CFB 25 Recruiting Guide: Dominate Dynasty Mode

Entering Dynasty Mode in College Football 25 can feel like stepping onto a vast recruiting landscape. To build a powerhouse, mastering recruitment is key. This comprehensive guide breaks down the essential strategies to effectively recruit top talent, ensuring your program thrives for years to come. We’ll navigate you through each stage, from preseason preparations to offseason acquisitions, equipping you with the knowledge to outmaneuver your rivals and secure the future of your football dynasty.

I. Preseason Recruiting Setup: Building Your Foundation

Before the roar of the crowd and the first snap of the season, the preseason in CFB 25 is your crucial window to lay the groundwork for recruiting success. Strategic decisions made in these early weeks will significantly impact your ability to attract top prospects throughout the year.

1. Setting Up Your Recruiting Board: Scholarships and Pipelines

Your recruiting board is your command center, and setting it up correctly is the first vital step.

DO prioritize offering at least 35 scholarships during Week 1. As highlighted by Max Plays CFB, investing in scholarships early is the most efficient use of your recruiting points. These initial scholarships are your most valuable tool in establishing a wide net and attracting early interest.

DO leverage Pipelines. Pipelines represent your school’s established recruiting territories and significantly boost your recruiting efforts. Navigate to My Pipelines and sort by Rank to identify your strongest pipelines. Remember these tiers:

• Pink: Tier 5 (Elite)
• Blue: Tier 4 (Strong)
• Gold: Tier 3 (Solid)
• Silver: Tier 2 (Moderate)
• Bronze: Tier 1 (Weak, but still beneficial)

Pipelines act as multipliers for your recruiting actions. A recruit within a pink or blue pipeline will be significantly easier to attract than one outside your pipeline network.

DO be realistic about your targets. If a prospect is “Open” to your program but outside your strong pipelines (or within a weak bronze/silver pipeline), and you see schools with pink and blue pipelines heavily interested, it might be wise to re-evaluate. Competing against strong pipeline schools for out-of-pipeline recruits is an uphill battle. While offering a scholarship and monitoring the situation is reasonable, understand that securing commitments against pipeline advantages will be challenging.

DO consider “Playing Time” as a Dealbreaker. Over-recruiting at a specific position can deter prospects concerned about playing time. Always check for potential Dealbreakers if a recruit suddenly loses interest. “Championship Contender” status can also be a Dealbreaker for players seeking immediate success.

DO NOT overload your board with prospects below 3-star rating in Week 1, especially if you are managing a higher-rated program. Elite programs might even aim for 4-star and 5-star recruits exclusively in the initial weeks. Lower-rated recruits will become more accessible later in the recruiting cycle. The exception is if you are playing with House Rules for lower-rated programs, restricting your reach to 3-star prospects within your pipeline.

2. Scouting Strategy: Maximize Your Hours

Effective scouting is crucial, but efficient time management is even more critical.

DO scout during the first week, but DO NOT over-scout beyond Week 1. While uncovering “gems” (players with hidden development traits) is beneficial, your recruiting hours are your most precious resource. As detailed in another guide on gems, securing commitments is paramount. Hours are the currency of recruitment, and excessive scouting after Week 1 detracts from actively recruiting players.

For smaller programs with limited recruiting hours (600-900 in Week 1), dedicating at least 175 hours to initial scholarship offers leaves a limited scouting window. Full scouting is optional. As you gain experience, you might prioritize identifying key ratings and archetypes associated with desirable player abilities, streamlining your scouting process. Abilities often outweigh raw ratings, especially elite abilities.

Here are some top-tier and great abilities to prioritize when evaluating recruits:

• Top Tier: Side Step, Shifty, Takeoff, Jammer, 360, Road Dog
• Great: Quick Jump, Ballhawk, Field General, Mobile Deadeye, Headfirst, Wrap Up, Blanket Coverage, Pocket Disruptor

Focus on these abilities and their rating baselines to efficiently identify high-potential recruits without exhaustive scouting.

