Take the scholarship or decide to walk on in the athletic recruiting process – Part One

I recently had the chance to email with a parent who has a son with this current dilemma. The son has been offered a preferred walk-on spot at a Division I-A (BCS) school that is close to home. The program has not had a great deal of success over the long term so there is always the opportunity to step up, play, and eventually earn a scholarship. But with Division II offers on the table and the potential from Division I-AA (FCS) programs to offer a scholarship it is a tough decision.

This article will be the first piece of two that breaks down the pros and cons of taking a scholarship at a smaller school versus going to the bigger program and walking on. This first article will focus strictly on why taking the scholarship money at the smaller school should be the decision that is made. Again, I will talk more in the next few days about why taking the walk-on offer is something that should be done as well. In this situation, there is no right or wrong but we will provide information and insight on both.

So why should an athlete pass up the opportunity to walk on at a school? The first reason is obvious and it boils down to money. While the walk-on opportunity may be at an in-state school that is inexpensive in price, it is very tough to turn down scholarship money from schools at the Division I-A and II levels. It doesn’t matter what sport you are playing but to turn your back on any type of scholarship is definitely difficult when you are being recruited.

As an athlete who is 17 or 18-years old, you don’t really think about how much school costs. If your parents are fortunate enough to have the money to pay for school, that is great. But realistically, even if it is something that your parents will be paying for, there is no doubt that they are making a huge sacrifice for you. It may be that they can’t take the vacations they have dreamed of or buy a boat to go fishing in during the summer.

If your parents cannot pay for your entire education (which I would guess happens frequently), then student loans will quickly become your friend. You may be borrowing only $7,000 a year but that quickly adds up. Over four years, that yearly payment ends up being nearly $30,000. Again, you don’t think about this as a teenager but I have had the pleasure of dealing with student loans the last few years. It helped me get a great education but they are not a pleasure to pay each month. If you can possibly avoid these, then I would definitely recommend doing it.

The college coaches that are offering you a scholarship at any level are saying that we feel you have the potential to contribute. We feel strong enough about you that we are willing to offer you a scholarship so that you can come to our school and contribute on the football/basketball/soccer/fill in the blank team. Instead of just offering you a walk-on spot where they have nothing at all to lose, they are taking a portion of their total scholarship money and believing in you.

At most schools, college programs that end up offering a scholarship will also recruit you much harder. They will send more mail, call more frequently, travel further to visit your school, and just show you and your family more interest in the athletic recruiting process. In some cases, the college coaches that are hoping that you walk-on at the school will send mail, call occasionally, and just show a lot less interest. No offense to the walk-ons of the world but you are a much lower priority to the coaches than the kids that they have actually offered scholarships to.

Chances are also stronger that the school to offer a scholarship feels that you have the ability to see the field or court in sometime (hopefully early) in your career. Would you really be happy walking on at a school and sitting for four years and finally seeing some time as a redshirt senior? Most high school athletes who have scholarship abilities are in the game all the time. In having experience with sitting the bench, it is a huge change from playing all the time and something that forces a lot of walk-ons to eventually transfer.

You may also be a big fish in a small pond at the school that offered a scholarship. The same cannot be sad for the Division I school that offered the walk on role. Some of these schools have over 30,000 students. While you may feel important just being on the football team, it may be tougher for you to adjust as a practice player.

There is no doubt in my mind that taking the scholarship money is the smart decision. You have a coaching staff that likes you enough to offer you money to play sports at their college. They have the faith in you that you can fit in and see playing time in your career. There is more known about taking this route if that is the decision that you decide to take.

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Scrambling right now in the athletic recruiting process

It seems that during the athletic recruiting process, families always seem to be scrambling as Signing Day continues to get closer and closer.  I have seen a family recently expect their personal “recruiter” to help get them a scholarship.  What they family has learned is that this recruiter is completely overpriced and has very little pull or ability to help an athlete get a college scholarship.  Instead of realizing it from day one, they may have found out a little late.

Because of the missteps that they took with this “recruiter” so early in the process, they are not scrambling to figure out what to do to help get their son a college scholarship.  As I have mentioned at this point, if you think you are a Division I-A (BCS) recruit and don’t have a college scholarship now (or at any time for that mattered), I would be extremely worried.  This recruit and their family seems to be in that same boat so they are trying to throw everything together at the last minute.  This happens all the time but is definitely not when it should be done.

In a perfect world, the senior athletes out there looking for a home to continue their football careers will have the high school coach being their “recruiter” (and not ripping off families either).  This coach is the one that could be putting together the highlight tapes and helping get the athlete’s name out to college coaches.  Unfortunately, in the real world, this rarely happens.  Very few high school coaches have the time and ability to put together a quality recruiting highlight video.  Most of the coaches will talk a big game then just get too busy in so many other things going on that it doesn’t happen.

I have said this many times before but you should have already setup and talked to professional companies about making a recruiting highlight video (View www.highlight-videos.com for an inexpensive and professional video).  Doing the legwork beforehand saves you from trying to speak with as many companies as possible and figuring out which one will do the best job.  If you have a company lined up during the middle of the season, then they are likely going to be able to turn around your video quickly and efficiently.  If you promise them work early and come through, they will greatly appreciate you for that.

The family that I mentioned above is also in the works of putting together a website and a number of different features to help publicize their son.  I hate to burst the bubble of anyone but if you are just now spending the money to put together a recruiting website, you might as well flush those dollar bills down the drain.  The impact of a recruiting website is to send it to college coaches early in the process so that they can add you to their radar.  It is worth the extra money to send college coaches johndoe.com as opposed to some lengthy Youtube address.  It is a simple thing that is not all that expensive.

For those non-seniors reading this article, please take what I write to heart.  You need to look into all your options early and often when putting together a highlight video and a website.  Two months before Signing Day is not the time to do it.  If you have a friend who will do the recruiting highlight video, give him or her a date that you want it done by.  If they are coming up with excuse after excuse during that time period, make sure you have a professional backup that can help you when things don’t work out.

The most important time to put together a quality highlight video and website is right now if you are a junior or a sophomore.  It is ideal because these things are needed but you are not in a race to get things done.  You can take a few weeks to speak to a few professionals and see what is out there.  I wouldn’t try taking months to do this because it could easily fall off your priority list.  But taking those steps will save you a lot of stress if you had done things before hand and put in the legwork early.

As for you seniors out there who are scrambling at the last minute because Uncle Jim couldn’t make a highlight video, look into your professional options and see what is available.  If you are expecting some type of athletic scholarship in college, a highlight video is a necessity.  There is no doubt in my mind about that.

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How do I get college coaches to watch my recruiting highlight video?

“Cold sending” is something I am against and I doubt I will ever change my stance on.  But it also had a number of users asking about what they need to do to get their highlight videos in front of college coaches and be able to be seen.  In order to get that dream scholarship, these coaches need to see your highlights and your ability on the tape.

So in order to help recruited athletes get this tape in front of college coaches, I have come up with a few suggestions that could help move the process along.  For this, there is no magic formula because it depends a great deal on if your recruiting profile would be impressive enough for college coaches to want to learn more about you.  In some cases they will and others they won’t.  But anyways, here are a few ways to give your highlights the best opportunity to be seen by the eyes of college coaches.

Before I get started, I may seem like a broken record in saying this, but make sure to check out The Five Steps to a Scholarship Offer.  Many of these same steps are talked about in that article.  Checking out both articles and thinking long and hard about what you can do during the recruiting process will really help you.

Put together a solid Recruiting Profile
The more awards and impressive stats that you have, the more likely a college coach will put you into their recruiting database.  As I have said before, do not inflate your stats or even round them up.  The last thing you want to be caught in is a lie so don’t fib on this recruiting profile.  It is your resume and the college coaches are the ones that will be interviewing you.  Keep it professional and up to date.

Market yourself to College Coaches
You need to take the time to find the college coaches that match your interests as far as academics and athletics.  Once you find those schools, email them with your recruiting profile and tell them all about why they should take a look at you.  Be persistent in this but also try not to be annoying.  There is a thin line between the two.

Put together a quality highlight video
I have seen some poor highlight tapes as of late so you really have to realize that putting together a quality highlight tape is something that is important.  If you want this final product to be watched by college coaches, you want this to be as solid as possible.  Try to find someone with experience to know what college coaches are looking for in the recruiting process.  Also using hudl is a great way to get attention as well.

Make your video highlights available online
One great addition you can make to the recruiting profile is a link to your highlight videos.  This can be done at YouTube, hudl, or any number of websites that allow you to post video footage.  There are a number of free sites that allow this.  As I have mentioned previously, I know a Division I assistant coach who told me that they are much more prone to click on video highlights on the computer rather than watch a tape.  Clicking the link is a much quicker process than dealing with an actual highlight video.

Try to get yourself listed with Rivals, Scout, 247Sports, and ESPN
I know for a fact that the majority of college coaches throughout the country use these sites to find prospects and watch video.  If you can get yourself listed and possibly get them to add video highlights of you, that is a great step in the recruiting process.  It doesn’t mean that a scholarship is on the way but it does mean that coaches can possibly find you through those means.

Have your high school coach follow up with college coaches
A high school coach is key in the recruiting process because this coach will not have the bias that a parent.  College coaches also will be more willing to work with a high school coach because the college may recruit an athlete at their school down the road.  They don’t want to burn any bridges.  So having your high school coach follow up with college coaches is a great way to get them to look at your video and possibly get an honest evaluation.

Excel at summer camps
Before your junior year of football, let’s say that you decide to attend State University’s summer football camp.  This is a great recruiting tool for the coaching staff and something that allows them to get in early with recruits.  If you perform extremely well, there is no doubt that they will put you on their recruiting list.

Have All State seasons on the football field
Some college coaches will at least send questionnaires to those that had All State seasons.  This doesn’t mean you are really being recruited but it does mean that you are at least on the radar.  The better season that you have, the better chance that the college coach will at least look at your highlight video.

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How interested is a college if they give me tickets to their game during the athletic recruiting process?

For all those football recruits out there reading this, I hope you had an opportunity to use your skills in athletics to get free tickets to attend college games. College coaches basically have no limit on the amount of athletes that they can invite to their home games so they do everything that they can to get top athletes in their state and around the country to their home games.

And while that likely save you a good chunk of change with the free tickets, how much does it really mean that you were invited to a game? Does it mean they are going to offer me a scholarship? Does it mean I am a scholarship potential athlete? Does it mean nothing?

Before I really go into this and why, I must say that getting free tickets and going on an unofficial visit does not mean much at all during the athletic recruiting process. I don’t care if you are a football recruit, basketball recruit, or water polo recruit. Like I said above, these coaches can invite thousands of athletes to come to their home games. Getting three free tickets is great and all but in the overall scheme of things during the recruiting process, it doesn’t mean much at all.

There was a recent article talking about the football recruiting process for State University as they try to capitalize on their recent success on the football field. For their home game against Notre Dame, the article stated that there were 100 recruits at the game.

I doubt the number was an even 100 but I assume it was likely between 80 to 120 football recruits there total. In a year where a school has a lot of scholarships, they will likely only bring in 25 football recruits on a scholarship. So if everyone of their eventual commitments were in attendance, there was only a 25% chance that you would be one of the lucky ones who would end up as a Panther signee. This doesn’t count the athletes who received tickets and couldn’t attend or may get a late scholarship offer.

The reason that these schools send out invites to so many athletes is because they don’t want to be kicking themselves about letting a player slip through the cracks later on in the process. If there are a top 100 in the state for that current class, State University is better off inviting all 100 than just the top 25. You have no clue as what players will develop late and really come on strong as a senior. If they mass invite instead of pick and choose, they have a better chance of these athletes remembering their visit for the Notre Dame game and hopefully deciding to attend college down the road.

Let me state that I am not trying to pick on Pittsburgh in this article. College coaches throughout the country do this. From USC to Texas to Florida to Alabama, it is done everywhere. Outside of limiting athletes in how many games that they can unofficially attend, the only cap that they have is likely up to the school itself. If they have tickets for a thousand people (one athlete plus two other tickets), than they can basically bring in 333 recruits in one weekend without any problems.

Going back to the original question, getting tickets doesn’t mean much at all. The good news is that you are in their recruiting database and likely will be evaluated down the road. The bad news is that you are one of thousands of athletes who are in that database. Getting a scholarship is a long ways away. But you might as well enjoy the game and the free tickets. Not everyone gets that opportunity.

 

 

 

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How interested is a college if they give me tickets to their game during the athletic recruiting process?

For all those football recruits out there reading this, I hope you had an opportunity to use your skills in athletics to get free tickets to attend college games.  College coaches basically have no limit on the amount of athletes that they can invite to their home games so they do everything that they can to get top athletes in their state and around the country to their home games.

And while that likely save you a good chunk of change with the free tickets, how much does it really mean that you were invited to a game?  Does it mean they are going to offer me a scholarship?  Does it mean I am a scholarship potential athlete?  Does it mean nothing?

Before I really go into this and why, I must say that getting free tickets and going on an unofficial visit does not mean much at all during the athletic recruiting process.  I don’t care if you are a football recruit, basketball recruit, or water polo recruit.  Like I said above, these coaches can invite thousands of athletes to come to their home games.  Getting three free tickets is great and all but in the overall scheme of things during the recruiting process, it doesn’t mean much at all.

There was a recent article talking about the football recruiting process for State University as they try to capitalize on their recent success on the football field.  For their home game against Notre Dame, the article stated that there were 100 recruits at the game.

I doubt the number was an even 100 but I assume it was likely between 80 to 120 football recruits there total.  In a year where a school has a lot of scholarships, they will likely only bring in 25 football recruits on a scholarship.  So if everyone of their eventual commitments were in attendance, there was only a 25% chance that you would be one of the lucky ones who would end up as a Panther signee.  This doesn’t count the athletes who received tickets and couldn’t attend or may get a late scholarship offer.

The reason that these schools send out invites to so many athletes is because they don’t want to be kicking themselves about letting a player slip through the cracks later on in the process.  If there are a top 100 in the state for that current class, State University is better off inviting all 100 than just the top 25.  You have no clue as what players will develop late and really come on strong as a senior.  If they mass invite instead of pick and choose, they have a better chance of these athletes remembering their visit for the Notre Dame game and hopefully deciding to attend college down the road.

Let me state that I am not trying to pick on Pittsburgh in this article.  College coaches throughout the country do this.  From USC to Texas to Florida to Alabama, it is done everywhere.  Outside of limiting athletes in how many games that they can unofficially attend, the only cap that they have is likely up to the school itself.  If they have tickets for a thousand people (one athlete plus two other tickets), than they can basically bring in 333 recruits in one weekend without any problems.

Going back to the original question, getting tickets doesn’t mean much at all.  The good news is that you are in their recruiting database and likely will be evaluated down the road.  The bad news is that you are one of thousands of athletes who are in that database.  Getting a scholarship is a long ways away.  But you might as well enjoy the game and the free tickets.  Not everyone gets that opportunity.

 

 

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Is the football recruiting process stressful?

With Signing Day getting closer and closer, it is really getting to crunch time for football recruits across the country. This is for players at all levels, including those look at Division I-AA and Division II schools. I had a chance to catch up with a number of recruits that are looking at scholarship programs to see what their answer would be when I asked if the recruiting process was stressful. These are real quotes and it really does vary from player to player. Here is what they said.

“I wouldn’t say that it is stressful but once it is over, it would be a relief. I think it is probably just talking to so many coaches. It is not like where it is a decision between good and bad. That is an easy decision. It is hard because there are so many good options. There are so many good things about every place. You think about this place one day and the next day another college. Then your mind is all over the place.”

“No, not really. I figure it is something I still have some time with. I am worrying about it but I am just thinking that other schools might be coming. I can’t make a decision yet.”

