College Recruiting X's and O's

Society as we know it has changed, what was once normal is not anymore.  We are in unchartered territories, we are doing our best to stay safe but we also need to feel connected.  And if you are a high school student-athlete who hopes to continue your academic and athletic career at the next level you must be wondering how to navigate through the process as we are confined to our homes.  As you are practicing social distancing remember to not be socially distant.  The NCAA Suspends In-Person Recruiting through May 31 :  In response to the coronavirus, the NCAA has suspended all in-person recruiting though May 31. Schools have also been asked to suspend all campus visits. This time period will be treated similarly to a dead period, during which time phone calls and digital communication are still permitted.  The NCAA will re-evaluate at that time to decide whether or not to it needs to extend the dead period. What is a Dead Period During a dead peri...

The corona virus has brought Intercollegiate Athletics to a standstill canceling Winter and Spring Sports Championships as well as recruiting.  The NCAA has suspended both on and off campus recruiting, which means no unofficial or official visits, and no college ID Camps, Clinics, showcases for at least the next month. Now is NOT the time to panic!  Utilize the down time to relax, re-focus, and re-organize your recruiting efforts. There are thousands of high school student-athletes who are navigating through the college recruiting process whose journey just came to an abrupt stop.   That does not mean you should stop, there are things you can do to stay on your path to play college sports. RELAX - We are in unchartered territory, everybody is learning as we go on how to deal with this crisis, college coaches included.  You need to be calm and realize everything will be ok. RE-FOCUS -  There isn't much you can do about what is happening right now...

Many high school student-athletes are convinced that Division I is the best and only option when it comes to playing in college.  So, when they finally get to to the recruiting process their main focus is playing Division I and not finding the school that fits their academic, athletic, and personal needs.  This is what we call the DI Blinders. I have heard "I have to play Division I" more times than I would like to admit. We need more student-athletes to "Take the Blinders Off." I believe this is the biggest pitfall kids make navigating through the college recruiting process.  There is nothing wrong with keeping an open mind early on in the recruiting process.  Student-Athletes should not overlook any opportunities that are presented to them, whether it is DI, DII, or DIII.  The experience alone visiting schools and meeting with college coaches will provide enormous value as the recruiting process continues.   As you look at what each opportunity...

Do you want to continue your academic and athletic career in college? Do you think you have what it takes to be a college student-athlete? Playing in college goes well beyond your athletic abilities. Do you rest on your talents or are you willing to put in the time, effort, and energy to be the best you possibly can? Would you consider yourself lazy? Do you prioritize your academics? What kind of character do you have? Being recruited is about being a well-rounded individual. Taking the words from Shaquille O’Neal who borrowed them from Aristotle,  “Excellence is not a singular act but a habit. You are what you repeatedly do.” Leaving athletic abilities and skills aside, what are the habits of a highly recruitable student-athlete? Stephen Covey, the world renown author developed the  7 Habits of Highly Effective People , I have created my own 7 Habits of Highly Recruitable Student-Athletes: Habit #1: Identify Goals We also call this habit “Discovering Your Why.” T...

Are you a recruitable student-athlete? Do you know  what it takes to be a recruitable student-athlete ? Every college coach seeks different qualities or attributes in their recruits whether it be athletic, academic, or a specific psychological attribute. These characteristics vary from coach to coach depending on the sport, the school, the division, or the conference they compete in. In most cases, college coaches look at these four areas of a prospective student-athlete. Academics Athletics Attitude Character Each coach will value each area differently. Are you interested in an Ivy League education? Those coaches may look at your academic profile before anything else. As you continue with the recruiting process, a coach will evaluate all four of these areas. As a prospective student-athlete, the more boxes you check, the better opportunities you will have to be a recruited student-athlete.  Academics What is your GPA? How difficult are the classes you're ...

A recruits talent is obviously an important piece in a college coaches evaluation of any prospective student-athlete.  But the decision to actively recruit a student-athlete goes well beyond talent.   A prospective student-athlete's attitude and character may be the most important attribute to a college coach.   What Is Attitude? Attitude is how a student-athlete carries himself or herself on and off the field.  Regardless of a players' performance, their skill, tactical, and physical display, other factors heavily influence a coach's decision to recruit a given athlete.  Coaches will look at their mental and psychological make up, their mental ability to quickly and correctly read and assess situations, their motivational drive and will power, their self confidence, and emotional stability.   A big determining factor of a prospects attitude is their body language on the field.  A coach can get a good sense of who you are by how...

Your journey to continue your academic and athletic career at the collegiate level lies with a vision.  In other words, what do you want your future to look like based on your goals and aspirations. However, your success lies within your college recruiting game plan.   Designing Your Pathway to College Sports is a a student-athletes road map to play college sports.  But it is more than just about recruiting, it is about creating a personal development plan that will be the foundation of your future.  It will allow high school student-athletes to do some serious self-reflection as they prepare for the next stage in their life.   It was designed to get high student-athletes to engage in their future.  6 Steps to Develop Your College Recruiting Game Plan  1. Create your Personal Development Plan -  Your personal development plan is made up of a number of self-reflection activities.  You will discover your strengths and weak...

It's a new month, a new year, a new decade.  Everything you want is right in front of you. Can you see it?  You have to be able to envision your future.   Vision is a vivid mental image of what you want your future to look like based on your goals and aspirations. ... A vision statement captures, in writing, the essence of where you want to be and it can inspire you to reach your goals. So, what is your recruiting vision?   If your just getting your recruiting process started or are well into the process you need to set your goals for the next few months.   You need to focus on what you really want from your college experience, academically, athletically, and personally.   As you begin creating a list of schools you have to discover which one of those schools will provide you with the best college experience, the school where you will develop in the classroom, on the field, and in your personal life.   And t...

There are millions of young kids playing sports who hope someday they will get an athletic scholarship.  Do you know there are approximately 8 million high school student-athletes in the US and about 7% make it to play in college and only 2% will receive an athletic scholarship?   We need to stop emphasizing athletic scholarships as some holy grail to these kids and focus on what is important, the experience and opportunities that college sports can offer. When you set your sights on playing college sports,  your goal should not be to get an athletic scholarship but to find a school that will help you become a better student, a great athlete, and an extraordinary person.  Approximately 160,000 college student-athletes are awarded athletic scholarships. So for the graduating class of 2020  40,000 High School graduates will earn an athletic scholarship for the fall.  And if we want to discuss Full Athletic Scholarships that number is...