There is a distinct difference between smart recruits and not-so-smart recruits. (Since you’re reading this blog I’m assuming you must be pretty smart). When it comes to recruiting college coaches spend a considerable amount of time resources and other expenses that go in recruiting prospective student athletes. Smart recruits know this and do three things to get an advantage over other prospects.

Prospective student athletes need to have smarts.What you do in the classroom really does matter. Because collegiate eligibility is determined by the grades not the number of goals you score. So, it helps to be aware of current Core GPA.   Smart recruits keep the most up to date GPA on your profile at the end of every quarter or semester. Also, upload an unofficial transcript to your profile to make it easy for coaches to verify your GPA.

Secondly, the importance of accurate stats is often overlooked. Sadly, I notice many high school coaches neglect to keep accurate stats and by doing so negatively impact recruiting potential of their athletes. I often say, “stats are facts” because stats are excellent proof of both athletic ability and consistent performance.  Smart recruits keep track of their stats and frequently update them on their recruiting profile.

Last, prospective student athletes should be aware of their online presence. Smart recruits are mindful to present themselves in a positive way on social media. It is foolish to understate how detrimental one thoughtless post can be to your recruiting.  Before every post ask yourself, “am I proud of this?” If you’re proud of it , then most likely its smart.

And smart is good!

The mental game of college recruiting can be brutal.  The ups and downs of the process can really mess with your head. The key is to stay focused. To keep the right headspace you also need to be sure that you are doing all you can to help yourself get recruited.

But don’t fret. Here are three recruiting tips to help you stay in the right frame of mind.

1. Start early-   The sooner you begin the recruiting process the better. Most D1 caliper athletes are identified by the end of their sophomore year! Get noticed by starting early.
2. Be proactive-Do your homework. Learn the recruiting timelines. Find out about contact dates. Don’t be afraid to take control of your recruiting process.
3. Get help– College recruiting can be confusing so you’ll want help to help you navigate safety through the process. There are a number of different avenues to explore to get assistance, advice and increase exposure. Use coaches, website and organizations to help you get noticed.

Follow these three recruiting tips will help you stay in the right frame of mind and avoid the mind games that a huge disappointment is around the corner.

Have questions? Need help? Get a FREE recruiting consultation just click here  or  use the comment section below to ask a question.

Communication is perhaps the most important aspect of college recruiting. To be more specific, written communication has an essential role in the recruiting process.

Unfortunately, many athletes miss out on great opportunities because they don’t learn how to properly communicate with college coaches, assistant coaches or recruiting coordinators.

So, I want to give you an effective strategy for using email in the recruiting process so that you can avoid the mistake of missed opportunity.

As you begin, it helps to be aware that most college coaches are looking for athletes who actually want to get an education at the school they work for. Truth is, for the majority of colleges outside of the Power 5, educational opportunities draw more prospective student athletes than athletic program.   

Next, if you want to be considered as a prospect or recruit at a college you will have to find a way to communicate that information to a college coach, assistant coach or recruiting coordinator. The best way to do that is by email, especially if you’re interested in colleges out-of-state.

The recommendation of many online resources is for athletes to blindly email coaches asking about available scholarships and roster spots. While there is a proper time to ask those questions, it’s helpful to know that an academic interest email is not the email to ask those questions.

So, what should you include in the email?

Obviously, in an academic interest email it is important to display your interest in the academic programs offered.

Why? Because coaches like it when you show them that you’ve done some research on the school as well the team. Another useful tip is to include facts about the program as well as some recent statistics such as graduation rate or placement rate after graduation. Ultimately, coaches want to know the athletes emailing is goal oriented and highly motivated to succeed.

To wrap up, proper communication is important for recruits. To be effective, your communication needs to display your level of interest in the college and that your objective is to find a college that will academically position you for success after your career.

Finally, there are several key pieces of information required in recruiting emails so I will continue providing readers great tips and useful information in future posts.

Be Committed,

Coach Mike

Recently, in an April meeting NCAA D1 council changed its regulations on the use of text message communication for recruiting.  Although this change has been regulated for D1 college only, it will surely impact other divisions of college athletics.

As stated on the NCAA website

• The Council deregulated electronic communication with prospective student-athletes who participate in football, cross country, track and field and swimming and diving.

Electronic communication includes

• Text Message
• Twitter DM
• Facebook message
• Instagram message

Since the announcement coaches, pundits and media outlets have started debating how this regulation will both hurt and help college coaches and recruits. It also means the NCAA  gets off easy because they no longer has to monitor electronic contacts.

The reason I want to bring this new rule to your attention is because
1) it directly impacts your recruiting
2) it is likely to change the way coaches reach out to players
3) it means the student athlete will need to learn how to effectively communicate with college coaches.

Once this rule takes effect, communication with college coaches via social media is going to be different for student athletes. Surely, this will impact the content student-athletes post to social media. Especially when considering college coaches will be permit to interact with athlete at any time.
Be committed,

Coach Mike

For the longest time the eye-test ruled collegiate and professional recruiting. Today, recruiting has evolved to also include specific measurements that are used to predict and project athlete potential.

This is why stats, metics and grades are important to your recruiting profile.

Hanging in my office is a well used stopwatch. Its serves as a reminder that today sports are broken down into fractions of a second. Basic math, statistics and advanced data analysis not only separates athletes but also accounts for the difference between wins and losses.

Your goal is to win at the game of recruiting.  So use your stats, metrics and grades to separate yourself from the crowd and show the college coaches your talent.

In your Prepstar profile you can update this information as often as you like. Simply click the “Edit” button, enter the data then click “Save”.

If your not sure what to add, feel free to contact me. I’m here to help.

Be committed,

Coach Mike

The recruiting profile is much like a resume. A good resume lets the employer know who the candidate is, why she/he is more qualified than other applicants, and what unique skills they have to help the company. Typically, the best candidates have the most impressive resumes. Without question, their experience stands outs in the accomplishments and achievements listed.

Average isn’t impressive. 
The recruiting profile represents the accomplishments of prospective student-athletes in the classroom and in athletic competition. Its your chance to be extraordinary, not average.

Surely, candidates with incomplete resumes stand less of a chance compared to prospects with resumes chock-full of impressive information.

So, your recruiting profile can be a great tool to the get attention of the college coach. However, if your profile looks like everyone else’s then you are more likely to get looked over than to get attention.

Be “extra”-ordinary
College coaches are looking for players that have something “extra”-ordinary about them.
Practically every college coach is looking for student-athletes with the right experience, skills and qualifications to convince them that he/she will be able to succeed at the next level.

I encourage you to use your recruiting profile to let coaches know why you are an excellent choice and great fit for the college and athletic program!

So, the best way to do that is to frequently update your recruting profile!

What then should be included in your profile? 

• Academic accomplishments
• Academic transcripts
• Future academic interests
• Community involvement
• Extracurricular clubs / programs
• College entry exam scores
• Media web-links and newspaper articles
• Strength and Speed Metrics
• Recent statistics
• Experience /accomplishments including playoffs, state championships, tournament championships
• Letters of recommendation from coach, counselor, teacher or mentor
• Game Video highlights
• Position Skills video
• Travel team information
• Goals and objectives
• Contact information including phone, email, social media

Why does your profile need this information?
If you don’t give coaches the information they need, they will just glance over your profile and move on to the next qualified athlete in their search for the right fit. Please do not expect a college coach to track down all of your information. Truthfully, most won’t. Instead, show them why you deserve their attention.