This is How to Start Getting Recruited
Athletes, you are one of a kind; you are dedicated, you are hard-working and you are competitive. You understand that if you want something bad enough you have to work hard to achieve it- which is exactly what you should do when it comes to your recruitment. Be ready to take on your recruitment just as intensely as you have taken on your athletic and academic challenges.
Just like when you learn any new skill, it will take time to master- get ready to put your time in and practice.
Practice, practice, and practice
Start by creating a game plan; have an idea of what you want to accomplish each year, month, and day of your sports recruitment. The more time you dedicate to your recruitment, the better success rate you will have.
Your recruiting checklist:
Create a School List (Freshman Year)
Make a list of colleges you are interested in. This list should be long. You should have at least 20 target colleges you are eager to attend or at least learn more about. If you want to have the best college opportunity you need to be willing to reach a lot of coaches and play at any division level.
Fill out Recruiting Questionnaires (Freshman-Junior Year)
This task will take up a lot of your time, especially if you have a long college list. Taking time to fill out colleges’ recruiting questionnaires may seem boring and uneventful, but it will pay off. By filling out recruitment forms, coaches will have your name in their recruiting system- allowing them to email you important happenings and dates relevant to your recruitment class.
You don’t need to fill out all the forms at once; this is why prioritizing is important. Once you have your college list, start working down the list and fill out the forms for all the colleges you’re interested in- if you begin this task as a freshman you will have plenty of time later to spend building relationships with college coaches and focusing on more detailed parts of recruitment.
Sending out Your Sports Resume and Video (Sophomore- Senior Year)
Locating the best college opportunity will depend on many things; make sure you are doing your part by reaching out and contacting college coaches early. Contacting coaches can intimidate athletes, so before you try to get in touch with your top choices, practice! Begin your initial send outs to coaches at the bottom of your list. This will give you an idea of the types of questions they are going to want to know from you and will help you prepare for the coaches you really want to play for.
Calling Coaches (Senior Year)
Now that you have been working hard at getting your resume and video out to coaches, you need to continue to build those relationships and start calling coaches directly. You may think coaches should be the ones calling you, but when it gets down to crunch time (your senior year) you need to do all you can to stay on their radar.
If you have any other questions about keeping on top of your recruitment then leave your comment below and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+!