As your program ascends to national prominence (like Alabama or Georgia), your recruiting hour pool expands (1200+). At this stage, more extensive scouting, focusing on green gem 4-star and 5-star prospects becomes feasible. You can afford to be more selective and refine your board earlier in the cycle.

DO NOT be deceived by EA’s UI limitations. The game’s Dynasty mode only displays 300 players per screen. Since there are typically around 400 4-star recruits annually, sorting by “4-Star Recruits” and “Any” position will not reveal all available 4-star talent. To ensure you see the full spectrum of recruits, DO sort by position when filtering by star rating (4-star, 3-star, etc.) and when using “My Pipelines” filters.

3. Navigating the Prospect List: Finding Hidden Gems

Strategic navigation of the prospect list is essential to uncover valuable recruits and manage your board effectively.

DO target positions of need and prioritize position groups, but DO NOT overemphasize positions like Halfback (HB). While position-specific recruiting is important, remember that CFB 25 allows for position changes during the offseason. The Running Back position, in particular, is often easily filled by converting players from other positions. Wide Receivers, for instance, can be effectively transitioned to Running Back, Tight End, Cornerback, or Safety. Consider player archetypes when evaluating position change potential, but embrace flexibility.

This doesn’t mean ignoring a standout 5-star HB recruit if they are interested in your program. However, if you face a wealth of talented Offensive Tackles but have greater needs at Guard and Center, don’t overlook those Tackles. They can be repositioned to Guard or Center upon arrival on campus. The same principle applies across the defensive line, linebacker corps, and secondary.

DO understand that Mental abilities are fixed. While both Abilities and Mentals are visible during recruitment, Mentals, unlike Abilities, cannot be developed or upgraded throughout a player’s career. While most Mentals are not game-changing, Road Dog and Field General are notable exceptions, especially at the Platinum level. Prioritize recruits possessing these impactful Mental abilities.

4. Player Progression and Development Traits: Understanding the Long Game

Recruiting isn’t just about immediate impact; it’s about building a program for sustained success. Understanding player progression is crucial for long-term dynasty building.

DO grasp basic player progression. A dedicated player progression guide for College Football 25 is forthcoming, as the game features a compelling, yet unexplicated, progression system. While in-depth knowledge isn’t mandatory for effective recruiting, certain fundamental principles are essential:

1. Higher star ratings correlate with higher initial ratings upon arrival. 5-star recruits generally enter with the highest base ratings.
2. Development Traits (Normal, Impact, Star, Elite) dictate the rate at which recruits earn XP on campus. XP is used to purchase rating and ability upgrades. Maximize XP gain by targeting higher development traits.
3. Development traits and skill caps are distinct. Development trait governs development speed, while skill caps define a player’s maximum potential in each rating category. Even an Elite Development Trait player may have skill caps limiting their overall potential.
4. Coaching abilities within coaching skill trees can boost XP gain and raise skill caps, offering powerful avenues for player development.

These factors highlight inherent limits in player progression. A 2-star recruit with an Elite Development Trait may still have low skill caps and a modest starting rating. While they may improve significantly, their ceiling might be lower than a higher-rated recruit with a lower development trait.

Conversely, a 4-star recruit with an Impact Development Trait might develop slower but possess fewer skill caps, potentially leading to a higher overall ceiling.

While “red gem” (Normal Development Trait) recruits are generally less desirable, a 5-star red gem will often outperform a 3-star Impact or Star Development Trait player in most positions.

Prioritize recruits with Star and Elite Development Traits and aim to get them on the field early in their careers (redshirting in their freshman year remains a viable option).

DO check your team’s schedule. While not strictly necessary, strategically scheduling visits around easier home games (Weeks 4-6) can provide a slight advantage in securing commitments. Capitalizing on home game momentum can sway undecided recruits.

5. Quick Coaching Abilities Rundown

While this guide primarily focuses on recruiting fundamentals, understanding coaching abilities is essential for long-term dynasty management.

