Recruitment in college sports is every student’s dream. Almost every parent wants their child to become an athlete in college sports, but due to the large number of applicants and limited availability of sports, the recruitment process becomes rigorous. Families struggle to understand how colleges recruit and evaluate.
In this article, we will provide you with a complete guide on how to get recruited for college sports based on a coach’s perspective.
College recruiting process is like a funnel. Almost every college coach follows this funnel for the selection of athletes. That’s why Insight-Athletics’ athletic recruiting services prove so valuable for recruits at various stages.
The college coaches generally follow specific steps throughout their collegiate athletic recruiting process. Knowing these steps helps you understand your current position and what needs to happen next. These steps include:
Professional college coaches generate a large list of middle and high school athletes that can play in their system. They assemble a talent pool by collecting an array of potential recruits. They are narrowcaster, identifying recruits that meet basic qualifications which can include athletic stats like position and graduation year, academics, location and more.
Tips for athletes:
Get your free Insight-Athletics Recruiting Profile and get discovered by coaches when they are researching their schools from thousands of miles away. Put your name in front of college coaches all you can through emails, social media and other means.
Prospects receive recruiting letters, questionnaires and camp invitations from college coaches. The next step for most coaches is probably to send out messages to a large group of athletes. Athletes who pass the first assessment can expect one or a combination of the following:
Tips for athletes:
Those recruitment questionnaires, camp invites and form letters expressing interest might seem impersonal and not worthy of a follow-up. But they do have their uses. Reply to each of the coaches with a little personal note. Thank them for their letter and say you’re interested in their program. Coaches easily spot generic messages and mass emails.
College coaches are super thorough! They consider everything the athletes do — your grades, your skills and even your personality.
So where, precisely, are they doing all that assessing? Well, that’s where things stand in the recruiting game at this point — coaches want to know you to see who the top dogs on their boards might be.
They tend to contact athletes directly. They’ll also begin phoning your high school and club coaches to gather their take, or a recommendation.
Coaches could also attend big tournaments or showcases, where many of their potential recruits are playing. Or, they may invite you to one of their own camps.
You might even go out on unofficial or official campus visits during this period. The intent, for coaches in all these evaluations they conduct with recruits, is to create a truly appropriate group of their favorite recruits.
It’s not like you can just sit around and wait for college guys to call! Go get ‘em and show them why you’re one of the best recruits. Take the initiative! The third of those parts is particularly relevant to your life right now, and it ensures that you go back in a search engine with stats showing that said team contributed to your development. Be sure to include your highlight videos of your best most current plays.
Ask your high school and club coaches to contact college coaches for you. It’s a fantastic way to attract attention! If you are thinking of making an unofficial visit to a school, give the coaches a heads-up. Ask if you can set up a meeting with them while you’re there. This shows your serious interest.
The final step for college coaches ensures each recruit signs their program and meets eligibility requirements. Here’s how the committing and signing timeline works in most cases:
Unfortunately, every year, some athletes who signed with a college end their senior year ineligible to compete at the college level. This creates a difficult situation for both the athlete and the coach. The coach would have to go all the way down their priority list to find out whether and available, interested, academically qualified athlete ranked number two on their big board for that position. The former recruit, who’ll have to play at a junior college for a year or two in order to become academically eligible.
Though it’s easy to get swept up in the excitement of athletic recruiting and a school signing, stay focused on remaining academically eligible too. If you’re worried about meeting the requirements, talk to your guidance counselor. Review the grades you need in your core courses and plot a path to them.
College coaches prioritize different things on rosters based on the level of play they’re at, how many slots they need to fill, what kind of school they are (academically and athletically) and so forth. Others might elevate certain categories above others, but these are what they think:
The recruiting process is a long process that includes hard work, patience and having the right support. This is where Insight-Athletics comes in. We are college recruiting services provider helping you—the athlete—navigate the complicated world of college recruiting. Through sport-specific knowledge, customized guidance, and mentor-ship, Insight-Athletics assists you in developing a blueprint that meets your athletic and academic goals.
Here’s what Insight-Athletics can do to improve your chances: