RECRUITING REALITIES
- If I am good enough, coaches will discover me.
Reality: College coaches are normally responsible for covering large territories with thousands of athletes across the country so don't sit by the phone and wait for them to call. Take action, be proactive, recruit them. You increase your odds tremendously when you take charge.
- I'm being recruited because I've received letters from a bunch of schools.
Reality: Letters are nothing more than informational introductions. There's many student athletes just like yourself reading the same exact letters. You can take comfort in the fact that you're "on the list" but it is up to you to follow up with a letter of interest and information about yourself that will get that coach to call you or invite you to the school for an academic day or skills camp.
- My coach will take care of getting me a scholarship.
Reality: Your coaches are busier than ever, when one season ends the next one begins. Coaches are responsible for many other athletes and let's face it, their future depends on their ability to succeed at their level, not setting up athletes at the next level. You are responsible and your plan should include your head coach who will most likely be a valuable resource for you but don't wait, be the leader and your coach will be there for you to support your efforts.
MORE: Your high school coach probably does not have the time to properly market each athlete on your team. He or she may not know what college coaches want or how to properly market you. Few high school coaches have college contacts. Your high school coach's job is to field calls, give you mail you receive at the school, and be a solid reference if you are deserving of it.
- Recruiting services are the way to go to get a scholarship.
Reality: There are reputable companies out there that will give you the assistance you need to make good decisions in the recruiting process. However, many companies will just take your hard-earned dough and post your information on a flashy but rarely visited web site or simply mass-mail information out to schools across the country (which basically takes you back to #1). If a company is not giving you personal service to help you evaluate your own talents and help you through the process of evaluating schools that match your academic and athletic abilities, you're better off on your own.
- It is against NCAA rules for me to make calls to college coaches.
Reality: You can call college coaches just about any time. It is very difficult for a student-athlete to break the recruiting rules unless a college coach knowingly helps you break the rules. Why haven't you called a coach already? Fear of rejection? Don't know what to say? Call and tell them who you are, and the coach will take it from there.
- Participating in college athletics will not be much different than high school except for the talent level of the other athletes.
Reality: There's more to it than just "the game is faster". College athletics require more commitment and dedication than high school athletics. "Mandatory" is often a taboo word in many high schools, in college "Mandatory" is the norm. In the off season you will be required to complete mandatory lifting and conditioning programs in addition to the academic workload. And during the season you will most likely have to adhere to strict team rules with curfews and regular team meetings.
- The college recruiting process is the same across all sports.
Reality: Football and basketball programs (both men's and women's) will normally have larger recruiting budgets and more staff to help with the recruitment of athletes. The higher revenue sports can support the additional resources and can often see you play in person or send staff. Other sports may just have one full time coach with no support for recruiting. And these coaches are busiest when their season is active at the same time you are active in that sport. It is especially important in these cases that you have the material to showcase your talents because chances are the coaches will have a hard time seeing you play in person.
- Only "blue-chip" athletes get recruited.
Reality: "Blue-chip" athletes have the numbers and stats the college coaches desire and receive a lot of press and exposure however they are just a small percentage of the available talent pool. If you are not a superstar athlete it does not mean you cannot play at the college level. Colleges at all levels recruit athletes differently and this is mostly dictated by the budgets they are afforded. If you are not a "blue-chipper" put your recruiting cap on and recruit the college or colleges that are a good fit for your abilities. If you have the right stuff you'll get recruited.
- Colleges always have more recruits than they need.
Reality: Smaller, remote, and less popular schools often have difficulty finding student athletes. Their programs may not be well known and they may not have athletic scholarship money to offer. But more often than not, they have other scholarship opportunites or grant money to offer, and sometimes it is of more value than the traditional athletic scholarship!
- Walking on to a Division I team and busting my rear will eventually get me scholarship money.
Reality: Hard work and effort may get some coaches to reward you. But remember, being on limited scholarship budgets coaches tend to invest more scholarship dollars in the new four-year players coming in.
- Senior year is the most important year in the recruiting process.
Reality: For many years recruiting was only done in the athlete's senior year. However, things have changed, coaches are always looking to get the recruiting edge on their opponents. Putting the time and effort in now may get you on the coach's radar. Even your Sophomore year performance may show enough talent to get you looked at. Your Junior year may be the most important as this is the year you will be pursuing coaches to keep them updated on your progress.
Sell yourself. Be confident and realistic. Be determined. You've worked hard to get to this point, put the same effort into your college search.
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