“Just being on the road, trying to visit these places, and staying up late talking to coaches is. There is no rest for the weary. It is hectic but it is pretty fun.”

“It has been somewhat stressful and there have been a lot of surprises. I have had two coaches come in everyday to the school for the last week to visit. It has been really fun overall.”

“At times but most of the time it has been fun and exciting. Sometimes it has been. It is a lot different but I think it is a good experience. I get at least (One call) every night. It is usually two to three but it depends. Some are for only five to ten minutes while others are thirty minutes. It is usually not too long. They understand that they don’t want to keep bugging me so it is usually good.”

“It has its days but the overall process has come out real good. It can be stressful but once you get offered, it is all worth it. Sometimes it is the calls that are stressful. Everyone wants an answer or has a reason why you should go there. Comparing the information is stressful.”

“I wouldn’t say it is stressful. I am enjoying it a lot right now. I am just trying to go out and have fun with it. We will see what happens. I am getting about one call a night. Each school calls on a particular day so it is usually one or so.”

“It is a different experience but it is not really stressful. It puts a lot to think about on your mind. There is a lot to think about. I probably get three phone calls a day. Some are thirty minutes to an hour but some are ten minutes. The average is probably fifteen minutes.”

“Not until December. It gets kind of long having coaches call a couple times a night. Recently it has been. I get anywhere from one to three calls. They usually last five to twenty minutes.”

“At times it has been. Then at other times it has been great. The two visits I went on were memorable and I will never forget either. The most stressful part was not knowing where I wanted to go because I wanted to get it over and done. Now I can hit the weights and get ready for next year.”

So if you are currently going through the recruiting process, is this something that is extremely stressful for you? Let us know by adding a comment to this thread!

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Location and the importance of it during the athletic recruiting process

It seems as if during the athletic recruiting process, there are athletes in two different camps. The first one is the players that want to stay close to home and be surrounded by friends and family. The location allows those close to the athlete to see them frequently as well as come to games easily.
The other type of athlete is the one who says during the recruiting process that they want to get away from home. They may want to see another part of the country and that will give them the opportunity to travel so that they can see something new. And while most athletes are thinking either one of these ways, location should be a much bigger factor than most realize.
A major disadvantage to going far away from home is how difficult it will be for you to get home for holidays. If you play a winter sport or your football team makes a bowl, it is going to be extremely difficult and chances are high that you won’t be spending Christmas at home. That is part of being a college athlete and something that should be considered.
If you live on the East coast and go to college on the West coast, flights are not cheap to go back and fourth. The importance of being close to home and being able to come and see your little brother play a high school game may be something you want to do. Your parents will also get a chance to see you as well.
One down side of being close to home is that you will likely be around most of your friends from high school. While I can’t say all of them will be there but if you go to State University, many will be there as well. While you may not hang around them with your new set of friends on the football team, that may be something to keep in the back of your mind.
Athletes don’t think about this much but for the most part, most play their sport for four or five years and then enter into the real world where they are working everyday. Since this happens to 99% of college athletes, you need to look long and hard into your options after college finishes up.
If you want to go into Physical Therapy, does the school you are going to offer PT school after you finish your undergraduate degree? And what about internships in the Business world? If you are going to major in Business, you need to see what kind of options can help you get a solid job to start your career after college. Does former alums of the school help athletes get jobs after? As a 17 or 18-year old, these are not exactly burning questions but they need to be answered.
Another thing to factor in when thinking about location is your future job. Say you decide to leave home and go somewhere that is ten hours away. If you do internships and eventually set yourself with a job after college, are you going to be happy that far away from home? Really this depends a great deal on your field of study. Some degrees offer a ton of jobs (Business) while others are location specific.
It may not be easy to really grasp what location means but it is definitely much more than just one hour away from home versus five hours. There are a lot of aspects that you need to think about when coming to a decision based on location and how much it factors into your final decision.

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Starbucks Witch's Brew Frappuccino: My DIY + Vegan Version!

All things Halloween are eating up my feed right now, and I am loving ever scroll of it. Costumes, spooky things and movie references. I loved doing this Halloween movie 'recipe party' a few years back. My personal fave October movie: Hocus Pocus. It sets such a cozy, spooky, fun fall mood. The crisp fall leaves, warmly-lit Cape Cod style homes all smushed together on a friendly street. Max may have hated moving from California, but come October, I just want to live in that neighborhood ... minus the three crazy-scary, children-eating, vocally-talented witches of course. Oh, Witches!! Ha. I knew that story had a point. Today I am sharing my copycat, DIY version of the Starbucks Halloween Frappuccino. Meet my DIY 'Witchy Brew' Smoothie. I had so much fun DIY-ing the...

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Including only scholarship worthy plays in your recruiting highlight video

For some sports like football, an outstanding recruiting highlight video can make or break what type of attention that you will receive in the recruiting process. I have stressed for years the importance of having a quality product put together and the impact that it can have on you. But in working on one recently, something really stood out to me.
If you read different sources, some say you need to include your best twelve plays, your best twenty plays, or any other random number you can come up with. But in my mind, there is one thing you should really think about when producing a recruiting highlight video. Is this play scholarship worthy?
With a system like hudl that makes it easy it excessive amounts of plays, the length of the video doesn’t really matter. What matters is that you put your game changing plays first and not do the highlights game by game. That can become extremely problematic.
If you are the one doing the highlight video yourself, that question is something that should enter into your mind every single play that you use. If you are hiring it out, make sure that the company you have gone with knows what they are doing and has an eye for what college coaches are looking for.
I hate to bring this story up again but a recent athlete had his highlight video produced by a company in their home town where most of their work was done with wedding. The video was well presented but the problems occurred when the plays started. The first video of the recruiting highlight video was of the athlete at quarterback handing the ball off. Do you think him handing the ball off was scholarship worthy? What is even worse is that this recruit was not even being recruited at quarterback.
The moral of that quick story is that even if you have friends who know how to edit video, make sure they know what college coaches are looking for. If they don’t, then move on. There is no doubt in my mind that it is worth paying a few more dollars to someone who knows what they are doing. That knowledge can be the difference between a scholarship and a walk-on spot at the school.
Going back to the main theme of the article, if you are a running back, think about if each play you put is scholarship worthy. Is a two-yard touchdown up the middle really going to help you get a scholarship? If the answer is no, don’t include it. The touchdown appears on your stats so if it is lackluster, it doesn’t need to be in your highlight video as well.
What you want to include are the impressive runs. It may be a play where you juked someone, broke through a tackle, or gave a great stiff arm. Even if these plays are only 10-yard gains, the ability that you show may make the difference in the eyes of college coaches. Breaking three tackles and juking someone for 15-yard is more scholarship worthy than a perfectly blocked 80-yard run where no one touched you.
So before finalizing that highlight video, go through each and every one of the plays that are included. Is this play good enough to get me a scholarship? And if you don’t know or are too bias to tell, then it may be best to hire out the video and get it done by a professional.

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In a Baking Mood? Try my Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies!

These vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are rich and buttery with peanut butter flavor in every bite. Loads of melty chocolate chips in there too. This recipe will come in handy over the holidays too! Cookie exchange, holiday get-together or party of one? I got you. Perfect pairing? You can try almond, soy, pea or any other plant milk you love. Crumble these over top some banana ice cream or a vanilla smoothie. And I definitely think these cookies pair well with any cozy night in, binge-watching your latest fave TV show. Bonus, these cookies will make your whole house smell amazinggggg. Think, vanilla bean peanut butter clouds bouncing around your kitchen type aromas. Plus, what's new with me!.. Read more »

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Division I-AA (FCS) timetable for official visits in the football recruiting process

One of my favorite parts about this site is when users interact with those on the site and ask questions about specific situations that they are currently going through.  Because the recruiting process is so difficult, especially for football, there are always a ton of questions that parents have been unable to ask.

Well, one dad came along and asked us about the time table for Division I-A and I-AA schools and how they handle the recruiting process for recruits who are not nationally known.  In the first article, I talked about when Division I-AA (FCS) schools usually offered scholarships.  In the second article here, I talked about when Division I (BCS) schools usually offer scholarships and official visits.  This third part of the article will break down when official visits are normally set for schools in the Division I-AA ranks.

