Early signing day is often a bittersweet day for many hopeful recruits. Some athletes get the satisfaction of signing their national letter of intent, securing their future for the next four years, while many other athletes grimace as the taste of uncertainty sours the time until the encroaching Spring signing day. While there are many speculative discussions the answer is most often related to the personal committment to the process. In most instances, the athletes that is the most proactive is often the athletes who gets the most offers.
Simply put, too many athletes think that the best strategy to play is the waiting game. This is really not a strategy at all. Just wait around for coaches? That’s not much of a strategy at all. For one reason or another, many athletes (and parents) believe in the myth, “if you’re good enough they’ll find you.” Sure this is true for some athletes…for the top 1% athletes. But what about the other 99%? Those are the guys who are often very good athletes but get overlooked. These athletes often attend small high schools, play on average or below average teams, get little or no help from high school coaches, and have little additional resources to invest in recruiting opportunities. So what about those athletes? What do they need to know and actions do they need to take. This blog is for those athletes.
The recruiting process is a process in which it is vitally important for athlete to be proactive, not reactive.
The recruiting process is a process in which it is vitally important for athlete to be proactive, not reactive. For example, he/she needs to be bold enough to connect with college coaches at schools they have both an academic and athletic interest. In this circumstance, NCAA communication regulations favor athletes open communication with college coaches. Additionally, athletes can take advantage of exposure opportunities including camps and campus visits starting Freshman year.
Consequently, athletes need to think to ‘be wise when you decide’. What’s meant by this is that the colleges you choose to top your list that are realistically matched to suit you from both a academic and athletic standpoint. Here’s a good tip when processing this list. It’s is wise to develop a tier system the pursuit of choice college. For example, tier 1 can be dream schools, tier 2 can be schools that are appropriately matched to fit academic and athletic goals, and tier 3 would consist of contingency colleges that may not be optimal but as a contingency would offer both academic and athlete challenges.
Finally, the proactive suggestion is to constantly remember that if you wait and you’re late. Certainly, those that wait for someone to discover them will surely get behind and feel the pressure of uncertainty about where they will end up the next four years.
Coach Mike oversees the the recruiting of talented next-level athletes to develop a recruiting strategy to get seen, scouted and recruited. As a coach with over 20 years of experience, and a as former college athlete, Mike now mentors families through the academic, athletic and financial aspects of college recruiting.
Email: Mwoosley@csaprepstar.com Office 805-622-7827
Elite Athletes Recruiting 