To optimize your coaching staff for recruiting:

• Begin with the Recruiter archetype for your head coach.
• Maximize the initial Elite Recruiter abilities (up to 4/4) across position groups. Then, expand into the second tier of Recruiter abilities.
• Prioritize the Master Motivator track early on to enhance offseason training boosts for your current players.
• Subsequently, explore Talent Developer, Architect, Program Builder (for pipeline development), and CEO trees for valuable abilities.
• Remember that coaching abilities stack. Assistant coaches with complementary abilities amplify your staff’s effectiveness.

II. In-Season Recruiting: Executing Your Strategy

With your recruiting board set and your initial strategy defined, the in-season phase of recruiting in CFB 25 shifts to execution and refinement. This is where consistent effort and tactical decisions turn preseason groundwork into signed letters of intent.

1. Recruiting as a Marathon: Patience and Persistence

DO remember that recruiting is a marathon, not a sprint. Prospects will progressively narrow their lists: Top 8, then Top 5, and finally Top 3. Instant Commitments can disrupt this process, but the real competition typically intensifies within the Top 5, if not Top 3. Your primary early goal is simply to make the cut and remain in contention.

At the start of the “real” recruiting season (post-preseason scouting and scholarship offers), aggressively pursue players you highly desire, especially if you are not initially in their Top 8. Allocate significant hours (at least 50, potentially more based on coaching abilities) to break into their top consideration. Once in the Top 8, you can strategically adjust your hour allocation based on the competitive landscape.

DO NOT be misled by green and red arrows associated with recruiting actions. While EA uses these indicators, don’t interpret each green arrow as directly additive. For example, “Send the House” (5 green arrows, 50 hours) is not directly comparable to combining “DM the Player” (2 green arrows, 10 hours) and “Contact Friends and Family” (3 green arrows, 25 hours) even though they both total five green arrows.

EA intends green arrows to represent the relative strength of actions within each stage of the recruiting process. When a recruit is in their Top 8, the “Influence” actions (Social Media, DM, Friends and Family, Send the House) are available. “Send the House” is the most potent Influence action. The others offer supplementary benefits but are less impactful individually.

2. Understanding Recruiting Actions: Green Arrows and Influence

DO thoroughly understand the Influence bar mechanics. This is a crucial element for weekly analysis and strategic adjustments. Key aspects of the Influence bar to monitor:

• Weekly Influence Gain: The darker portion of the influence bar represents the influence your school gained in the previous week. A small gain despite significant effort might signal a challenging recruitment battle ahead.
• Pipeline Tier: Always note pipeline tiers. If you have a weak pipeline (bronze or none) for a highly desired recruit and are currently ranked #1, assess the pipeline strength of schools ranked below you. The presence of pink and blue pipeline schools just outside the Top 5 indicates potential future challenges. Prioritize closing the deal quickly to minimize the impact of stronger pipeline schools.
• Influence Bar Resets: The influence bar resets at each cut-down stage (Top 8, Top 5, Top 3). However, hours invested are not wasted. “Overflow” hours from one week carry over and contribute to refilling the bar in the subsequent week. Reaching the influence bar’s threshold triggers the cut-down to the next stage.

Visualizing Influence Bar Progression:

Observe Oregon’s influence progress in Week 1 (darker green portion):

And in Week 2:

Oregon’s filled influence bar triggered the Top 8 cut. Notice how Oregon’s continued recruiting effort resulted in “overflow” influence, already partially filling the bar towards the Top 5 stage.

Alabama, despite lacking a pipeline and not being in the initial Top 8, entered the Top 8 in Week 2 by “Sending the House” on a 5-star recruit. However, Oregon’s strong progress and pipeline advantage pose a significant challenge.

Week 3 Influence Bar update:

Oregon didn’t quite fill the bar for the Top 5 cut in Week 3, extending the Top 8 phase. Alabama, by “Sending the House” again, moved into the Top 3. At this stage, strategic hour allocation becomes crucial. While remaining in the Top 5 is sufficient, Alabama’s strong influence gain suggests they can potentially reduce hour investment slightly while still making the Top 5 cut. However, with Oregon (blue pipeline) still in contention, caution is warranted.

Week 4 Influence Bar update:

Alabama maintained aggressive recruiting (“Sending the House”) and reached the Top 5, even surpassing Oregon’s influence gain in Week 4. However, Oregon’s blue pipeline and the recruit’s “Close to Home” desire make them the favorite. The focus now shifts to the final push within the Top 5.