Let me note before going into this that these FCS schools all are different and not every situation is the same.  One Division I-AA schools could have a completely different philosophy on the recruiting process than another one when trying to find football recruits.  Most of what I am basing these timetables on are on some of the top FCS schools in the country and what I have learned from following them.

The earliest ever that I have seen a Division I-AA school offer an official visit is usually during the month of December.  For their very top recruits, the coaching staff will try to bring them normally in during December.  Their season should be over at this time and the college coaches should have a pretty good feel on where these recruits stand with Division I-A schools in their area.  As mentioned in that earlier Division I-A article, the main reason that schools in these ranks offer athletes is because their first options have fallen through.

Again, this does depend on a case by case circumstance.  Some athletes may want to make a decision earlier and they could want to take those official visits during the season.  The reason that these Division I-AA schools wait on these visits is so that they can get a better gauge on what the Division I-A schools are doing.

Going back to the officials, these Division I-AA schools are allotted a certain amount of money and know exactly how much they can spend overall on that recruiting classes.  These numbers should have already been established before the season finished up.  It gives them an opportunity to get a feel for what they need position wise and how much money they can spend on the important spots to fill.

Chances are high that if they are trying to bring you in for a December official visit, there will be at least some sort of financial offer made towards you.  While I cannot 100% guarantee that an offer will be yours by the time you leave that official visit, the earlier that the school wants to set up the visit, the better your chances are for a scholarship offer.

From what I have been told, heard, and read, these Division I-AA schools try to bring in a second wave of recruits either in mid December or early January.  They normally have a solid feeling on the first official visit date so they will know how much they can offer.  This may be a time where the coaches pull out the deadline on recruits telling them that they are going to offer other athletes unless they make a verbal commitment.

The coaches then try pushing back the potential walk ons/small scholarship recruits until late January.  In the majority of cases, they are trying to get these athletes to walk on or may offer a 10% scholarship.  This is something to consider, especially if you have not made a college decision and/or made your five official visits.

This is what I have seen over the long hall of the recruiting process.  That doesn’t mean every single Division I-AA school does it this way.  However, this is how the majority of schools do it because they want to make sure that their top recruits get on campus early and they know how much money they will be receiving.  That allows the families to compare and contrast other scholarship offers and figure out what is best for their college education.

 

 

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What happens on a football official visit from the eyes of parents

This is a look at an official visit from the eyes of a mother and what she thought about the entire experience.   Before getting underway with the questions, let me state a few things about the situation.  Her son received a scholarship offer for football from a BCS school during the summer and he ended the recruiting process in late August.  He has remained committed to this program and is not considering any other options.  Before the recruiting process ended, she did frequently visit this site and used a number of methods that are recommended so it was a perfect example of these articles working.  A special thanks for her help as well!

How did the official visit compare to unofficial visits that you have been to there?
“Our son will be going to a college that is two and a half hours from home so in the past we only made one day trips to attend games or visit the campus.  The official visit was for 48 hours and we were on campus and with the coaches and players during much of it. We had more time to really get to know the coaches and players and to get very comfortable with the campus and city.”

When did your family arrive?
“We arrived by 3 pm on Friday in time to see the team practice as they get ready for the bowl game.”

Give an overview of what you did throughout the course of the weekend?
“Friday: Attended practice, had dinner in the press box at the stadium and then attended a great college basketball game (we sat on the court). Afterwards we decided to go back to the hotel and our son spent some time with some players.

Saturday Morning: We had breakfast at the team training table, spent a few hours on ccademics (meeting with professors to learn more about his major of interest and then learning about the study table requirements, the process to get help in a class and touring the learning center, which was very impressive).  Then we had lunch with the other recruits and coaching staff. His position coach met with us and we spent an hour reviewing tapes and learning more about what our son will do in practice.

Saturday Evening: The other recruits and families attended the team’s award banquet but we were able to get to his high school team’s basketball game because we felt it was important to show support to them.

Sunday: We had breakfast with the other recruits and coaching staff at the head coach’s home. The recruits met individually with the strength & conditioning coach as well as the head coach.  There was great personal interaction the entire weekend!”

What was the highlight of the visit? 
“Getting to personally know more of the players, the new recruits, their parents and the coaches/spouses. It reaffirmed the “family” atmosphere we have always felt with the program.”

How much new information did you learn about their program and the school?
“We learned more detailed information on how things work at practice, what to expect academically, and got more familiar with the campus layout.”

Did the visit just reaffirm your son’s commitment to the school?
“Yes!  We all left very excited that he was going to get the opportunity to participate in a first class program with first class coaches!”

How often were parents and kids separated during the official visit?
“Only in the evenings if the kids wanted to.  It just gave the kids a chance to hangout in the dorms and meet other players.”

When they had your son doing other things, what was he doing and what were the parents doing? 
“Most of the time we were all together but in the evenings after the scheduled events the current players got together with the recruits and spent time together playing video games and hanging out.”

Did parents stay the nights in different locations than the athletes? 
“We all stayed in the same hotel.”

How much time did you spend with the coaching staff?
“We always had some if not all of the coaching staff around during the entire weekend. It was a neat chance to see how they all interact and it’s clear they get along really well.”

Do you have any advice for parents about to go on official visits? 
“Make sure both parents attend if possible because each of us saw different things and it was fun to share on our drive back home. I believe athletes and parents have a good ‘gut” instinct if they feel a place is right. Ask tough questions of players and coaches – this is your chance to learn and check it all out!”

With the school being local, how was travel handled? 
“We were reimbursed for mileage based on the miles MapQuest generated.”

For those families that are uncommitted going into official visits, what should they really look for in their visits? 
“I would want to watch how my son interacts with other players and coaches and if he is comfortable with them. They are going to spend the majority of the next five years with these people so they need to feel good about it. ”

 

 

 

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Division I-A (BCS) timetable for scholarships and official visits in the football recruiting process

One of my favorite parts about this site is when users interact with those on the site and ask questions about specific situations that they are currently going through. Because the recruiting process is so difficult, especially for football, there are always a ton of questions that parents have been few rarely ever ask.
Well, one dad came along and asked us about the time table for Division I-A and I-AA schools and how they handle the recruiting process for recruits who are not national. In this second part of two articles, I will be taking a look at updated timetables as to when Division I-A (BCS) schools make a decision on when they offer athletes.
For Division I-A schools, if they have not offered your son by now, they are obviously waiting on other recruits or they hope to bring your son in as a walk on. From the comment that was posted, this dad made it clear that they updated film and made sure college coaches were aware of this. Getting this film out is very important and can make an impact on the recruiting process.
At the Division I-A level, your son may be the third option for a position that they are only taking one recruit at. If recruit A decides to go elsewhere, then they offer recruit B. If B goes elsewhere, then they will offer your son, prospect C. Again, it is unsure where your son sits on that recruiting board so you can’t say for sure that they even consider him scholarship worthy. They may be hoping to get him as a walk-on.
The only other option I have seen where Division I-A schools offers a prospect at this time is because another school does. For example, there was a quarterback recruit last year who had a fantastic senior season. But after this, an out of state Big 12 school ended up offering him a scholarship. That prompted the in-state Big 10 school to extend an offer because they didn’t want to lose him.
This had nothing to do with senior tape or video. Yes, he had an impressive season but the coaches were worried about losing him and they were almost forced into an offer. This is yet another reason why it is so important to broadcast your scholarship offers. These offers breed other offers and it showed once again there.
Things can change quickly if a school loses a player due to decommitment or a change in the coaching staff. These are areas that are unique in every situation because a school will be scrambling when they lose a player due to decommitment. If the school changes coaches, they are usually so worried about filling the class and having enough players in that class that they are a little more free in extending scholarship offers. These situations do not happen all that often but must be mentioned in this article.
As far as official visits, that also depends on the school and the coaching staff. Some schools love to bring in players during a home football game so that the athlete can see the atmosphere and hang out with the players after a big game. These are obviously during the fall months and depends on the athletes as well.
Other programs like to bring in recruits during December or January. They bring the recruits to a home basketball game and have them see all of the campus. The main reason that this happens is so that the coaches can spend more 1-on-1 time. Giving athletes that attention is very difficult in-season because the coaches are so focused on the games.
Each team has an opportunity to bring in a certain amount of players on official visits and most schools end up with extra visits per NCAA rules. Because of this, they decide to bring in possible walk ons as well so that they can learn more about the program. In most situations, the coaches do let the athletes know their status beforehand (or they at least should).

