#7 The Recruitment Process

 On average less than 10% of high school students have the chance to continue their careers in athletics at the college level. Those odds alone should inspire any student-athlete to push themselves even more. The way the recruitment process is handled can make or break a student-athlete’s chance to play at a school.

Skills and IQ
Many people believe that recruitment starts after the sophomore year of high school but that is not true. It begins freshman year. Here a student should obtain the highest grades they possibly can. They should begin learning advanced techniques and next level ideas for their sports. They should begin mastering these skills and ideas to prepare themselves for what college coaches look for. There are many tools to get a player to that level. Talking to a coach who has had college experience about what that player is lacking in their skill set is the greatest way to go about the skills and knowledge side of the recruitment process.

Getting your name known
By the end of the freshman year, players should begin sending emails to head coaches and recruitment coordinators to get their names around and possibly attract scouts. This is a powerful tool to get a coach to like the player. The more they see or hear the player’s name the better. Recruitment camps are another great way to get your name out to a coach.

Recruitment camps
      Colleges hold recruitment camps where players are either invited or can sign up to spend the day showcasing their talents in front of the coaches they seek to play for. This is undoubtedly the most important part of the recruitment process. Coaches watch everything and every second at a camp must be taken advantage of. Your skills will not improve from the moment you get out of the car to the moment you leave the camp so do not try to do more than you can do. Relax, breathe and do what you know how to do. Coaches will take mental notes of players, so the more important aspect of camps are the little things. Wear the right uniform and wear it properly. Talk to your parents with respect. Hustle everywhere at the camp. Be prepared. Read the information and the schedule before leaving for the camp. Not making eye contact, not shaking a coach’s hand, or not speaking to the coach with the right amount of respect can decide whether a player is recruited or not. Make small talk with the coaches; let them know that you have character, especially if it’s a good one. Thank all the coaches for the opportunity to be at the camp. Lastly, reach out to those coaches within the next week via email of phone call. Coaches like to know that you are thinking about the recruitment process as well.

Division 1,2 and 3
For players looking to play at division 1 schools there is a very small window to be recruited so getting your name out to coaches as a freshman will help drastically. Division 1 schools stop recruiting at some point in the junior year. These schools are more competitive and look for stand out talent. This means that they find and confirm their recruits much earlier than division 2 and 3 schools. It is very common for freshman and sophomores to be the majority of the athletes at division 1 recruitment camps. Division 2 and 3 athletes have more time to be recruited they continue to have successful tryouts as juniors and sometimes seniors.

Handling options
            So, you have a few offers? Here is how to handle that.

Keep your options open
            Let the coaches know you are interested in their program and school, but you are still deciding what other options will be best.

Utilizing academics
            Division 1 and 2 schools can give athletic scholarship to their students. By throwing numbers from different schools around coaches may start throwing money back at you. This can save you a lot in student loans. Remember you are a student before you are an athlete (blog #1 What is a Student-athlete?).

Know your academic plan
            Again, you are a student before an athlete. Do not choose your school solely for sports. Look into their academic programs and majors. If they line up with your plan for your future, then That school is a good choice. Less than 1% of college athletes go on to play professionally so odds are you will need that education after all. Do not sacrifice your career for sports if that school does not play into your future.

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