6 Tips for Student Athletes Navigating College Recruitment
By: Mackenzi Phelan
The college recruitment process is a daunting undertaking that looks very different from athlete to athlete. With so many factors to take into consideration, it is a process that takes time and energy to navigate. The truth is that there is no “right way” to go about college recruitment. This also means that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all process for athletes wanting to play at the collegiate level.
A little over 7% of high school athletes in the United States will go on to play college athletics at any level. Less than 2% of those athletes will play Division 1.
Those odds can feel intimidating. It is my hope that the lessons that I learned throughout my college recruitment, in addition to watching siblings and teammates also navigate the process, will provide you a framework for proceeding with recruitment in addition to potentially saving you a few headaches and sleepless nights.
Here are the top tips that I wish I had known about navigating college recruitment before I entered the process.
Tips for Navigating College Recruitment
Keep your options open: Have an open mind about the division, conference, and location. It is common for student athletes to dream about their ideal location and program - we all like to dream about the best lives that we can live. However, when you begin to look into the schools that have contacted you, try not to get caught up in the division, conference, or location.
My recruitment experience provides a great example of how limiting your conversations based on specific factors can negatively impact your opportunities. At the beginning of my recruitment, I was dead set on Division I or high-end Division II somewhere warm, hopefully Florida. By limiting my search to those parameters, I lost out on a lot of really amazing opportunities to play elsewhere in the country or a different division. I cut off many potentially incredible programs based on such little information. And, after unforeseen circumstances changed my process entirely, I was back at square one literally begging to play anywhere. I was at a crossroads: Junior college or retire from sport. Ultimately, I started at a junior college in the Midwest which allowed me to go on to play Division I for the rest of my college career. Without that stepping stone, I would never have made it to a Division I program. Once I let go of my expectations and narrow search criteria, I found options that better fit my needs and situation.
Do your research: Identify camps or tournaments to attend to get noticed. Camps and tournaments are expensive and in high demand. Try to maximize your impact as best as possible by looking for camps where there will be multiple schools that you are interested in. Ensure that you email the coach prior to the camp to let them know that you will be there.
Keep in mind, most coaches are recruiting 2-3 years in advance so it is never too early to start reaching out! Per NCAA rules you can begin recruitment conversations January 1st of your sophomore year of high school.
When you see a coach from the program that you are interested in at a tournament or camp, introduce yourself to help them put a face with a name. It goes a long way to help coaches remember you. If you are shy person or struggle to speak up in a crowd, role play ahead of time with a family member or friend. After all, as we say at Athlete Insight, preparation breeds confidence. Practice what you would like to say to the coach in the roleplay to manage any fear of initiating a conversation when the opportunity arises.
Also, consider creating your own “bite-sized player resume” — This was a pamphlet that our managers handed out which included names, graduation years, GPA, and recruitment availability. Coaches see a lot of athletes in a short amount of time at camps and tournaments. Finding ways to stand out is important. And, be sure to follow up afterwards to continue the conversation, gauge their interest and get feedback.
Personalize your emails: Make yourself stand out. College coaches receive thousands of weekly emails from hopeful athletes. Just like you don’t want to receive a generic email from a coach, they don’t want to receive a generic email from you. Be sure to include your full athlete resume and highlight video if you have one. Go beyond that, though. Get noticed by sharing your specific interest in the program: Tell them that you watched their last game and liked the style of play, or that you saw the new facility upgrades were just completed and how excited you are to visit (assuming these are true statements).
Stop comparing yourself to your teammates & take others’ opinions with a grain of salt. I is natural to talk with teammates about which programs they are in contact with or where their site visits are. And, while few people in your life will understand this process better than your teammates, separate your needs and values from group think. Every athlete’s journey to the next level happens differently.
I struggled to hear my teammates talk about their recruitment experiences because I committed to a junior college whereas a lot of my teammates were going to what I perceived as bigger and better schools. Comparisons were hard to avoid. But, at the end of the day, those comparisons helped no one and only hurt me. Interestingly, everything changed a few years later as many of them transferred or stopped playing entirely at those big shiny programs while I was living out my dream of playing Division I.
Focusing on what was right for me without others' expectations, opinions, judgements, or comparisons allowed me to follow my path to the goal I set out to achieve, albeit with a few extra twists and turns.
Be honest with yourself and potential coaches: Let your personality shine. Coaches want to know who you are as a person, not just your athletic abilities. It is important to remember that they are building programs, a collective sum of individuals who will work together to achieve something incredible. I have spoken with coaches who stopped recruiting an athlete after observing negative interactions with teammates, coaches, or parents. Coaches look for athletes who demonstrate positive behavior that will support their program. Many coaches say that they recruit “the person off the field just as much as [they] are recruit the athlete”.
You will be spending a lot more time with these people than you can imagine - being able to get along with them on and off the field is important. Not every athlete fits with every program and that is okay. Get a feel for how the coaches interact with their players and how the team interacts with each other to see if it feels like a good fit to you. Think back on coaches or teams that you have been apart of. I bet that different programs both felt and functioned differently, some probably seemed like a better fit to you than others. Identify why those programs felt “good” and look those same qualities when interacting with college coaches or programs.
Look past the shiny front they put up during visits and try to see the school side of campus. Visits are a great time to see the campus, dorms, and training facilities in addition to meeting the team, coaches, and support staff. You will be there to present your “best” self. They will do the same thing. Programs put their best foot forward with all the bells and whistles to showcase the best of what they have to offer. It is an exciting experience for everyone but it is not the day-to-day reality of being in that program. Your best resource for a true feel on a visit will be the current players. Ask honest questions to help better understand whether the program and culture are right for you.
Ask where they have lived on campus and how it is. Ask about the meal halls and food options. Ask about the travel and how it impacts classes. Ask about their training schedules and how manageable it is. Ask about academic support and mental health. Ask whatever you are curious about. After all, it will be you (and only you), committing to the program, campus, and culture.
Also, remember that you will not just be competing, you’ll also be a college student. Try to meet with an academic advisor who is not affiliated with the athletic department to get a feel for how the school is as a non-athlete student. This may feel silly, but if something happens like an injury or you decide not to compete anymore, is this a school you would want to attend as a non-athlete?
Make sure they have at least two majors that you are interested in as academic programs can be reduced or cut entirely from the school. You might decide to go in a different direction in a year or two. I changed my major three times throughout college, and that was considered minimal!
Ask current or former college student athletes about their recruitment experiences. I am certain that you will never hear the same story twice, even if they went to the same schools. Every process is different and is unique to the athlete’s story; however, the underlying theme will always be persistence towards their goal.
It takes a lot of hard work to be in that 7% of athletes who go on to compete collegiately, both in and out of your sport. As you navigate this process, know that so many people are rooting for you and are there to support you along the way. At the end of the day, it is your athletic career and you are the only one who can truly know what programs feel right. As is true for all big goals and dreams, the journey will be filled with highs and lows. Focus on the things within your control, let your values and goals guide you, and remember to be unequivocally true to yourself as you navigate the process.
Maybe this all sounds great but you still feel totally overwhelmed. Or, perhaps you are already taking these steps and still feel anxious about the process. If so, reach out to schedule a complimentary discovery call to learn more about how Athlete Insight can support you through college recruitment, whether that be individually or through our College Recruitment Excellence Program.