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Why academics matter more than ever in the athletic recruiting process

I have always stressed on here that one way to really help yourself in the athletic recruiting process is by taking care of your grades.  Most coaches feel that the athletes with the best grades are usually the ones that they have to worry about the least in the classroom as well as away from the field or court on weekends.  These are not the players coaches lose sleep over after big wins.

What made me really start thinking harder and harder about grades is a recent email I received from a parent.  While I will not mention his name or the name of his son, he brought up some very excellent points regarding academics and the ability for an athlete to walk on.  It may seem menial during the recruiting process but academics are even more important for walk ons than scholarship athletes.

With the recent addition of the Academic Progress Report (APR), college coaches have a lot riding on the amount of scholarship athletes that are passing classes and will graduate in their respective classes.  The reason this APR was put in was to track the performance of these scholarship athletes in the classroom and penalize those schools who struggled to graduate players.

While I feel there are some flaws in the system, it is a great way to make sure college coaches are not clearing house when they take over a new program.  The more players leaving, the more their APR will be hurt.  What is interesting is that some college coaches even have their APR score tied into their contract.  The better the score, the more they are paid so it is serious business to these coaches.

Lets say that there are two players the college is looking at as a potential walk-on.  Both athletes could earn a scholarship down the road and thus eventually be factored into the APR score.  One athlete has a 2.5 GPA and scored a 20 on his ACT.  The other has a 3.8 GPA and has a 28 on his ACT.  If these players were even close to being equal talents, which one do you think the college coach would take with a walk on opportunity?

The exact same situation goes for scholarship athletes.  When colleges have extremely low APR because of their problems, administrators at the school will not take that lightly.  Low graduation rates and APR scores are a major reason why some college coaches will be on the hot seat more than others.  These coaches need athletes who can perform as well as stay strong in the class room.

All schools will take chances with athletic recruits that they may consider game changers.  It could be the 7-foot center in the basketball recruiting process or the defensive back who runs a 4.3 40-yard dash in the football recruiting process.  Chances will be taken by coaches at all levels and basically all schools.  But college coaches are smart enough to limit those chances on only a handful of players.  If you get a lot of those questionable athletes and many don’t perform as expected, your APR could be severely hurt.

I have said this before but taking care of business in the classroom is a great way to be a step ahead of the competition during the athletic recruiting process.  While it doesn’t mean an athletic scholarship will certainly be yours, it will give you the benefit of the doubt for a scholarship or even a walk on position.  And if your goal is to play at a high level, even if it takes walking on, this is a great start.

 

 

 

 

 

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Football Recruiting Q&A with a parent who went through the process

I recently had a chance to email the father of an athlete a number of questions related to the football recruiting process that his son had just completed.  His son is a senior and plays in a very small area that receives little recognition by colleges throughout the country.

But instead of complaining about the situation, the father took it upon himself to help market his son to college coaches.  In the end, it paid off as the son ended with double digit Division I-A (BCS) scholarship offers.  Schools in the SEC, Big 12, Big 10, and a number of other conferences were offering him before it was over.  Here is what the father said about his experiences during the recruiting process:

Briefly describe the overall recruiting process that your son went through?
It was a long process that started when my son was a sophomore. Fortunately we were able to wrap up early. There was a lot of travel to meet coaches and tour the schools and athletic facilities. At times it was both frustrating yet rewarding. I’m happy we spent the time and money to explore all options.

What was your experience with the recruiting process before this?
I had some experience back in the early 80’s with myself. It certainly doesn’t come close to today’s recruiting process. It was like starting over – a new learning experience.

Talk about your decision to be proactive in the recruiting process and do what you could to help your son get his name out to college coaches?
It turned out to be a good decision to be proactive. When my son was a sophomore we had a feeling that he would be able to play at the D1 level when coaches started to notice him and provided input on his abilities. Today there are so many good athletes that you need to get on as many lists that you can and as early as you can.

What do you feel were some of the best steps that you took to help get your son attention?
To start with, when you talk about getting attention you are talking about getting national attention. Being from a smaller state, it is hard to get national attention. First, you have to be deserving. You need to pull together game film, game film highlights, provide seasonal stats which include measurables (ie: 40 time, vertical, bench etc) showing that you are good enough to get their attention. Once that is done you need to get it out to the national folks – Rivals.com, Scouts.com, ESPN, Prep Nation, etc.. All you can do is put your information in front of them in hopes they will look at it and like it. Sometimes it’s a very opinionated and political industry. You hope that someone sees the same qualities that you have. The same goes for getting the information out to the colleges and letting them know that you have an interest in hopes you fit in to their program. When providing the measurable information it really needs to be verified. Going to some of the combines does help give creditability.

Were there any steps that you took that you would have avoided when looking back now?
No, I don’t think you can avoid any of the steps even though we would have liked to. We’re not playing in Texas so when you’re from a smaller state, you have to take all the steps since we don’t seem to get the same national attention.

As a parent, how stressful was the recruiting process?
It was a little stressful but mostly time consuming and sometimes frustrating. As a parent and knowing what a good player my son is, as well as having so many people from the surrounding area know what a good player he is, it was frustrating to have to work so hard to get some people to take a look at him to see the same ability that we all saw.

Did you ever expect to see some of the top programs across the country offering your son a scholarship? What did it feel like when schools like two major out-of-state colleges extended offers early in the process?
We really didn’t know what was going to happen. We knew he could be a D1 player but didn’t quite know how good of a D1 player until these types of colleges starting offering. Last February when a major out-of-state program offered we knew then that we were on our way. It was a lot of hard work and very rewarding and we then knew we were on the right path. The goal that was set was starting to come true.

What was the process as a family to narrow down the recruiting process?
We outlined all the pros and cons of the colleges. We never put any travel restrictions on his choices. We wanted to make sure that it was the best fit no matter where it was. The colleges were rated from 1 to 5 by our son – what school has the biggest opportunity from a playing standpoint, which coaches did he feel comfortable with, what were the athletic facilities like, how did the process work with athletes academically. It was our son’s decision and as a family we didn’t know until the day of his announcement who he had decided to play for.

Did you use a recruiting service/recruiting agent during the recruiting process? If so, why? If not, why did you go that route?
We used any resource available, from advice, recruiting service, agent, recruiting analysts. We left no stone unturned because it was all new to us. The school that our son attends doesn’t offer a lot of help through the process so we needed to get as much as we could

Do you feel that college coaches were honest with you the entire time in the process?
Yes I do. We were always in a position where we were very honest with them and them with us. They didn’t want to make a mistake and neither did we. We were very upfront with the schools we talked to.

Did you feel that schools offered because other schools did? If so, do you think that happened often?
Our son did get offers because other schools offered but it was because it drew attention to him. It made other schools make it a priority to take a look at the information that had been sent to them. Once they viewed the material and saw his abilities they offered.

Estimate how many unofficial visits you took and how worth while they were during the process?
Around 15 unofficial and they were all worth it. We could rule the college out or when we left we were sure we were interested. It was good for the coaches to see our son first hand and be able to measure him up in person. It was a confirmation of what they saw on the video. I think it is very beneficial to both the coaches and players.

What would you say was the most difficult part of the recruiting process?
The very beginning. Trying to get him the exposure he needed. Trying to figure where there was a fit and what colleges to send tapes to. When you don’t know enough about it you do a lot of things because you’re not sure what you should be doing.

