How to Start the Recruiting Process
Competing in collegiate athletics these days is hard, and the process to get there can be just as daunting. It is important for anyone wishing to compete in college to understand that starting as early as possible can only help you in the recruiting process. Even freshman and sophomores can do things that can help them down the road to get recruited, even if college coaches can't call, text, or write them just yet. Here are some steps to help you begin on your journey to college athletics.
Build a List
My recommendation is to begin as early as possible if you hope to one day compete in college athletics, no matter the sport. The earlier you begin, the better of an idea you will have moving forward of what it will take to get into or get recruited by the schools you want to go to. The first thing you can do is to begin to put together a list of schools you are interested in. Don't worry about how far the school is or if you can get into the school yet. The important thing is to begin the process of putting schools down and thinking about the next step after high school.I suggest to start with a list of about 20-25 schools that you can narrow down and add to over time. Be sure to have a reason that each school is on the list, as opposed to throwing random schools on there. If you've always wanted to travel or live in California, find some schools there that interest you. Maybe you visited an older sibling or cousin at another school that piqued your interest, put it on your list. Received a letter from a school in Florida you've never heard of? Put it on your list. You can always eliminate schools down the line if they end of falling out of line with what your looking for, buts it is important to build at least the foundation of schools to begin the process.
I remember I saw the ABC football game of the week between Colorado and Nebraska in 1999 in Boulder, CO. The game looked like so much fun on television sitting on my couch in Dallas, TX. I wanted to be there. University of Colorado went on my list, I visited that Spring during a ski trip to Colorado, and I absolutely feel in love with the school. It didn't matter that a football game began my interest in the school. It was simply a starting point for me to build from, and I ended up attending school there and absolutely loving it.Once you have a list to begin from, then you can start to analyze yourself and see if you 1) are good enough to compete at that school, and 2) if you have the necessary grades and test scores to gain admission into that school. It is crucial you are honest with yourself. This can go a long way to determining if a school on your list is a fit for you before visiting or speaking to anyone there. Thinking you can compete on the North Carolina soccer team if you have a difficult time starting on your high school team could lead you to waste valuable time and money pursuing an opportunity that may not ever be offered.
Campus Visits
Once you begin to form a list, start thinking about how and when you can visit some of these campuses. It may be simply going to the closest school for a campus tour. The important thing here is to start to familiarize yourself what what a college campus feels like. This can give you great insight to help determine what campus feels best or right for you.
A campus visit can be as simple as a campus tour at the college of your choosing. If you do a campus visit at a school you are interested in playing in, I highly suggest reaching out to the coaching staff to set up an appointment to meet with them on the day you visit campus. This may take a few phone calls or emails, but if your persistence can lead to a in-person meeting, it could go a long way to building a relationship that could help land you a playing opportunity with that school.
Attend Summer Camps
I believe that summer camps in your particular sport of interest is the best way to see the school, get a feel for the campus, and meet some of the coaches. Some sports have overnight camps that let you stay in the dorms as well. These are excellent opportunities to see how much you could like living on that campus you could be spending the next 4-5 years of your life. By participating in a sports camp on campus, you'll be surrounded by coaches and seeing the facilities of that sport as well, and probably eating in the same cafeterias you'll eat in if you attend school there.Be sure you also find a coach on each staff who you can make a connection with, whether he/she knows your name, or you get a business card, any way that you can continue a dialogue with them once the camp ends. You will be attending camps most likely with hundreds of other athletes, so make sure you stand out to a coach so that they can remember you. This can be through your talent and athletic ability, but could also be something as simple as approaching a coach and introducing yourself and telling them something interesting about you. Anything that can remind them of you down the line when you reach back out to them to start the recruiting process.
Communicating with Coaches
One of the most misunderstood aspects to the recruiting process is how to communicate with college coaches, and understand when they are communicating with you. Every potential recruit needs to comprehend that a typed letter, email, or recruiting questionnaire does not mean that school is recruiting you. They are simply sharing or gathering information. When I worked at UCLA and SMU, they had databases of thousands of athletes for each class and would use that information to send out letters with information on the school, camps, and upcoming home games. Understand that you may not be the only one receiving a typed letter from a big university.
Ideal communication is any type of direct contact, either by hand written letter, phone call or text. This is how coaches build relationships with the players they are recruiting. Any time a coach contacts you personally, be sure to be prompt in your response and reciprocate the interest, even if its a school you are unaware of or think you may not attend. You never know what may develop down the road.Developing and maintaining relationships with college coaches is a great way to start and continue the recruiting process. Be cognizant of their schedule and understand they lead busy work lives, so if they don't respond immediately, don't take it personally. Just be persistent and tactful in your communication with them, and they will get back with you in due time.
Setting Realistic Expectations
Understand that the most physically gifted and talented athletes are going to be recruited earlier than most athletes. If you aren't among them, that is alright. There are plenty of great academic and athletic opportunities out there. Acknowledging where you fit in the recruiting process is very important and can allow you to focus your time and resources toward schools and programs that will be most beneficial to you and your family.Big schools in the power conferences start and end their recruiting processes earlier than the smaller schools. If you are a junior or senior and are still waiting to hear from Texas A&M or Ohio State, it might be best to focus your attention to smaller schools and lesser known programs so that you don't miss out on the opportunities there.
Importance of Grades
For any athlete wanting to compete in college or beyond, make sure that your academics are opening doors for you and not closing them. I've seen it first hand in many recruiting meetings where we would talk about young athletes who could play at UCLA, but knew they they couldn't take care of their academics and moved on to another player. This is the reality of college athletics. Some coaches and programs know that, even though they may be passing up a great player on the field, if they feel like he could be a problem for them in the classroom, they will just move on to the next guy. For coaches in recruiting, they are trying to limit there chances of being wrong, and they certainly don't want to be in the business of taking chances with kids that are risks in the classroom.Conversely, academics could be a great way to separate yourself from the rest of the pack. When schools from academically renewed institutions go into schools to recruit, they simply look at grades and test scores, then build their recruiting lists from there. Schools such as Stanford, Duke, and Colorado School of Mines have the advantage of narrowing their target athlete pool because they know that each student they recruit will have to gain admission to school. Assuring your academics are in order can certainly help separate you from others, to go along with your athletic ability.
