Tag: Prepstar Southwest

Recruiting myths about the quiet period 

Posted on by eliteathletesrecruiting

Recruiting becomes hot as August begins, just as summer begins to cool down. However, before it starts to boil, there is a brief pause in recruiting. That pause is known as the Quiet Period.

There are many myths and misconceptions about the Quiet Period, so this article will clear up five of them. 

Photo by Lucas Andrade at Unsplash

Myth #1: That quiet period means absolute silence. Most parents and athletes think that this mean coaches can’t talk to prospective student athletes. True, NCAA communication rules are restricted during the quiet period. But in the end, colleges coaches are permitted to communicate with prospective student athletes during the quiet period.

Myth #2: Athletes can’t contact coaches. Not true. According to the NCAA recruiting guidelines, prospective student athletes can contact college coaches beginning on the first day of freshman year. Additionally, student-athletes are permitted to contact coaches at any time during the recruiting process.

Myth #3: College Coaches don’t recruit during the quiet period. False, coaches recruit year round. Just look at all the offers posted on social media! So, since college coaches continue to recruit during the quiet period athletes need both communication and recruiting exposure year around

Myth #4: On campus invites during the Quiet Period are money grabs. Not necessarily. Some invites are in fact money grabs so it’s up to the athlete and parents to learn the difference. The NCAA rules state contact with prospective student athletes is permissible on the college campus. So, how else can coaches get athletes on campus but to invite them to a prospect camp? 

Myth #5: College coaches can’t make offers during the quiet period. Again, the quiet period does not mean dead silence. Instead, the quiet period regulates communication between college coaches and prospective student athletes. During the quiet period coaches can and do make scholarship offers. 

The origin of these myths and misconceptions is from athletes and parents being unfamiliar with the recruiting process. Information is pieced together from bits and pieces heard from other players and parents. It’s similar to trying to put together a jumbled puzzle, but missing several key pieces. It doesn’t matter how much effort you put in, the end result will be an incomplete picture. Don’t rely on rumors and hearsay from other parents. Become educated about the recruiting process or find someone who is. 

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what student athletes can do to improve their recruiting situation during the quiet period

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What is the quiet period? What does it mean for recruiting?

According to the NCAA, during a quiet period a college coach may not have face-to-face contact with college-bound student-athletes or their parents, and may not watch student-athletes compete or visit their high schools. Coaches may write and telephone student-athletes or their parents during a dead period.

So, with prospective student athletes, college coaches are not permitted to have; in person evaluations, official campus visits or in person contacts. But, student athletes should be aware that written and telephone communication is permissible during the quiet period. 


Photo by Chris Chow on Unsplash

However, like any other Quiet Period throughout the recruiting calendar, the recruiting process does not stop. Consider the quiet period a time-out from the evaluation process.  

So, student-athletes, what can you do to improve your recruiting situation right now?  

First, get your highlight reel looking sharp. By now you should have a highlights from summer camps, showcases as well as previous seasons, plus some training video. Use this footage to make short highlight and skills videos that can be added to your recruiting profile and viewed by college coaches. 

Next, assess recruiting goals with realistic expectations. If you’ve had your mind set on certain school but have not been contacted by a college coach don’t expect contact anytime soon. Instead, do an honest comparison of your level of play to the quality of athletes being recruited. This will help you determine a good college fit and will also point you to college coaches that you should be contacting. 

Then, expand your methods of contacting college coaches. Don’t just rely on twitter to blast out your video links or show clips of getting one hit during a game. Instead, use multiple points of contact including email, text, and, if you’re brave enough, go old school, by actually making a phone call to a college coach.

Overall, during the quiet period it is important for the student-athlete to stay focused!  The quiet period does not mean that recruiting comes to a dead stop. Lots of recruiting is still to come. 

Is recruiting is going the way you hoped it would? Have questions about the recruiting process? Comment below or DM me. I’m glad to help.

NCAA extends recruiting dead period (again)

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Last week the NCAA announced another extension to the current recruiting dead period for D1 colleges. The extension is set to expire December 31, 2002. Coaches are profited from in person evaluations as well as off-campus evaluations (watching games).

For D1 colleges, the current dead period has been in effect since March. Colleges at the D2 and lower levels lifted the Dead Period restrictions in September.

At this time, D1 coaches are limited to online evaluations, email, text and social media communication.

