July 2012
31 posts
7 tags
Increase Your Stock Value
If a college asks a student to list his top three universities, the athlete should list that institution first. He/she should be honest about the others and try to mention colleges that are equal or greater athletically and academically. Coaches need to know that other programs are recruiting the student. If a rival school wants to recruit a student-athlete, his stock will likely rise. Subscribe...
9 tags
Prep Before a Visit
Just because the visit is “unofficial” doesn’t mean you should come unprepared; think of it as a preliminary job interview. If you’re hoping for a scholarship offer from a school, why not take the time to prepare some thoughtful questions about the direction of the program, or about the school’s academic reputation, so that a coach understands you’re responsible and concerned about your future....
What Does Your Athletic Resumé Look Like?
Treat the athletic profile/resume as if it were a resume for a job. It should be an accurate representation of the student’s abilities and statistics. Some student-athletes are tempted to over-exaggerate their abilities, height, or weight in an attempt to make more attractive candidates for a spot on a college team. This is a BIG MISTAKE. College coaches are already skeptical about resumes because...
Initiate Communication
A student-athlete has unlimited opportunity to visit college campuses and meet with coaches, so long as the student-athlete initiates the communication. A coach cannot place a phone call to a student-athlete or return a phone call, nor can a coach send personal letters or emails, or respond to incoming letters and emails from freshman and sophomores. But a coach can answer the phone, and if a...
9 tags
Sports Camps
Sports camps are in excellent opportunity for an athlete to build skills, experience campus life, or connect with a coach. However, students are usually not discovered at sports camps. Sports camps are businesses that most often accept as many students as will pay to attend the camp, which means coaches do not often recruit from camps because the level of play is so diverse. Subscribe to the daily...
9 tags
More Contact=More Options
Every student-athlete must contact college coaches from at least 100 to 200 college programs. Receiving a few emails or letters from college coaches does not constitute serious recruitment. College coaches contact thousands of student-athletes so that they have enough options to fill their needs. Student-athletes should play the same game, contacting 100 to 200 college coaches. About 10% will show...
9 tags
Gray Middle Ground
Sometimes the trickiest place for a student-athlete to be is the gray middle ground with enough talent to earn some cursory interest from schools but not enough to be pursued heavily. Most of these athletes lose out on potential scholarship money because they are unrealistic about their lot in the athletic world, and they believe they are being more heavily recruited than they really are. Don’t...
8 tags
Leverage Your Resources
The key to negotiating a scholarship is to leverage the resources the athlete brings to the table. This means that the BETTER a student’s grades, the more money he/she can receive. The more extracurricular activities an athlete brings to the table, the more attractive he/she will be as well. Subscribe to the daily tip and stand out against your competition - click here. Commit. Succeed. #Athlead.
7 tags
Don't Just Be a Name in a Database
There is a major difference between receiving mail and when an athlete is actually being recruited. A letter means a school knows who the athlete is, and in many cases, all it means is that the school has seen the student’s name in some sort of data-base. Mail is just the initial stage; recruitment occurs when a student and coach talk, build a relationship, meet personally, and schedule an...
Do Your Research
Start researching institutions to get a feel for the different types of campuses. A student-athlete should be directed to evaluate a wide range of schools, understanding that bigger is not always better, and Division I schools do not always offer better playing time, opportunities, or education than Division III or NAIA schools.
Subscribe to the daily tip! Commit. Succeed. #Athlead.
8 tags
Have You Responded
College coaches send admissions material, brochures, and questionnaires to high school students to see which ones respond. Those who respond will stay on the recruiting list; those who do not respond will be removed. If a student-athlete receives a questionnaire, admissions material or brochure from a college coach, she should respond immediately, regardless of whether she wants to attend the...
10 tags
Take Initiative
Recruiting Tip of the day: An athlete who does not receive mailings during her freshman year should not worry. While this does mean the student-athlete is not included in the small cadre of athletes recruited at the elite level (fewer than 1 percent), the process is just starting. Student-athlete should take the initiative by contacting coaches and asking for admissions material and...
17 tags
The More a Family Knows
Athletes and their families can do their part by understanding the rules and toeing the line in the recruiting process. They should be especially aware of the time restrictions, number of allowed visits, times when phone calls are allowed, and dates they can meet with recruiters. This can be a pleasant shared experience that benefits all of the involved. The more a family knows, the better...
11 tags
Ask These Questions
When considering play-time, student-athletes should consider the following questions: 1.) Will I fit in with the team’s strategy, or will I be like a passing quarterback in a running offense? 2.) Will I be able to develop my athletic ability as fully as possible in this program? 3.) Has an athletic scholarship ever not been renewed solely because of poor performance or injury? 4.) How does my...
9 tags
It's Up to You, Not Your HS Coach
Getting successfully recruited is a full-time job, and your high school coach wants you to get nothing less than a scholarship to the school of your dreams. Unfortunately, high school coaches lack time, resources and college coach relationships which prevent them from helping their high school athletes. Due to this issue, you can’t blame your coach if you don’t play sports in college or go to your...
