The UW-Whitewater football team has all but wrapped up its 2011 recruiting process. In the wake of the Warhawks playing in six consecutive NCAA Division III national championship games – capturing the Division III championship in 2007, 2009 and 2010 – each year’s recruits play a major role in maintaining the program at an elite level.
Football recruiting at the NCAA Division III level is unique in the state of Wisconsin. Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference programs are not only battling on the recruiting trail against the other seven conference football programs – but also among a number of Division 2 programs in Minnesota and other schools in neighboring states (Iowa and Illinois.)
Division II schools are able to offer partial scholarships something that is not allowed at the Division III level.
A spot check of the 2011 recruiting classes of four state of Minnesota NCAA Division II football programs reflects the amount of time the schools spend “raiding” high school student-athletes out of the Badger state.
An article on the Wisconsin Sports Network (http://www.wissports.net) discusses recruiting in Wisconsin by the Winona State, Minnesota football program.
Last year, Winona State finished 6-4 in the highly-competitive NSIC (league champion Minnesota-Duluth won the Division II National Title) and 7-4 overall. Head coach Tom Sawyer has been at the helm since 1996, with 13 straight winning seasons and is the school's all-time winningest coach.
A.J. Blazek is in his third year as an assistant coach and recruiter with the Warriors and was interviewed recently on WSU’s recruiting process.
Blazek admitted the Wisconsin is a primary recruiting are for not only WSU, but a number of other Division II schools in Minnesota.
“You have some of the best high school football in the Midwest right here in our own backyard,” Coach Blazek told WSN.. “Second, you have quality student-athletes that are taking care of business in the classroom.”
Each year a number of D II players end up transferring back to schools in the WIAC – including Whitewater – where facilities are equal and often better than the facilities they experienced at the scholarship institution.
The recruiting battle between the WIAC and the neighboring state Division II schools will continue to be an annual battle.
Despite the “recruiting war” Division III schools will continue to be among the best in the country.
UW-Whitewater will open the 2011 season with a nation’s best 30-game winning streak and back-to-back Division III national titles. UWW will also be in search of a record seventh consecutive WIAC championship.
UW-Whitewater head coach Lance Leipold elects not to release a list of his recruits until the start of preseason practice in mid-August.
With no “letters of intent” in connection with scholarships at the Division III level, ask any coach at the D III level and they quickly tell you that the only REAL recruit list is the one that is typed up the day the student-athletes report to campus and the start of training camp.
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