I am a parent who feels helpless in the athletic recruiting process. What should I do?

For most parents reading this, the reason that you were able to find this site is that you want to be able to be proactive throughout the athletic recruiting process for your son or daughter.  Maybe this is your first time and for others you may have done it before but there is no doubt in my mind that this is one of the most confusing times in trying to help your child.

Parents may even feel helpless because they are not exactly sure what they should be doing and if they should be doing stuff to help.  When I went through the Division III recruiting process a while back, my mom had no idea what was going on.  She took me to one visit and just didn’t have a clue regarding letters, calls, or things along that line.  I thought now is as good of a time as any to help parents figure things out in the athletic recruiting process.

Here are a few different things that I feel will be a major help to parents that have children with aspirations to continue their sporting career in college.  Like the definitions list that I have been updating, this may be a feature that continues to grow over time because I want readers who are parents to be as informed as possible throughout the athletic recruiting process.

Communication with the athlete is key
College coaches will contact athletes through their high school coach, call their cell phone, and even send letters to the school.  While many coaches know that the parents will be an important part of the recruiting process, their first step is to draw the interest of the kid to their school.  This means that communication about the recruiting process is a must between you and your child.  While I know that most kids don’t seem to open up to their parents during the teenage years unless they need something, parents need to know what goals and dreams their son or daughter has about playing college sports.  Being able to talk to them about the letters that they receive, what level they hope to play at, and things along that line will be great not only for the recruiting process but also learning more about your child.

Bank roll the recruiting process
Parents will do just about anything to make their kid’s happy.  You can do that by bank rolling the recruiting process.  I am not saying to go on extravagant college visits and going to every camp you are invited to.  I am saying that you will likely have to pay for a highlight video to be made, take care of the for gas to make unofficial visits, and handle the costs involved for camps.  If you take care these things yourself, it is going to be a major money saver in the long run rather than hire it out.

Do the behind the scenes leg work
I am not talking about you picking out schools that you would have loved to go to in the recruiting process.  I am saying that parents can do the leg work behind camps, highlight videos, and potential videos.  For the highlight videos, you can speak to the high school coach, other recruits, search the Internet, and talk to people you know about possibly getting a quality video made (See www.highlight-videos.com for more).  While a 17-year old can do it, chances are you will be better at following through during the process.  And since the athlete probably cannot write the check themselves, this has to be something where you can do the work and handle it.  While they may need to ask the high school coach about getting video, you should work on setting things up while putting it in place.

Don’t try to live through them
You obviously hear about the parents who weren’t successful in sports when they were younger so they try to hone their children to be major recruits.  Don’t do it.  It is going to create a major strain on the bond between you and your son or daughter so just don’t even try.  If they don’t want to play in college, let them decide.  The athlete should also be the one picking the schools that they are interested in.  This is about them and where they will be happy for four to five years.  Keep that in mind and don’t try to live through them.

Inform yourself
I assume the reason that you are visiting this site is to inform yourself.  As I have mentioned before on this site, feel free to post comments with your questions.  There is nothing bad about asking as many questions as possible.  That can include asking the high school coach question, the guidance counselor questions, and the college coaches questions.  Many parents go into the football recruiting process or the basketball recruiting process with little previous information.  This is a process that you can do yourself if you decide to study up and inform yourself as much as possible about how the recruiting process works.

Be realistic 
As a parent, this may be almost impossible.  It is very difficult to be able to have realistic opinions about your children and their ability in athletics.  You are 100% bias having raised this child that it is going to be hard.  So try to get as much outside opinion as possible.  If your kid wants to play Division I and he is a Division III type player, you are going to waste a lot of time and money if you are not realistic about the situation.  You need to have a good feel what level your kid can play at.  Finding that honest opinion would be up to you and something that needs to be done before really diving into the recruiting process.

 

 

 

 

 

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If you really are next in line for a football scholarship college coaches will…………..

I have talked a great deal about the football recruiting process and college coaches always seem to talk about how athletes are next in line for a scholarship.  What I have unfortunately found in a good number of cases is that these coaches are usually just making sure they have enough recruits on the hook that if their main guy falls through, there are backups available.