See the full NCAA announcement here.

Stay informed: Don’t miss out on recruiting opportunities

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Because, many athletes and parents lack understanding of the contact rules and regulations many athletes are put at a disadvantage and ultimately miss out on recruiting opportunities. Serious athletes and their parents need to stay informed.

For example, did you know that during the December contact period it is permissible for an authorized athletic department staff member to have in person, off campus contacts with prospective student athletes. Who is included in the scope of authorized athletic department staff member? 

Other misconceptions derive from not knowing what communication is permitted and what is prohibited during the regulated NCAA contact periods. These contacts, along with evaluations, are not only restricted but must also be counted by the coach as a contact, otherwise , it can lead to a recruiting violation.

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

Here is a quick summary of the recruiting periods.  

A contact occurs any time a college coach says more than hello during a face-to-face contact with a college-bound student-athlete or his or her parents off the college’s campus.

During the contact period a college coach may have face-to-face contact with college-bound student-athletes or their parents, watch student-athletes compete and visit their high schools, and write or telephone student-athletes or their parents.

During the evaluation period a college coach may watch college-bound student-athletes compete, visit their high schools, and write or telephone student-athletes or their parents. However, a college coach may not have face-to-face contact with college-bound student-athletes or their parents off the college’s campus during an evaluation period.

During the quiet period a college coach may not have face-to-face contact with college-bound student-athletes or their parents, and may not watch student-athletes compete or visit their high schools. Coaches may write or telephone college-bound student-athletes or their parents during this time.

During a dead period a college coach may not have face-to-face contact with college-bound student-athletes or their parents, and may not watch student-athletes compete or visit their high schools. Coaches may write and telephone student-athletes or their parents during a dead period.

So, athletes, what can you do to improve your recruiting situation right now?  

  1. Get your highlight reel looking tight. By now you should have a highlights from previous seasons on your Hudl page, plus some training video available online. 
  2. Broaden your reach with coaches you want to contact. Use more than one medium to contact coaches. Don’t just rely on twitter to blast out your Hudl link. Rely on email and text. And, if you’re brave enough, go old school, actually making a phone call to a college coach.
  3. Stay focused! Lots of recruiting happens at this time of year. Keep in mind that the contact period is only open for 2 weeks, then its back to the quiet period until January. So be patient with the process. 

Is recruiting is going  the way you hoped it would? Have questions about the recruiting process? Comment below or DM me. I’m glad to help. 

Even though NCAA waives ACT / SAT requirement for 2021 student-athletes: still a good idea to take it.

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Last week the NCAA announced waivers requiring ACT or SAT test scores for athletic eligibility. While many  student athletes celebrated a sigh of relief, despite the generous exception its time to start studying because it is still a good idea for student-athletes take the ACT or SAT. 

To quickly review the recently exemption, last week the NCAA decided Division I or II athletes will not be required to take a standardized test to meet NCAA initial-eligibility requirements. This decision said is to “help ensure students have a fair opportunity to meet the initial-eligibility standard.”   Why was this decision made?  

Student athletes, stay the course, continue moving forward with the plan to take the ACT or SAT college entry exam.  Photo by Ben Mullins on Unsplash

Again, the NCAA is concerned about “the continued disruption in secondary education due to the pandemic”. So, to meet eligibly requirements for athletic participation as well as to meet the criteria for academically eligibility for receive athletics scholarship, practice and completion in their first year the NCAA has made some concessions. Admission requirements are pretty low, 2.3 grade point average for Division 1 and 2.2 grade point average for Division II provided the NCAA approved 16 core courses are completed. But, lowering the standard and exempting student athletes from the standardized tests requirement leaves a few questions unanswered. 

In total, omitting the ACT or SAT requirement does not specifically address university admissions requirements.  Nor, does the exemption address how financial awards will be provided that usually are distributed as a result of high ACT or SAT scores? 

So, put down the party hat and grab a chair. Its time to start studying because what isn’t addressed by the exemption is exactly why student-athletes should move forward with the plan to take the ACT or SAT. 