3. The Final Push: Hard Sell and Visits

As you advance to the Top 5 and Top 3 stages, new recruiting actions become available: Hard Sell, Soft Sell, Sway, and Schedule Visit.

DO recognize that Hard Sell and Send the House remain your most powerful tools. Hard Sell becomes the most effective option when it aligns with The Rule of 19, a strategy popularized by Max Plays CFB.

The Rule of 19 leverages the motivation grades (A+ to F) associated with Hard Sell pitches. Convert letter grades to numerical values (A+ = 13, F = 1). If the sum of the numerical values of the three green checkmark motivations in a Hard Sell pitch equals or exceeds 19, Hard Sell surpasses “Send the House” in effectiveness.

For example, if a Hard Sell pitch yields grades of A+ (13), B+ (10), and D- (2), the total is 25, exceeding 19. In this case, prioritize Hard Sell, potentially supplementing it with “DM the Player” (10 hours) to reach a total of 50 hours invested. Hard Sell can be employed across multiple weeks, similar to “Send the House.”

Identifying the optimal Hard Sell pitch involves a puzzle element. After using “Send the House” for several weeks, examine the red, green, and gray boxes next to the recruit’s Motivations. You may not initially know all three top motivations for the perfect pitch.

Strategies for Hard Sell Pitch Identification:

1. Dealbreaker Motivation: The Dealbreaker motivation is always revealed (bottom right of the Overview screen) and is guaranteed to be one of the green checkmark motivations for Hard Sell.

2. Existing Green Checkmarks: If a green checkmark motivation is visible (and is not the Dealbreaker), you already know two of the three Hard Sell motivations.

3. Process of Elimination: Utilize process of elimination. For instance, if “Playing Style” is the Dealbreaker and a potential Hard Sell option is “Time To Get To Work,” and you see a gray box for “Playing Time,” this could be a viable pitch.

Example Pitch Option 1:

Example Pitch Option 2 (with potential gray box issue):

If the process of elimination doesn’t definitively identify the perfect pitch, consider these alternatives:

1. Soft Sell: Use Soft Sell (20 hours) on potential pitches. If incorrect, Soft Sell typically reveals the correct pitch for the following week.

2. Sway: Use Sway (30 hours) on a potential pitch, hoping to convert a gray box into a green checkmark. Sway is not guaranteed to work.

3. Schedule Visit: Schedule a Visit (40 hours) using the Dealbreaker motivation, guaranteeing at least one correct motivation.

However, in most cases, DO default back to “Send the House” if Hard Sell pitch identification is uncertain. Soft Sell, Sway, and Schedule Visit are primarily supplemental tools.

DO NOT rely on Soft Sell, Sway, or Schedule Visit as primary recruiting methods. They are situational tools, not core strategies. The same applies to DM, Social Media, and Friends and Family. Hard Sell and Send the House are the cornerstones of successful high-level recruiting. Other options are best used to complement these core actions.

DM/Social Media/Friends and Family are useful for adding minor influence boosts when hours are limited or to supplement primary actions.

Sway is a niche tactic for specific scenarios, like overcoming a pipeline disadvantage. For example, when facing a strong pipeline school like Oregon for a non-pipeline recruit, Sway can attempt to convert a red “X” motivation into a green checkmark, effectively creating four green checkmarks for your school in a Hard Sell pitch. Ideally, this would allow for both Hard Sell and Soft Sell pitches in the same week (with coaching abilities allowing 60+ hours per week investment), each potentially meeting the Rule of 19. However, Sway’s success is not guaranteed. Only use Sway when you already know at least two of the green checkmark motivations. Using Sway with only one known motivation is highly ineffective. Avoid using Sway repeatedly in consecutive weeks; it is an inefficient use of hours.

Soft Sell is primarily used in conjunction with Sway strategies or when hour conservation is critical, or to refine Hard Sell pitch identification when only two motivations are known.

