This Will Never Happen to You in College Recruiting
If you believe what you see on major recruiting websites and on TV, you are never going to get recruited. Media companies like ESPN and Rivals make recruiting sound easy. The latest big story to come out is just full of useless information for 99 percent of recruits. We break down what it means for the rest of college recruits like you.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban is one of the best recruiters in the country. He has already wrapped up recruiting for the class of 2012 and is moving full steam ahead for 2013. Alabama is a perennial national title contender and recruits exclusively from the top recruits in the country. That is exactly where Saban has started his recruiting for the class of 2013, with all-star cornerback Shaq Wiggins.
The following story has three things that will never happen to you in college recruiting. (1) Wiggins recently committed to Georgia but decided to make an (2) unofficial visit with some friends to see coach Saban in Alabama. (3) He sat down with Coach Saban, and while they were looking over Shaq’s highlight film, Coach said, “I’ll offer you a scholarship today if you commit to Alabama.” Shaq turned down the offer, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t end up at Alabama before signing day 2013.
1. Committing to a School Means the Recruiting Process is 95 Percent Finished
It has become commonplace for top recruits to commit and de-commit to programs all of the time. However, for 99 percent of recruits, once you commit to a school, other programs will stop recruiting you. For smaller programs, once an athlete has committed, coaches go looking elsewhere.
2. If You Try to Visit a Major Program, You Will Not Get to Meet the Head Coach
Making an unofficial visit is almost a necessity in recruiting today. You can’t expect to sit down with a coach of a major program unless you are a top recruit. However, if you are contacting schools that are right for you, you can meet with the coaches early. If top recruits like Shaq Wiggins are getting in the car and traveling to see schools as juniors, how do you think you look staying at home waiting for a coach to find you?
3. Nick Saban Will Not Be Offering You a Scholarship to Play For Alabama
This also goes for just about any of the other top 25–50 schools across all sports. You have to set realistic expectations on where you are going to school. About 80 percent of scholarships and opportunities to play college sports fall outside of the NCAA DI level. Look at schools at DII, DIII or the NAIA, and you are much more likely to receive a scholarship.
Did Shaq receive payments from LSU?
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