First, to get into a college the university admission requirements must be met to get into that college. Undoubtably, student-athletes with a qualifiable ACT or SAT score are sure to have better opportunities for entry. Conversely, student athletes without standardized test scores are more likely not to  meet the requirements for colleges known for higher academic standards  Lets be realistic, schools know for selecting students with higher academics standards will continue to maintain this standards. Furthermore, student-athletes may be put at a disadvantage to gain entry into colleges known for higher academic standards. Consequently, student athletes aspiring to attend such schools will be expected to meet admission requirements or look elsewhere.  

Next, it is no secret that a college education is expensive. So, even without ACT or SAT scores, college tuition will still need to be paid.  What the NCAA generous waiver does not explain how to fill the financial void that is usually filled by financial awards provided by high standardized test scores?  Keep in mind, outside of D1 football, which is a full athletic and academic scholarship sport, schools in DIAA, DII, NAIA and DIII typically stack athletic scholarship with academic awards towards the cost of tuition. Somebody will have to pay and I don’t see colleges reducing the price of admission any time soon. 

The question remains, in the coming months, will athletes be presented other opportunities be made available to fill this void and to gain financial awards? Or will the burden be placed on solely on the athlete and their family? Without the funding provided by the SAT or ACT score how can student-athletes earn the extra financial awards that decrease tuition costs?

Bottom line for student athletes, stay the course, continue moving forward with the plan to take the ACT or SAT college entry exam.  

Source: NCAA Eligibility Center announces flexibility in initial eligibility for 2021-22 Changes address uncertainty caused by COVID-19 August 17, 2020 11:00amMichelle Brutlag Hosick

How athletes can use Reevuu technology to get great coaching

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In the mind of an high performing athlete finding ways to get better is top priority. Even when they are at the top of their game, high performing athletes look for ways to improve. The seek to find an edges and are certain that coaching can give them what is needed to break through to the next level.  Today, technology allows for athletes to get great coaching from experts in the sport.

But sadly, many of athletes think they know it all and don’t need any help. Ego is like a little voice whispering lies and fills them with false confidence that no one else is good enough to help. But to get to the next level, everyone needs help.  Even the greatest of athletes of all time have relied on coaches to get them to the next level.

Here are three reasons to seek a coach: 
1. Coaches know first hand what is necessary to become great. 

2.  Coaches see the things athletes cannot see. 

3. Coaches comprehend the vision so they push past the limits and on towards new levels of achievement. 

Firmly, I believe that great coaches make great players. In contrast, great players don’t make great coaches. If you are willing to get coaching, don’t just go out and find any so-called coach. I encourage you to seek out a great coach. 

So, I wanted to invite you to check out Reevuu, a new online coaching platform for student athletes.
 
Reevuu is a platform that allows players to upload a video of their practice, drills, game or highlights to the app for a certified coach to critique for a small fee. Free reviews are also available!

What’s cool about it is that the coach will review the video and provide athletes with a detailed breakdown, instruction and specific training / drills the athlete should work on based on the video they submitted.

Student athletes interested in checking out Reevuu can click here.

Coaches interested in checking out Reevuu can click here.

FREE copy of my ultimate guide to writing recruiting emails that get student athletes noticed! FREE!

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Today is Opening Day! Baseball is back!!! I’m so excited to see sports that today, and today only, I will be giving away a copy of my ultimate guide to writing recruiting emails that get student athletes noticed! FREE!

Every athlete needs to know how to properly communicate the information that college coaches really want to know about recruits.

My goal in this ebook is to guide student-athletes with valuable tips and easy to fill in templates they can use to write recruiting emails that get them noticed. 

What is the key to writing recruiting emails that actually catch the attention of a college coaches? How do other athletes do it? And what information should be included when writing an email to a college coach?

Recruiting emails are most effective when a properly written to peak the curiosity of college coaches and get noticed. 

To get your FREE copy of my ultimate guide to writing recruiting emails that get student athletes noticed text the word FREE to 480-605-4050. 

Extended Dead Period (Again!), Delayed Season, What’s Next?

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Clearly, recruiting for the class of 2021 has taken on a much different timeline than years past.  As most student athletes are aware, the NCAA has extended the Dead Period to September 31st.  So what’s next? Lately, I’ve been getting questions about this so here are a few helpful pieces of information. 

While it is true that summer evaluations have been hamstrung, comparatively, this isn’t much different than in years past because as of August 1, the Dead Period/ Quiet Period starts. At this time, college coaches may not have face to face contact with athletes or their parents. It also means that college coaches cannot watch players compete UNLESS that student athlete is actually on the college campus for a camp or college visit.