As I said in a previous article, the only two reasons why colleges that have been recruiting you offer a football scholarship is because you either another big school has offered and prompts them to extend a scholarship or they have another recruit pick another school.  But what happens if you really are next in line for a scholarship offer?  College coaches may tell you this all the time but the way that you can really tell is through their actions.  And we take a look at what we feel are their main actions that really could show you may be close to a scholarship offer.

Sign #1 – Calls every week
According to NCAA rules, Division I-A (BCS) and Division I-AA (FCS) coaches can call you once a week during the fall.  One call during the fall means that they may consider you as a potential recruit.  One call a month means that you are a fringe recruit.  One call a week means that they are really serious about you.

The fall is when college coaches are the busiest out of any time frame during the entire year.  They are handling recruiting, practices, pregame preparation, as well as trying to balance all of this out with their family.  So if you are getting calls every week from these coaches, they are very serious about your skills and abilities if they take the ten minutes to call.

Sign #2 – Quick evaluation of your recruiting highlight video
College coaches will frequently tell you to send your highlight video and/or three full games tapes early on so that they can evaluate you.  They tell this to everyone from a long shot at walk-on to their top rated recruit who doesn’t hold a scholarship offer.

If you are the one basically begging them to evaluate your tape and you keep asking about feedback, then you are not a priority on their recruiting board.  Again, time is very limited and they will watch the tapes of the football recruits who they believe could help their team win games in the future.  A quick evaluation and early feedback shows is a great thing.

Sign #3 – The most attention on unofficial visits
This one is really tough to gauge but if all the college coaches seem to be showing you the most attention and know you by name, then there is a good chance that you are high on their board.  This really is tough to judge though.

Sign #4 – Talk of an official visit
Although most colleges don’t hit the limit, there is an NCAA rule regarding the maximum number of athletes that a scholarship program can bring in for official visits.  In my experience, the least you will walk away if you go on an official visit to a college program is a walk-on spot.  80% to 90% will likely get scholarships while the others will get an option to walk-on.  So if there is serious talk about an official visit, they must think a lot about you.

Sign #5 – Visits to see you in action on a game night
Time is crucial in this one as well.  Did a Division I assistant coach drive to your high school and attend your game?  The time involved with planning out the trip, driving to the school, watching the game, and driving back is a lot.  Many coaches would rather spend that evening with their families, but when you think about it, it is part of the job.  Coming to your game to watch you and you alone says a ton about the interest that they have in you.

 

 

 

 

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Staying focused through an injury during the athletic recruiting process

As an athlete many many years ago, there is nothing that was more frustrating than an injury that would limit your ability to play the sport that you love.  It is one of the most difficult times to go through because you feel isolated and on an island because you are not on the court or the field with your teammates.  The hours and hours you put in over the off-season may feel like they have gone to waste when you start your season and get injured right off the bat.

The unfortunate thing is that in all sports, whether it be football, baseball, basketball, or anything else for that matter, injuries happen.  While you can try hard to prevent them, things happen and you can’t prevent everything.  But if you are unlucky enough to have been injured, there are some things you can do to stay focused on the athletic recruiting process even if you are sidelined.

Make sure to attend practices and any team meetings
Some athletes get disconnected because they are not part of the team bonding.  While you may be unable to play, being at all practices and bring around things will make you feel much better.

Don’t let your academics slip
A lot of injured athletes get depressed and don’t care about school anymore.  The last thing you want to do is dig yourself out of a hole when healthy.

Spend more time researching the schools you are looking at
This is a big one for the recruiting process.  If you are not all consumed by the season because of this injury, figure out more about the schools that are recruiting you.

Work on putting a highlight tape together of what film you have
If your senior season was cut short because of an injury, look into getting that video put into a highlight tape.  The more highlight videos that you have, the more marketable you are.

Look more into what interests you as far as academics go
If you have more time on your hands, look more into what interests you.  Is it Science, Business, or something else?  Think about what you want to do for the next forty plus years of your life.

Market yourself to schools that fit what you are looking for
Once you really know what you are looking for academically, start taking another serious look at schools that have the programs you want.

Listen to your doctors
The doctor is the one that will help get you healthy.  Listen to him or her and let them be the boss here.