7 tags
Let Coaches Know
College coaches need to know if other college programs are recruiting the student. This may trigger the coach to speed the process up with you if they feel you have more options. Instead of saying: I’m looking at the following colleges, a student-athlete should say: I’m talking with the following colleges, or I’m in the process of setting up visits with the following colleges. These responses will...
9 tags
Coaches Will Ask. How Will You Answer?
When talking with coaches on the phone, it is important to practice responses to typical questions that many coaches will ask. Here are some examples that you should create responses for which will better prepare you for when you make contact with a college coach:
-What other colleges are you interested in? What other colleges have offered you a scholarship? What other colleges are you...
7 tags
Prep Before You Call
Calling coaches for the first time at a college you have a high interest for can be very nerve-wracking. When contacting a coach for the first time, ask these questions:
What would I need to do to earn a scholarship to your program?
How many players are you recruiting in my position?
What would I need to do to be evaluated by your staff?
Which camps do you recommend that I try to attend?
...
7 tags
Practice Makes Perfect
Parents should consider role-playing with the student-athlete before the student makes their first phone call. For adults, the process seems easy: Pick up the phone and call the coach. But parents need to remember that their child is inexperienced and needs to practice calling authority figures. They should have their child record his or her practice calls. Play them back and help their child...
9 tags
Research and Identify Coaches
When first contacting a coach through an email, letter, or phone call, make sure that you correctly identify this year’s coaches. Coaching staffs have high turnover rates, so make sure that you are looking at a current roster of coaches. If you write a letter or an email, you should send a personalized message and be specific about who you are targeting. Nothing should ever be addressed, “To Whom...
8 tags
Don't Limit Your Efforts, Athletes
Distribution and marketing is the most critical step of the recruiting process. Connecting with coaches drastically helps a student increase their chances of winning a college spot. An athlete should not limit their efforts to just one coach if the staff at a specific school consists of ten coaches. Who knows which coach the student-athlete might impress, or which one is responsible for the...
10 tags
Follow Up
While researching colleges and connecting with coaches, students should log their efforts and follow up with coaches to update them on information, ask questions, and build relationships. An athlete’s initial goal should be that the coach knows and remembers the student’s name. The more an athlete can communicate with the coach, the more opportunities for building a relationship. Subscribe to the...
11 tags
Grades Matter in Recruiting
What the student does off the field is just as important as what takes place on the field. As the recruiting process begins, maintaining good grades becomes more and more important. Performance in the classroom tells a coach plenty about an athlete’s likelihood of reaching their potential on the playing field. Coaches know that good students tend to make the most of their abilities and stay out of...
10 tags
Bring Your A-Game to Official Visits
A student-athlete should be aware that being offered an official visit does not necessarily mean they will receive a scholarship or a spot on the team. The coaching staff has identified the athlete as a top prospect, but the official visit gives them the opportunity to judge personality, lifestyle, and character. They often will use “hosts” to help get a real flavor of the student’s personality...
6 tags
Know Where You Stand with College Coaches
The college recruiting process is based entirely on relationships and the ability of the student and parent to ask the right questions. The student-athlete should know exactly where they stand with each coach and should use every tool available, including offers from other schools, to help a college make a decision. Some families and athletes are afraid that the process is subtle. They try to...
6 tags
Don't Just Be a Cheerleader
Parents should be their child’s assistant and mentor, not just a cheerleader. The parents’ job is to prepare the child and assist with the recruitment process. The athlete should turn to the parent for help, but not for approval. Children who learn to stand on their own two feet will make better decisions and be more confident, and capable.
Get the daily tip in your inbox!
10 tags
The Reality of Being Discovered
Far too many student-athletes are lost because they think they are going to be discovered. Remember that college programs have a pool of talent that includes over 7.3 million high school athletes in more than twenty-five sports, and each coach has less than about $500 on average to sort through all these athletes. Look at the recruiting budget for Williams College. They rank first in the U.S. News...
8 tags
Ask Yourself This
Student-athletes should consider the answer to these two questions when considering specific camps: 1. Has a coach from the school called me and specifically invited me to the camp? 2. Have I had any face-to-face contact with any of the coaches holding the camp? If the answer to both of these questions is no, start attending the camps so you can build on your skills and gain experience. ...
10 tags
Don't Judge a College By Its Name
It is extremely important to reply to all correspondence you receive. Avoid judging universities based on name recognition. There are over 1,700 colleges and universities at the NCAA Division I, Division II, Division III, NAIA, and Junior College levels. Don’t ignore any of them!
Get the daily tip in your inbox!
Commit. Succeed. Lead.
8 tags
Always Come Prepared
Just because the visit is “unofficial” doesn’t mean you should come unprepared; think of it as a preliminary job interview. If you’re hoping for a scholarship offer from a school, why not take the time to prepare some thoughtful questions about the direction of the program, or about the school’s academic reputation, so that a coach understands you’re responsible and concerned about your future.
...
1 tag
Are You Taking Initiative, Recruits?
All recruiting systems rely on personal interaction with the student-athlete. Since colleges have limited budgets and limited personal relationships with high school coaches, student athletes must take the initiative, casting a wide enough net to be noticed, no matter what a coach’s specific system looks like. Be Proactive. Subscribe to the daily tip!