Now, following the Dead Period is the Evaluation period from September 1- November 30. By definition the evaluation period permits college coaches to watch college-bound student-athletes compete. Ideally, this will allow for student-athletes to be evaluated during Fall season sports.  

Next comes early singing period staring in November 13 for sports other than football and December 18-20 for football. Keep in mind that around 5% of athletes from the 2021 recruiting class sign early. Typically, the majority of the recruiting class sign in the Spring. Further, recruits can sign until the August 1 cut off date. 

What does the extensions and delays mean for student-athlete seeking to get recruited? Student-athletes should focus on the things that they can control. Photo by Fitsum Admasu on Unsplash

Give the delays as a result of covid-19 for ACT and SAT tests coupled with cancellations of evaluation related camps it is likely for a significant number of the 2021 recruiting class to sign late.  

What does this mean for student-athlete seeking to get recruited? Student-athletes should focus on the things that they can control. First, the primary focus at this time is to keep preparing for the season. Stay in shape, keep up the workouts and stay hungry. Second, when school begins concentrate on getting the best grades possible. Don’t slack off or miss assignments. Take care of your academics and when the time comes your academics will take care of you. Third, it is important to be patient with the process. These contact periods are designed to slow down the process so that coaches have adequate time to scout prospects. Now that covid-19 has impacted the process it is even more important to be patine. Last, and perhaps most important during the delay, players can, and should, continue reaching out to coaches during all contact periods so that they stay on the radar. 

Talking High School Recruiting- podcast interview with Breakdown Sports

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Process, Preparation & Performance podcast– these guys do a great job covering a wide array of topics related to high school football and high school recruiting.

In early May, I was a guest on the Process, Preparation & Performance podcast, part of the Breakdown Sports network of coaches in the state of Missouri. Coach Duke and Coach JR are consummate professionals with a passion impact high school athletes. It was a blast talking football and high school recruiting. We talked a lot about the many kinds of recruiting programs, the recruiting process and even shared some fun stories along the way. I can’t wait to be on again!

Through the Process, Preparation & Performance podcast, both athletes and parents will discover how these guys do a great job covering a wide array of topics related to high school football and high school recruiting. On the podcast page you can find interesting interviews of high school administrators, high school referees, high school coaches, college coaches and pretty much everyone in between! 

I encourage you to make time to check out this quality podcast!

The podcast episode can be streamed to at https://soundcloud.com/breakdownsports/p3-episode-7-mike-woosley-prepstar

Learn more about Breakdown Sports at  https://breakdownsports.com

Athletes can start a recruiting profile using this link bit.ly/2vqZjH9

Prepstar Animated video  bit.ly/2j09MlU

Coach Mike website: coachmikewoosley.com

Coach Mike’s Youtube channel http://ow.ly/qG3150zBAuC

Play ball! (soon)

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Photo by Pierre-Etienne Vachon on Unsplash

Now that the powers that be are deciding to loosen the stay-at-home restrictions soon practices and games will resume. This is very exciting news. Recently, many of my conversations with coaches and athletes suggest that teams are starting to come together at the end of June and first week of July.  However, there will definitely be some modifications.

Here’s what we know. 

Sport will look like sport but it will be different 

  • there will be weird restrictions and over cautious regulations (no spiting in baseball????) 
  • there will be fewer fans in the stands

What we can be sure of 

  • sports are back
  • athletes will compete
  • recruting will continue to move forward

What will soon be known 

  • those that put in the work will succeed
  • those that didn’t will fail
  • those that stopped their recruiting will surely be behind.

As I have written before, high performing athletes have no off season. Their goals won’t allow them to take time off. Instead, those goals are like a magnet drawing them in. 

But for those who decided to slack off, or who were convinced that recruiting wasn’t happing during the Dead Period, here are a few things to do immediately. 

  1. Get off your a*s and get to work! There is nothing more to say about that . 
  2. Get some help, right away. Find someone who has the contacts necessary to get your name out there.  Exposure is key to the recruiting game. Get it right away.
  3. Invest in yourself. It will cost you time, sweat, and money to get recruited. Nothing worthwhile is free but things that are worthwhile come at a cost.  Truthfully, it will cost you now or cost you in the future, so you can invest in yourself now or pay the price in the future.