Getting Recruited is Hard Work

National Signing Day for most collegiate sports was this past week and social media accounts are full of excited students announcing their “commitment” to continue their athletic and academic pursuits at their chosen school. For many prospective student-athletes, this is one of the end goals of their high school career and marks the beginning of an exciting journey ahead as a collegiate athlete.

But getting to Signing Day isn’t easy. And contrary to what many think, your cell phone and social media accounts won’t start buzzing with notices from coaches, nor will your email inboxes fill up simply because you’ve had a good season or stood out in a recent competition.

Students and families should expect to make a multi-year push to get their name on the radar of coaches. It is important to make a commitment to invest the time and energy needed to perform this process successfully.  Recruiting is similar to sports in general: the effort you put in to being recruited will have a direct impact on what you get out of the process in return. 

There are thousands of high school athletes out there and hundreds of college programs. College coaches have plenty of options to consider as they build their next class. You need to take the initiative.

Here are some steps that students and families need to prepare to take:

• Develop a narrative. Just like when they apply to colleges, students need to consider what appealing attributes they bring to the table and find a way to highlight and communicate those qualities. Students need to consider what they have accomplished and describe the goals they have set that will have a positive impact on the college programs they are considering.

• Research the options and be open-minded.  Collegiate athletics is diverse and students need to take the time to investigate roster sizes, competitive opportunities, coaching staffs, academic opportunities, and facilities and resources at a wide variety of schools and divisions. 

• Cast a wide net to reach out to coaches. To end up at your dream school in a year or two, reaching out to one or two college programs is nowhere near enough. Indeed, reaching out to ten schools isn’t enough. Students and families need to be prepared for a lengthy process of reaching out to a range of options.

• Be prepared for rejection. You’re not going to hear back from every coach and many will disappoint you with their lack of interest.  Don’t be discouraged!  In keeping an open mind and casting a wide net, you can develop a variety of possible opportunities. 

• Build relationships. The coaches you hope will recruit you will be your guide and mentor during your college years. Developing trust and rapport is a two-way street. High school students need to make the effort to provide updates, initiate communications, and forge a connection.

• Develop a methodical program for communicating with coaches.  Whether that is emailing or cold-calling, students need to take the initiative here.  Set up a spreadsheet or journal to track your efforts. Above all, do not take your foot off the gas in your efforts to initiate conversations.

In many ways, a successful recruiting process resembles a full-time job in marketing! Waiting for college recruiters to knock on your door will not get anyone very far; instead, take the initiative and get to work.  At Arthur Smith Advising, we work closely with students to organize their communication plan in order to develop meaningful relationships with coaches.