Recruiting 101 - Do You Know The Facts?
Facts:
Hundreds of college coaches need athletes right now, but do not have the staff and money to locate them.
High school athletes who are not getting recruiting questionnaires in the mail from college coaches, most likely are unknown and lack exposure.
Student athletes cannot expect to play in college unless many coaches know who they are and how to make contact.
College coaches contact many prospects for each open position but they will only recruit one athlete.
High school coaches want to help but most don’t have the time or money to properly market their athletes.
A college coach usually goes to a camp specifically to watch someone already on his or her list, not to "discover" new talent.
The recruiting process is well underway by the time an athlete becomes a senior.
Blue Chip, a major recruiting magazine, surveyed over 300 NCAA Division I and II college coaches in early 1998 about their recruiting practices. The findings showed that, "30% said they begin tracking high school prospects as freshman, 45% start tracking prospects when they are Sophomores, and 25% said they wait until the student-athlete is a Junior. No coaches said they wait to track HS prospects in their senior year."
A recent article in The NCAA News says: "It is up to the student-athlete to actively market himself or herself to colleges . . . to pursue athletic scholarships by attracting attention of college coaches."
Colleges will give admissions and financial aid preference to students with talents that they desire.
Colleges are competitive businesses who use sophisticated marketing techniques to fill classes.
The process and standards for admission are flexible at all colleges.
Academic achievement below a college’s published norm may be admitted based on other achievements, circumstances and skills.
Scholarship athletes are a small fraction of recruited athletes.
Only 10% of athletes that compete at the college level are awarded full scholarships.
Colleges need more than 300,000 athletes each year to replace losses
Good athletes do not get recruited because college coaches do not know about them.
Most college recruiting programs lack money for recruitment for non-revenue sports, except DI and DII Football and Basketball.
WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH QUESTIONNAIRES FROM COLLEGES?
I suggest you return all questionaires as quickly as possible or within days of your receiving them. SHOW INTEREST IN EVERY COLLEGE! Not doing so is one of the biggest mistakes made by student athletes. You were sent a questionnaire because the Coach who sent it is interested in you and believes you could help their program win. The longer you wait to return it, the more it indicates you aren’t as interested in them as they are in you. It may terminate their recruitment of you and any offer that might eventually be made.
You need to get accepted to as many colleges as you can, get their financial offer, and use them to negotiate offers from colleges where you truly want to attend.. Colleges will negotiate. This is a business, and in this crazy economy, you better negotiate the best deal you can!
If you are not recieving questionaires, it's because the coach does't know about you or they are not interested in you. You have a problem and you need to address it ASAP. The problem is that no one knows that you exisit, so you need to get your butt in gear. DO NOT depend on your coach or parents to do this for you!!! If you don't take care of your own future, you better get used to saying, 'Do you want fries with that?"
You may have been All League, All, District, or All World, but so were thousands of athletes around the country. You need to get busy and not use the excuses I have heard for 40 years about how I coulda, I shoulda, I woulda, but ....... bla, bla, bla,
Don't blame your coach, parents, or boyfriend or girlfriend. Find another excuse. These have been worn out.
You only get recruited one time in your life, DON'T SCREW IT UP!!
This is a great article I read and
kept from a few years ago:
ONE-SPORT HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES
Top high school athletes generally participated in two or three school sports a generation ago. One-sport athletes, particularly in large high schools, are becoming the norm. State athletic associations have attempted to discourage athletes from specializing in one sport by establishing beginning and ending dates for all sport seasons and by placing limits on off-season activities for coaches and athletes. In addition, some high schools limit use of school athletic equipment and facilities to the sport season and promote sport diversification in school handbooks and other materials for students, coaches, and parents. Despite these efforts, the number of one-sport athletes at the high school level appears to be steadily increasing.
This increase is due to a number of factors. First, specialization is perceived as a means to improve performance in a chosen sport. By applying themselves to one sport year round, athletes have the opportunity to become the master of one sport rather than a 'jack" of many. High school athletes who hope to receive a collegiate athletic scholarship may view specialization as the price they will have to pay.
Second, some coaches promote specialization in their programs. One reason is to protect top players from injury in another sport. Coaches may also encourage specialization to keep up with others who promote it in their programs or to increase their chances to win championships. They reason that if players give all their attention to a sport 12 months a year, they will be better off than if they only practice during the season. Finally, coaches may encourage specific players to specialize, hoping that those players will achieve the level of proficiency to attract scholarship offers and bring recognition to both the program and the coach.
Third, parents may encourage early specialization to push their children to excel. They may believe that early specialization will provide a "jump" on the competition, which will pay off in later years. Some of this push from parents may be in response to the demands of sports, which have early peak years, such as women's gymnastics.
Finally, both the attention of the media on elite athletes and the lavish salaries of professional athletes have reinforced the attractiveness of early specialization. With baseball players signing $3-million-per-year contracts, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association signing million-dollar television contracts, the financial benefits of early specialization appear quite lucrative for both athletes and athletic organizations.
Critics question whether specialization is the best option for most high school athletes. The side effects can touch not only athletes, but also coaches, and whole athletic programs. For example, specialization can increase in fighting among coaches for the best athletes in the school and reduce the talent pool of athletes for all sports.
By specializing in one sport, athletes drop another from which they may receive more enjoyment and success over the long run, and they miss out on valuable contacts with coaches of other sports. During the course of a reason, these coaches may introduce transferable physical and conceptual skills, which could enhance athletes' performance in their primary sports. In addition, those coaches often serve as important role models for students developing personal value systems.
