beneficial to focus on other potential candidates and use your time wisely.

To avoid wasting too much time on a Dynasty save, make sure to familiarize yourself with how to utilize your custom team using Team Builder, as well as the optimal settings for offense and defense.