Schedule Visit is a “sometimes” option. Visits cost a one-time 40-hour investment and do not contribute to weekly hour allocation. Think of them as bonuses. However, strategic visit scheduling is essential.

DO NOT schedule visits far in advance (e.g., Week 11 when you are in Week 4). Visits are most effective when scheduled for the immediate future (within the next week or two) to capitalize on momentum. Aim to be the first school to schedule a visit. Since visit hours are spent upfront, delayed visits diminish their impact.

Use the Dealbreaker motivation for on-campus visit pitches if other green checkmark motivations are unknown. Otherwise, prioritize the motivation with the highest grade for your school if multiple green checkmarks are identified.

Complementary visits (grouping recruits at different positions) are beneficial but not essential. Competitive visits (multiple recruits at the same position in the same week) can have negative consequences.

4. Continuous Prospecting and Late-Stage Recruiting

Beyond weekly hour management and pitch optimization, remember these crucial elements:

DO NOT forget to continuously add new prospects throughout the season. As the season progresses, you will lose recruits or shift priorities. Regularly revisit the Prospect List. The most efficient way to identify potential additions is to sort by the “Offer” column and look for “N (0)” prospects.

“N (0)” indicates prospects who have not yet received scholarship offers. These are often ripe for recruitment. Offering a scholarship and showing immediate interest can yield rapid progress with these players. (Note: An initial launch bug causing many high-quality players to go unoffered for extended periods has been resolved). Focus on 4-star and 3-star “N (0)” prospects to fill out your recruiting class.

However, DO NOT underestimate the late-stage interest of “big dog” programs, even in seemingly overlooked prospects. Even if you feel secure with a lower-profile recruit, remember how recruiting priorities shift for major programs. Initially focused on 5-star and elite 4-star recruits, these programs will eventually turn their attention to lower-ranked 4-star and 3-star players as commitments accumulate and recruiting hours become available. Those pink and blue pipeline schools may suddenly target “your” recruits later in the cycle.

In case of late-stage recruiting setbacks, remember verbal commitments are non-binding until Signing Day. If a committed player’s chosen school falters (e.g., misses Championship Contender Dealbreaker criteria), they may decommit and reconsider their second-choice school (potentially you!). Dealbreakers can trigger late-stage prospect list re-emergence, making it worthwhile to retain certain players on your board even after their initial commitment elsewhere.

III. Transfer Portal and Offseason: Continuing Team Building

The Transfer Portal and Offseason phases in CFB 25 offer a streamlined and accelerated recruiting experience.

1. Transfer Portal Recruiting: Speed and Efficiency

DO NOT overcomplicate Transfer Portal recruiting. The core mechanics are identical to regular recruiting, but everything progresses at a faster pace with abundant recruiting hours. Offer scholarships immediately, schedule visits promptly (visits remain beneficial even without games), and invest heavily in desired players.

The Influence bar dynamic shifts in the Transfer Portal. You do not need to fully fill the bar or progress through Top 3 stages. The player will commit to the school with the highest Influence at the end of the transfer window (this also applies to remaining unsigned recruits on your regular recruiting board). Employ the same strategic hour allocation approach used for Top 8/5/3 cut-downs – prioritize being in the lead by the final week if the player remains uncommitted.

2. Staff Management and Player Development

Staff management is a separate element, but DO remember that coaching ability stacking provides cumulative bonuses. However, strategically distributing abilities across different coaching trees via assistant coaches is also a viable approach.

Persuading players to stay in the program during the offseason is straightforward – it’s a binary success or failure. Coach abilities (within CEO and Program Builder trees) can increase your persuasion attempts and success rate.

Position changes in the offseason are crucial for roster management and player development. As highlighted earlier, Wide Receivers are particularly versatile.

Mastering these recruiting mechanics in College Football 25 empowers you to build a dynasty. While maximizing every aspect of recruiting can be rewarding, remember that CFB 25 is also designed for fun and enjoyment. Feel free to adapt these strategies to your preferred playstyle and even implement House Rules for your “serious” dynasties to tailor the experience to your liking. Ultimately, understanding these core recruiting principles provides the foundation for both strategic depth and personalized dynasty building in CFB 25.