Do you have any other words of wisdom for families out there reading this?
Start as quickly as possible to understand where your son/daughter fits in. Have them evaluated by a number of sources that know what they are doing. Some may say they’re good and others may not so remember that it is their opinion. You will need to take all the information you receive from these evaluations and form your own opinion. You need to understand at what level they fit in and then start the recruiting process.

With your younger son, do you think you would change any steps that were done in recruiting?
He has made a commitment to playing football at the college level as well. Unfortunately he’s a year behind in the recruiting process due to an injury so the recruiting will be his senior season. I don’t think there are steps I would change but they will be more streamlined and the process should be much easier this time around with the people that I have met and the contacts that I have made during our oldest son’s process. I also have a better understanding of where he would fit in.

A special thanks for the help from this parent

 

 

 

 

 

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How much does a good marketing plan help you in the athletic recruiting process?

A few years back I was talking with some people about recruiting rankings. When discussing the athletes, my evaluations made it obvious as to which athlete should be ranked higher. They had more scholarships, put up bigger numbers as a junior, and seemed to be liked more by a variety of college coaches than the other recruit.
But the other person, who had some bias with the second recruit, said that the only reason the recruit I favored had those offers is because they marketed themselves to college coaches and did everything possible to get their name out there. Yes, it was true that he did do this but does a good marketing plan have that much of a difference?
In my very, very, very, very, very (let me add another very for emphasis) strong opinion, a good marketing plan will be the difference between student loans and a college scholarship. It can be the difference between Division I-AA and Division I-A in football recruiting. It can be the difference between low major and mid to high major in basketball recruiting.
The second recruit that I mentioned who was ranked lower decided to not much of a marketing plan. He was going to get whatever interest he came his way, send out recruiting highlight videos that his coach made, and then see how the dust settles. This recruit did have an advantage because his father was a major Division I player back in the days. In the end, things actually ended up going pretty good for this standout as he held a handful of major Division I offers.
The other recruit and his father called multiple coaches, made lots of highlight videos, took trips to colleges, and did everything you can imagine that a family can do to market their son in the football recruiting process. They did have an advantage in terms of money and resources but these are things any family can do.
When the athletic recruiting process is complete for your children, do you always want to have doubts in the back of your head thinking they could have gone to a higher level and saved you money in the process? Marketing is to consider all your options. Maybe you realize late that your son can’t play Division I basketball or your daughter isn’t talented enough to play Division II volleyball.
In the end, it would be much better to know that you opened as many doors as you possibly could for colleges. The more you market your children, the better opportunities that different doors will be open. And that is what will allow you to look back fondly following all the work that you have done and be grateful that you actually decided to go the marketing route as opposed to the “coaches will find them” route which doesn’t work.

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Market Remains Volatile in Earning Season: Interest Rates Expected to Continue to Rise

There was a massive sell off in the capital markets last week. Business reports indicate that investors were getting nervous about recent stock market valuations in light of rising interest rates. 

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The importance of recruiting calls from college coaches this time of year

I recently had the opportunity to speak with a recruit about the amount of college interest he has been receiving. He named a variety of big schools and some smaller ones as well throughout the area. When asking these questions to athletes, they are not exactly going to be 100% honest. I am not saying that they are lying but few athletes honestly are only going to talk about the Division III schools that are really recruiting them. They are going to talk about the bigger programs that may be showing them interest in other ways.
But for senior football recruits out there, here is one question that can sum up the recruiting process for you. Which schools have called you? If you are a senior football recruit, think about that for a second. You may love State University and hope to get a scholarship there but the only attention that they may be showing you is mail. Maybe there is a Division I-AA school in your area as well and their only contact has been through email. As great as those are, calls show a lot in the recruiting process.
It doesn’t take a college coach more than ten minutes to call a prospective athlete on the phone. If they are interested in you enough right now that they may eventually offer a scholarship, there is no doubt in my mind that they should be calling you at least two times a month. Per NCAA rules, they can actually call you once a week so only two calls a month is not all that much. If the school wants you that bad, they can take the twenty minutes of their time to make those two calls.
I wasn’t planning on preaching to this recruit how the bigger schools that are not calling may be pipe dreams. He will unfortunately have to find that out for himself. But as savvy recruits and families out there are reading this, seriously, take a moment and think about the amount of schools that are calling you. You may have Division I dreams but if it is only Division III schools that are contacting you, it may be time to start getting realistic about the recruiting process.
I don’t want to burst your bubble because those bigger schools may eventually try to get you to walk on at their school in the end. You may show enough with your recruiting highlight video to catch their eye and help improve your stock in the eyes of the coaching staff. But if you are on the radar of a school (which means mail, emails, etc.) and they are not calling right now during your senior year, the preferred walk-on spot is most likely all that you will be getting in 99.9% of the situations out there.
If you are in this boat, you may now need to re-evaluate your options and start looking at a variety of different schools. If you are receiving Division III calls, you may start to target more of the Division II schools around your area and try to get them interested. Unlike the Division I-A coaches, they are more likely to look into new prospects late in the process because they start so much later.
The Division II schools may be calling you so it may be time for you to look into your Division I-AA options. This is completely up to you and may not be worth it. But if you want to play college athletics at the highest level you can and get some scholarship money during that time, shopping yourself around to new schools may be a great way to do that at this time of year.

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Mushroom 'Queso-dillas' with Chunky Guacamole

*disclosure: The post is sponsored by Good Foods Today's recipe features my speedy, satisfying, (veggie-filled) spin on a traditional quesadilla. Fuss-free and super flavorful, these Mushroom Queso-dillas are a crowd-pleaser! And every toasty triangle can be topped with my secret, flavor-boosting ingredient: Good Foods Chunky Guacamole. Ahead, I show you how to easily whip up this recipe, in minutes! Feed a crowd or party-of-one. Plus, a product 'sneak peek!" Did somebody say vegan Tzatziki??..Read more »

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The importance of fallback schools during the athletic recruiting process

If you had read the articles where I talked about how you should consider all of your options during the athletic recruiting process, this is going to be another story along those lines. But there is no doubt that this article pertaining to fallback schools does have some major relevance.
What is a fallback school? It is basically a school that if all of your dream schools and larger programs end up not coming through, there is still an option that you like in the recruiting process. If you are a senior with no offers currently, you might as well try coming up with a fallback school at all levels. The goal obviously would be to play college football at the highest level possible but if that doesn’t work out and you still want to play, there will be an option you enjoy awaiting you still.
Let’s say right now you are a senior with no scholarship offers. What that likely means is outside of walking on, chances are slim that any Division I-A (BCS) football program will offer you a scholarship (yes, it could still happen but for the sake of the article, that scholarship offer is not coming). You are hoping that you have the ability to play at the Division I-AA (FCS) level during college and have been targeting those schools accordingly.
Right now, there is one in-state Division I-AA program that you may consider your dream school. This is the school you have followed for the last few years and would love to get a chance to play there. Unfortunately they have already secured a top rated offensive tackle and only have an option to bring you in as a walk on. Because the school is expensive, you want to continue seeing what else is available.
At the Division II level is a number of schools that you like but they are far away from home. They are offering a small amount of scholarship money but nothing that you are thinking about jumping on right this second. Your state may have a limited amount of Division II schools in your area and that may make playing at that level tough for you to do because you want to stay close to home.
All of the schools that you are currently looking at may work out for you to play college football. But if walking on at a bigger school and/or taking a small scholarship at a far away school doesn’t work, wouldn’t it be smart to have a fallback school at the Division III or NAIA level just in case things don’t work out? Yes, every athlete wants to play for a scholarship but the odds are slim for many athletes. That is why in the spring of your junior year, it may be worth taking some visits to Division III and NAIA programs around your area.
Division III schools may not be able to offer scholarships but they certainly can help you pay for college. If you are good enough, you may also have the ability to play early and get a great education along the way. If you do the legwork here early (I always seem to be saying that), you may pick one or two schools at this level that you really like. Obviously your focus will be on bigger schools but you know that if things don’t work out, there is a solid fallback option.
Doing this work ahead of time saves you the hassle of struggling when the Division I-AA and II schools end up looking elsewhere for an offensive tackle. You may also not feel comfortable at the Division II schools and want to stay close to mom and dad. This school gives you that option. You may like the bigger schools more but if you have researched the school and met the coaches, you should know a great deal about what they can offer.
Again, having the time to do this is not always easy but if you start early and stay on top of things, there is no doubt that finding these fallback schools could be a good option to have in the recruiting process. There is a lot you won’t be able to control but having these fallback schools in your back pocket means you won’t feel forced to take a small scholarship at a school eight hours away.