Finally, youth are generally not ready for the intensity that specialization imposes. The additional stress can result in psychological and physiological turnout. For example, early specialization in baseball tends to shorten rather than lengthen players' careers.
In light of increasing specialization, what action--if any--should high school athletic departments take?
In a recent survey of 150 high school athletic directors in California, approximately two-thirds of respondents suggested that high school athletic departments adopt a proactive approach in promoting sport diversification. Specifically, they recommended that multi-sport participation be promoted in coaching and student handbooks and in communications with parents. Given the pros and cons of specialization, high school athletic directors perceive that encouraging athletes to pursue the path of multi-sport participation is the best choice for both athletes and school athletic programs.
While the decision to specialize remains with athletes, high school athletic programs have a duty to provide both athletes and parents with pertinent information regarding the prudence of such a decision. This decision becomes particularly important for minority athletes who may narrow their focus to a single sport only to find that, once their dream of a professional athletic career has ended, they have no other viable option to pursue.
In advising high school athletes considering specialization, it is important to allow them the opportunity to consider the long-term effects of the decision.
The following questions have been developed to serve as a stimulus for discussion between coaches and athletes considering specialization. Their purpose is to help young athletes consider the many factors involved in their decision. In the course of responding to these questions, it is hoped that young athletes will seek the input and advice of their coach.
1. Why are you specializing? What do you hope to gain from this decision?
2. Do you believe that by specializing you will improve your chances for an athletic scholarship?
3. Have elite or professional athletes in this sport generally specialized during high school, or have they been multi-sport athletes?
4. Are there coaches of other sports at this school whom you admire and respect? Would you consider trying out for their teams in order to learn from those coaches?
5. Have you talked to your parents about this decision? How do they or would they feel?
6. Would your choice of whether or not to specialize be different if you knew now whether you will eventually play college or professional sports? Why or why not?
7. Will the teams in other school sports be affected by your absence? How?
Those advising young athletes have a responsibility to consider the long-term welfare of each athlete. Unfortunately, coaches are under increasing pressure to conduct de facto year-round programs to remain competitive. They must remember, however, that their athletes will eventually leave high school, with only a very small percentage ever achieving a career in sports. High school coaches should not treat athletes like "mini professionals" with the accompanying demand of specialization. Rather, coaches should encourage athletes to develop diverse interests and skills so they will have options as they approach adult life. Clearly, participation in a variety of sports during high school is one important step in that process.
Tom Fakehany, MLA on Mon Dec 18, 1995
Just a reminder or two, or three or..
You all are allowed to call or email any DIII college coach and go on visits without burning up 1 of your 5 OFFICIAL visits. Call or email a college coach, or find out through the Coach's secretary, or someone in their Sports Information Department, when a coach will be in, and call then. Say you are interested in that college and schedule a visit with a coach. It will probably be an assistant coach.
The word OFFICIAL means the DI and DII colleges pays for your meals, travel, motel, T shirts and hats ect., for you and your parents when you go to visit. UNOFFICIAL means you won't be letting the college pay for anything.
For DI and DII colleges, you only have 5 OFFICIAL visits. If you tell me when you are planning to go to any college, I'll advise you to use an OFFICIAL visit or not. I'll also email a college coach for you before you go on your visit! Nice guy aren't I ?
I suggest you seniors and juniors start contacting and staying in touch with the colleges who are sending you questionnaires and ones you are interested in. Try to stay in touch with at least 20 colleges.
You can weed out the colleges you are not interested in later, usually in February or March of your senior year. For now, show interest in all of them, even if you are not!
I also suggest you apply to as many colleges as possible who will provide you with a FEE WAIVER. Ask the college coach for permission to not pay the fee to apply there, and coaches can give it to you through a FEE WAIVER. Just tell the coach that so many colleges have contacted you, you cannot possibly afford to pay the fees for each one. They will grant you a fee waiver 99% of the time and this can save you $!
We want to get you accepted at several colleges so you can negotiate with the colleges who WANT you on their team. This can save you or your family big $ by doing this! The more colleges who has accepted you, the more bargaining power you will have in Feb. and March your senior year. Questions?
Over 90% of all high school athletes are never seen in person by the college coach who was recruiting them. You MUST have a good skills and game video ready to send to any coach who requests one.
It's time to get busy. As always, email me if you need me! Thanks
Greg
Dear Sports Fans,
Despite the economic downturn, the cost of education continues to rise, and there's no end in sight.
CNN Money wrote:
"The total cost of going to a private four-year college rose to $34,132 on average for the 2008-09 academic year.
"In-state students at public four-year schools paid an average of $14,333 for the current school year, according to the College Board, a non-profit association of more than 5,400 schools, colleges and universities. "That's an increase of 5.7% from the previous year."
I understand there is a lot of work to get yourself recruited. Pretend you are making $500 an hour as you do all the things I suggest you do on this web site. Eventually, you WILL see your pay day in the form of academic and athletic grants and scholarships.
Believe me, It ain't no fun making student loan payments 8-10 years later when you are married with children!!
So get busy and do a little everyday, unless your are a senior. If so, you better start working like it's overtime or extra innings!
Greg
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Help yourself!
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''Few blame themselves until they have exhausted all other possibilities.''
''The bigger they are, the harder they fall.''
