Avoiding Culture Shock in College Athletics Recruiting

Like it or not, we are a society of rapid change and the rate we effectively adapt to that change can make the difference between a good and great experience.

The same holds true in college athletics recruiting. The question is: How do we come to grip with this rapidly mounting culture shock in the college quest for athletes?

Today’s college athletic climate is much different than it was 30 years ago when I was a two sport prospect. Coaches are under tremendous pressure to achieve two important goals: win and raise money. The one directly affects the other and successful recruitment is the college coach’s key that unlocks the door.

College recruiting has become a “force” that needs to be understood, accepted, and embraced if families and young athletes plan to grab the brass ring and reach their goals.

This new culture has effected the majority of today’s prospects and families largely and simply because it is “new” and for the unprepared visitor, it can be a bewildering and frustrating journey.

Gaining a working understanding, for instance, of the current NCAA rules is one thing…it's an altogether different skill to understand how each individual college coach “ticks” and where you, as a prospect, register on their radar.

Remember, even the slightest “misread” while communicating with college coaches, could derail a prospect's recruiting plan.

Is this an exaggeration?

I do not think so.

Am I trying to drive fear into recruits and their families? No…I am just trying to get your attention!

That said, if we embrace the change around us, along with the acceleration that the college recruiting process has reached, we at least get a clearer idea of the “real” landscape and with that, we position ourselves better to develop more accurate plans of attack.

Education

Gathering information is critical to the successful organization and navigation of any worthy project.

Building a college recruiting information base can begin as early as the ninth grade as a family hobby and increasingly grow into a highly organized, disciplined project by the end of the junior year.

Start by gathering information on potential colleges of choice including team and coach profiles, statistics, ranking, and academic offerings. Continue to update and maintain individual e-files on your favorite college programs. Learn the NCAA rules as it applies to recruiting and eligibility (you can access the NCAA college manuals at www.ncaa.org).

Remember, an informed and educated consumer will have the best chance at success.

Communication: The Critical Link

Effective communication between the family and college coaches is an important component in determining your final college choice.

If your mission is clear, the manner in which you communicate becomes the vehicle that drives your plan forward in your chosen direction.

On the other hand, ill-prepared communication can cause confusion and misdirection. Your ship moves, but with a weak rudder.

Communication should be initiated early on by the family, and preferably by the prospect. Coaches are bound by very strict contact rules, but a prospect may call or e-mail a coach at any time, with rare exceptions.

An initial letter of introduction is a great way to begin, but following-up by e-mail and by phone is equally important.

The point here is simple: Prospects who practice “persistence with respect” when communicating with coaches will have a better chance in grabbing their attention.

Proactive Contacts

I believe many prospects are under the assumption that the college coaches will routinely contact them by phone or by e-mail in an attempt to recruit them. This may be true for some prospects, but for the majority of athletes who are waiting for the phone to ring, it could be a long wait.

Coaches are initially recruiting hundreds of prospects and need to utilize a filtering system to organize their list into a manageable and functional group.

Whether you communicate by phone, e-mail, or face to face, “preparation” is the operative word.

When you are well prepared to communicate with the college coaches, your level of self confidence increases, your communication has “grip” and the coaches sense this.

Remember, college coaches are certainly looking to attract the best student-athletes, but just as important, they are looking for self aware individuals who bring potential leadership skills to the table.

Getting Inside the “Head” Coach’s Head

College coaches are under tremendous pressure to not only manage a successful athletics program, but to win consistently and often. In short, college athletics is big business and the head coach is seen by his AD as the CEO of an organization that must succeed.

That being said, I think it is important for folks to get a glimpse of the head coach from a mental and emotional standpoint and make an effort to get inside their heads!

Coaches and recruiting coordinators work tirelessly to prepare for each new recruiting cycle, sometimes years in advance—they have to. Competition for the top scholar-athletes is fierce. Simply put, the better prepared and persistent the coach is, the greater the chances of matriculating a winning class.

The volume of information that college coaches receive annually is overwhelming and growing. They not only need a system to filter all of this stuff, they need help from the prospects and families. Whether it is submitting your introductory e-mail with profile attachment or initiating phone contact with the coach about a pending tournament, the rule of thumb is simple: Keep it short, sweet, and make sure your communication has value.

Gaining an understanding and appreciation of the ever changing college athletics climate is essential to a productive college quest.

As daunting as this “culture shock” may appear, there are resources that surround us that will help us understand this accelerated change in college recruiting.

By taking a grounded, educational, and persistent position in building and executing a well designed plan of attack, we give our boys and girls the best chance at success.