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The best way to inquire about your child’s rankings or lack there of on recruiting websites

From Rivals to Scout to everywhere in between, recruiting websites get a lot of page views by posting opinion based player rankings. These rankings are a lot about pride for the athletes and really are just for fun when everything is said and done. But there is no doubt seeing yourself or your child ranked low or not ranked at all is something that never sits well with a family.
So what should you do if Rivals, Scout, 247Sports, the local newspaper, or some random blog doesn’t have your son or daughter ranked on their list? Should you come out with guns blazing and tell them about the terrible job that they are doing with the site and how their son is great? Should you beg them to put your son on the list?
The first thing you must figure out is the validity of the rankings. Yes, if it the top 100 lists from Rivals, 247Sports, ESPN, or Scout, those are for real. But with being able to start a blog in a short period of time, make sure to scour the site and learn what you can about it. If the site is new and likely did no research, then don’t waste the time to email the author or complain.
If it is a real site and you feel strongly about your son, then you should send an email to the author asking about the ranking process and what determines who is rated where. Some will tell you that they use video evaluations while others may say it is all based on the high school season and what the player does then.
The thing that I strongly advice you to avoid is coming in sounding like an idiot. I have heard from so many parents over the years complaining about how their son should be ranked in the top ten and how great he is. Again, unless you are 100% sure on what the evaluation process is based on, you are going to look like a fool sending an email like that. So start with a question about the process.
Once an answer is received, now is the time to ask them specifically about your son. See what they say and how they based his evaluation or lack of evaluation. One thing that definitely could help you is to have a recruiting profile and online video highlights ready. Having your hudl video to send is a big help.
Once they are called upon, it can be easy to send that information to the author of the rankings. Having that video is a must because I know a number of parents who think their son is the greatest but have no clue about a highlight video and what to do with it.
Some responses will be better than others and it simply depends on your original email as well as the person you are dealing with. Most who actually take the time to do the rankings and care enough about it will be courtesy and respond quickly to all of your questions.
Give them respect for trying such a difficult task at ranking players and try to provide them with more information about your child. If you do that, you are going to help your son or daughter much faster than if you send a negative email. Keep that in mind next time you get fired up about some website rankings.

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Preparing for the eyeball test from college coaches during the football recruiting process

College coaches throughout the country are currently making the rounds at high schools across the State.  It doesn’t matter if these colleges are Division I to Junior College, many of these coaches will likely be descending to your school in order to find out more information about you and your teammates.  And although it is great to see the Division I programs make an appearance, it is far from a sure sign that you will get attention from these schools.  Many of the Division I assistant coaches visit the same schools no matter if they have zero recruits or ten at their level.

But for the senior athletes out there who has had coaches come by and will have more coaches stopping in soon, there is one thing that you will need to prepare yourself for.  That is the dreaded eyeball test.  The eyeball test is when the college coaches come to your school, say hello, and shake hands with you.  The main reason that these coaches are doing it is to see how big you are, height and weight wise.  If you are listed at 6-foot-4 and look 6-foot-1, they will definitely notice that on their trip to the school.  Here are a few hints for the days that you know college coaches are visiting.  This applies to athletes at all grade levels.

Wear your BIG shoes
I am not saying to put anything in your shoes to make you taller.  What I am saying is pull out the shoes that you know you look tallest in.  If I had someone eyeing me up, I know exactly what shoes I would be putting on that day.  This is something minor but appearing 6-foot-4 versus 6-foot-2 may be the difference between a scholarship spot and walking on.

Wear the appropriate clothing
If you are in the middle of wrestling season (unless you are heavy weight) or have been sick, chances are that you will likely be skinnier than normal.  If that is the case, then make sure to wear loose fitting clothing so that your weight lose is not obvious.  If you have been bulking up and added some muscle since the football coach last saw you, make sure to wear something a little smaller to show off your physique.

Stand up straight
Make sure to not slouch when talking to coaches.  You want to make sure they see your full height.

Expect a lot of coaches
Most schools get coaches at all levels, even the ones that are not that good.  These coaches want to build a relationship with the high school coach so that down the road, it may be easier to recruit a player.  Regardless of the level, expect to meet a lot of coaches from throughout your area and potentially throughout the country.

Just because you are a junior don’t expect any attention
If you are one of the top prospects in the junior class at your school, the college coach may also want to give you the eyeball test.  They will not be focusing as much on you as they will be in the spring but it is always important for these coaches to add names to their future recruiting lists.  The more they know about you, the better.

Make sure you are there
One of the more interesting stories is the college coaches that come across the country to see one recruit and he is out of school at that time.  If you are aware of college coaches coming to the school, try to find out when and make sure you are in the building.  The last thing you want is a school that may be offering you a scholarship to not be able to track you down.

 

 

 

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Athletic Recruiting advice from a national recruit

Over the last two years, I have had the opportunity to interact with one of the top athletic recruits in he country.  While I am not going to say his name, I have also had the opportunity to interact with his mother as well.  And despite having the ability to play his sport of choice at any college in the country (let me stress any college in the country), they are taking things extremely slow.  In fact, the way they have handled the recruiting process has been one of the most impressive things I have seen in the last ten years of covering recruiting.

In a recent email with his mother, she sent me two things that they do to make sure that the recruiting process does not overwhelm them.  With so many different scholarship offers from schools around the country, it could be difficult for most.  But the family is focused on finding the right school for athletics that offers a great opportunity academically.  His 4.0 GPA does not hurt him with the big boys of the college coaching world.  Anyways, onto the two things she mentioned as well as some other things that I learned from the family thus far:

Establish up front with the programs exactly who is in the driver’s seat 
I have mentioned this before but with the more offers that you have, the more flexibility and options that you have as well.  If you have one offer, I will honestly tell you that it is very difficult to be in the driver’s seat because of the limited options that you have.  But if you have two or more scholarship offers (the more, the better), then you can tell the schools about the other offers and make sure to let them know what is going on with you and that they can’t force a decision out of you.

Be honest. All that are involved know our time line and we don’t have any pressure.
Because this family has already told coaches that a decision is not coming anytime soon, coaches want this athlete so badly that they are not going to try and pressure him into a quick decision.  They have been honest with the coaching staff and made sure that they know a decision is not coming until at least the spring.  So if the coaches are serious about landing him, then they better spend the time focused on recruiting him and not trying to get a commitment out of him.  At this point, it just doesn’t seem like it will be happening anytime soon.

Those are the main two that the mother stressed to me but here are some other things that I have seen help them during the recruiting process.  This applies to all athletes and all sports (even Lacrosse!).  So keep these in mind when going into the recruiting process.

Playing well at camps helped in a big way
I have always talked about performing well at the free combines or camps during the summer can help you in the recruiting process.  This athlete blew up during the summer and that translated into offers from basically every school in the country.  Rarely does a recruit get a chance to pick any school he wants to go to but this athlete definitely has that in his favor.

Being strong in school will help
If you look at some of the top recruits across the country, some schools are wary of recruits because of their baggage and struggles in the classroom.  This top rated athlete has a 4.0 GPA and that has helped open a lot of doors for him.  As I have mentioned before, his intelligence means coaches won’t have to worry about him getting in trouble on Saturday nights.

Academics will play a big role in his future school
Yes, this recruit would love an opportunity to play at the professional level.  But if that doesn’t work out, he wants a degree that will allow him to get a great job after school if his chosen sport doesn’t work out.  Athletics are important but your field of academics will likely be where you work for the next forty plus years.  Keep that in your mind.

