Best Ways to be Successful in Dynasty Mode: Hawaii Rebuild

Oct 16, 2024

In Year 3 of my Dynasty with the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, I believe I’ve finally found success to the point where I am on pace to successfully complete my 5-Year rebuild challenge for the first time.

As I mentioned before, instead of picking programs that are already established, I choose a smaller program to rebuild and win a National Championship in five years. Thus far, I’ve failed with Virginia and even tried one with Maryland and still came up short. In fact, I never even reached the top 10 with either of those teams.

In Dynasty Mode, I’ve been trying different things to see what sticks and what doesn’t and believe I’ve got the formula down to create a powerhouse from the ground up. First and foremost, I scout and recruit speed. It’s not a glitch in the game or anything, but just the way the game is, but speed is everything – if they’re fast, they can play. When setting up a recruiting visit and moving forward with a recruit, it is quite noticeable that Proximity to Home and Pro Potential are the most common motivations for players. So if that has the green checkmark, you should be golden. The two that have the least factor in securing a recruit are Coach Stability and Stadium Atmosphere. They simply don’t care. Honestly, campus lifestyle doesn’t matter either except occasionally with Transfer Portal players.

No matter what, when entering a new season and you begin recruiting make sure to prioritize all of the players that have your program as a top choice. Also, if you use scouting (some don’t), this is also the best time to do that. Although, for an example like mine where I am rebuilding scouting is pretty useless. Personally, I believe the scouting tool is more for the bigger programs to make sure you don’t get a bust.

After Week 1 or Week 2, look at where you rank on your recruiting board with recruits. If your pipeline is stronger and you’re not in the top two or three on their board, send the house! Honestly, I do this when it is a four or five-star recruit in hopes I can lure them to my program (since I am usually at lower programs, four-star recruits are a big deal). It finally worked for me and I got my first four-star recruit for the Rainbow Warriors.

After Week 3 or 4 it is time to prepare for the rest of the season. Only scout and recruit players that you’re in the top five on their interest list. Any lower, don’t waste your time and you will find more success. It has really worked for me this time around and I am now in the Top 10 for the first time and looks like I am College Football Playoff Bound with Hawaii. Not bad for Year 3! We will see if I successfully complete my Dynasty Challenge. Depending how well I finish the season, it may be time to consider leaving for a bigger conference.

Next Wednesday, I want to talk about some of the top broken plays to use in NCAA Football 25. I’ve seen some shared on social media, some have worked and some haven’t. I refuse to use them in a game that matters (like in Dynasty or Road To Glory), but for those that play online, it could be useful.

Dedrick Hendrix is a Featured Columnist for Four Verts: A College Football 25 Substack. He also writes for Fansided and Just Baseball. You can follow him on X @dchendrix, Twitch @itsdchendrix, and Instagram @officialdchendrix.