Don’t rush getting back
Some athletes rush back and further hurt themselves.  Keep that in mind before throwing yourself into the mix before you are ready.

Be realistic
If you have no Division I offers and have no senior tape, it may be time to start being realistic about the recruiting process.  This may be your time to look at Division I-AA and Division II schools in the football recruiting process.  It may not be easy but you need to be realistic, especially if you get injured.  No matter how good you think you are playing, no tape won’t help matters.

 

 

 

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Easy Garlic Butter Pasta

Well, we did it. Moving week is over. Phew! That was kinda crazy and hectic and boy are my arms tired. And I have a good cluster of bruises and scrapes still lingering and healing up. Everything feels fresh and new and I am trying to get used to all the new spaces and set ups. It's funny how muscle memory works not just with sports and activities, but in our own homes! I keep grabbing for handles in all the wrong places and I am still getting used to all the odd sounds and different nuances to every crevice of this new space. But overall, I am so happy things are going great! And most importantly, that the kitties are super thrilled about the move. So how has cooking been going? Well, as usual, moving week was filled with takeout from Veggie Grill and Whole Foods, super easy...

This is a summary, images and full post available on HHL website!

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Market Update: Global Economic Headlines

There are a number of economic headlines I'd like to review this week. The first are the sovereign debt crises in Turkey and Venezuela.

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Poloz Holds The Line On Rates

As expected, the Bank of Canada held its key overnight rate this morning at 1.5%, asserting that July's surprising spike in CPI inflation to 3% was in large part because of a jump in airfares.

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What if you want to play a college position you just aren’t as good at during the football recruiting process?

Over the last month, I had an opportunity to see an athlete in action on the football field and then a few weeks later I was able to interview him and talk to him about how the football recruiting process was going for him. Before really digging into the story, let me mention a few things. The athlete is about 6-foot-1, 205 pounds and can really move. He started at linebacker as a junior and now starts at quarterback as well this fall for his team.

When watching him play, I strongly felt that the reason why he was playing quarterback was because he was one of the best athletes and leaders on the team. He didn’t seem to have a strong arm during the game in the limited amount of times I saw him throw the ball. With the way he hit, I believed that he could get a Division II scholarship because of his play defensively. But in talking to him, I was surprised that he wanted to play college football at a position that I felt strongly was his secondary position.

This happens all the time and at all levels so this story is not unique or different than others. Many athletes are dead set on playing a certain position and even give up bigger opportunities to play that spot. There are athletes who major programs want to play defensive back but they want to stay at quarterback (or at least be told that there is a chance that they will play quarterback). Some college coaches will feed them lines about getting a chance (which may happen for one practice) but many know the strength of a player, even when watching him in film. That is especially true for those hoping to play quarterback in college.
So if you are the athlete who strongly prefers another position than what you are being recruited at, what should you do? There are basically two major options.

The first is to take the biggest scholarship that you get and play whatever the coaches tell you. They are the ones that are basically paying for your college education so maybe you should just shut your mouth, do what you are told, and try to get on the field as early as possible. You should be able to get a good feel from the coaching staff about how realistic your chances are at certain positions.

I know some athletes that have told me they really don’t care where they have to play; they are just happiest seeing the field. And if you think about it, playing time really is something that cures a lot of ails (as well as winning). There are a lot of positions on the football field available. And if you are willing to get your education paid for and want to see the field, let the college coaches figure out where you will be used best. You may end up moving to a variety of positions but really, it is worth it to see the field and help your team out. That is more important than telling people that you are just a quarterback.

Or you could spurn bigger colleges for a guarantee that you will play the position that you want. If you love playing quarterback and don’t care if you have to go to a Division I-A (FCS) or Division II school to do that, then go ahead and live the dream. There are some situations where athletes are just stubborn enough to want to prove college coaches wrong. If you are in that situation and can get a good education at the same time, go for it.

In my opinion, most athletes won’t take this route simply because there is a big difference between Division I-A (BCS) and Division I-AA (FCS) schools. That difference usually pushes athletes to the larger level, even if they are expected to play a position that they may not enjoy the most. But again, do whatever makes you happiest. If you want to turn down a Division I scholarship and play both ways for a Division III school, go do it. Just try to get your education paid for and enjoy yourself in college.

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