Take your time 
This family is not rushing the recruiting process.  They are taking it all in and seeing what options will be available to them at the end.  This gives them a lot of options and will make sure they make the most informed decision possible.

 

 

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How long after I sent my recruiting highlight video to a school should I wait before contacting them during the recruiting process

This question was posed recently in a comment on one of the recent articles on this site.  Again, I am happy to help athletes and families during the athletic recruiting process so feel free to comment on any specific areas that you may be curious about.  This is a great question, especially if you are a senior, and is definitely worth answering in a full fledged article.

Before going into my answer, let me go into my usual spiel (veteran readers can skip this section).  If you cold sent (see Updated Athletic Recruiting Definitions for more information) your highlight video to colleges without any prior contact from the coaches, don’t waste your time contacting them again.  They are not going to watch that tape.  You are better off spending your time playing video games.  If you continue reading, there is actually more info regarding when you should contact them.

There is no doubt that I feel following up and getting feedback on your tape is vital during the athletic recruiting process for any sport.  This will give you a much better feel as to where you stand in their eyes.  They may not always give you a straight on answer but at the very least it should help determine where you sit on that school’s recruiting board.

The key to answering this question is that it really depends on the time of year.  For example, lets say you are an All State recruit who two weeks ago had State University request your hudl video.  Now may not be the best week as they are busy with so many end of season things that they are considering.

Look at the schedule and what is going on with each school before contacting them.  I have said this before but these coaches have a lot going on in their lives.  They have the current season, recruiting, their families, and they have to somehow fit that around sleeping every night.  If you send a highlight tape in during the early portion of the summer, there is definitely going to be a quicker turn around time.

If you are looking at a Division I-AA school, did they make the playoffs?  If so, are they still alive or have they been eliminated?  Unfortunately for most schools out there, the first priority the day after the season ends is not to look at your highlight video.  They have lives away from their sport so you must factor that in as well.

So be realistic about the timing.  Obviously if it is two weeks after their season ended, giving them a call definitely will not hurt anything.  The worst that the coaches can say is that they have not had a chance to see the video.  If you contact them, it does show that you are interested to hear what you think and that will help you figure out things in the recruiting process.

Also you do have to maintain a fine line between being interested about when they watch your highlight video and overbearing.  And again, if the coach didn’t request the highlight tape, don’t bother calling.  That ship has already sailed.

 

 

 

 

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Should I ask a college coach if I am going to get a scholarship during the athletic recruiting process?

There is no doubt that hearing the phrase “be patient” over and over against during the athletic recruiting process with frustrate even the most patient families. The reason that an athlete has worked so hard over the years is to excel at the high school level and open doors to help pay for their college education. And being patient right now isn’t exactly going to help pay the extreme costs of college.
So if you are sick of being patient, what should you do? One thing to consider is to ask a college coach flat out on the spot if they are going to offer you a scholarship during the athletic recruiting process. But is this something that I really should do? Outside of extreme awkwardness after the question is asked, could this end up hurting my recruiting?
The answer to that question really depends on the coach and the coaching staff. Some coaches will be brutally honest with you and tell you the 100% complete truth. We are only taking one quarterback in this class and we have an offer out to our top target. Some of the coaches will then state where you sort of stand and others won’t. They may tell you that you are among a group of players who are next in line for the offer. The problem with that is that this group could be ten players deep for a position that the college is only taking one scholarship athlete at.
College coaches don’t want to tell you that they are parting ways with you until they know for sure that their scholarship athletes at your position are filled and they don’t believe you would fit in as a walk-on. The coaches always need a B, C, D, E, and F recruit just in case something happens to the players above you on their recruiting depth chart. If they all pick another school and you are the F recruit, the coaches could actually decide to bank the offer. There is no guarantee of anything at all.
Going back to the question, chances are that college coaches do get it a lot. But if the school hasn’t offered you a scholarship, asking them won’t suddenly prompt them to quickly change their mind. You may be sick of the lines and fed up with the BS but asking that question is just begging to hear more of it. They will tell you about how their evaluation process is unique and that it x, y, and z coaches to sign off on the scholarship. I have heard this before and know that if their rivals next door were to offer a scholarship, coaches x, y, and z would sign off in minutes.
Again, these coaches need to keep you on the hook. They may end up offering you or they may not. The better you are, the better the chances that they keep you on the line throughout most of the athletic recruiting process. That is what makes it so difficult on making a final decision. Is it better to commit to a sure thing or wait in hopes that your dream school offers?
In the end, it is fine to ask that question. Maybe the coach will tell you something you have yet to hear. But in the end, just asking it won’t get you anything. It will likely leave you more frustrated and wondering where you really sit in the athletic recruiting process.

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My son won’t call back Division III football coaches. Will that hurt him and what should I do?

In one of the best all time comments on Recruiting-101, I had a parent ask some serious questions about calls from college coaches. Here is what she said: “My son is getting loads of calls from DIII schools and a few from DII. I have almost threatened to disown him if he doesn’t return the DIII calls because I feel it’s important to get back to everyone. Is that true? If he doesn’t call them all back will anything bad happen? Will he be blacklisted or anything like that? Do DIII and II coaches talk to each other about recruits?”
First off, yes it is important to get back to as many college coaches as you can. Each and every one of these schools have some serious interest in your son if they are taking the time to call him. But at the same time, as a 17 or 18 year old, I know that it is difficult to try and field all of the calls from coaches. When I was in high school, I had one coach calling me regularly and I didn’t answer his calls all the time. With a great deal of calls, it is never going to be easy to handle the amount of attention he is receiving.

If your son has the time, yes, he should be making those calls back. You could write down some simple questions that he could ask the coaches just to show that he is interested. It is important to have as many options open as possible throughout the recruiting process so you don’t want to burn any bridges.
Then again, it is your son’s life. If he decides that he doesn’t want to go to this or that Division III program, then that is his decision. Even the most well meaning mom can’t nag her son enough if he doesn’t want to talk to certain coaches. Disowning may not be the best option but talking to him about keeping his options open, student loans, education, and things along that line may pay off in the end.
Basically the worst thing that can happen if he doesn’t call the college coaches back is that they will lose interest in him. Again, they are taking time out of their day to call athletes that they are interested in. My guess (I would hope) is that they log when they talk to recruits and when they call them. Some athletes can have issues with voice mail, a broken cell phone, or any number of different excuses as to why they didn’t return the call. That school, which could be a perfect fit your son, may go on and focus their recruiting attention on another player at his position.
As for other Division III schools talking to each other, yes, they do talk to each other. But just because you didn’t call back School A and called back School B doesn’t mean both programs will no longer be recruiting you. If they do talk, School A may wonder why the heck you are not calling him back but School B may be a better program with stronger academics. If each school takes the time to call, they are genuinely interested in one way or another.
Most schools in the same conference do speak with each other about recruits, especially those that both schools are recruiting. Most coaches know the right questions to ask recruits to see what other schools that they are looking at. In most cases, these coaches are competing against conference foes for the best players in-state. It happens at all levels, although the friendship among conference coaches is probably stronger at smaller schools.
Going back to the point, in a perfect world, your son should call back every single coach that called the house or his cell phone. He should take the time out of his day and speak with the coaches to show that he is interested. In the end, that could help him get a cheaper education at a strong school. But realistically, as a teenager, I know that it is hard to spend so much time on the phone with coaches. They ask a lot of similar questions and it just gets old.
I would stress the point at keeping your options open and looking into as many schools as possible. If your family has done the background work and feel School A is not for you, then you may want to tell them that you are not interested in their school because of x, y, and z. Again, that may be limiting your options but you never know.
College coaches are very aware of what athletes don’t return calls or don’t return questionnaires. I know a Division III assistant coach who can tell me all the kids that didn’t send anything back. If you call or send back information to these coaches, it does show that you are interested in the school and helps keep your options open. But again, that is up to your son to deal with.

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