Three Steps to Kick-start Your Recruiting and Make it Better

Taking the next step in recruiting is just as challenging as making the decision to play sports in college. If you have the drive to continue competing at a higher level, then you must prepare to follow through with necessary steps it takes to find a scholarship.

Choosing the right college

Having hundreds of colleges fall into your list of acceptable schools is a good thing. It’s better to have more options than not enough. When breaking down your college list, separate colleges into these categories:

1. Reach colleges: These colleges are the top of the top. These schools recruit the best athletes; you may not fall into the criteria they are looking for, but if you don’t try, you will never know.
2.  Colleges you really like: This is a list of colleges that really interest you. The are ones that you will more than likely meet their academic and athletic requirements.
3. Fall back colleges/safety schools: This is a list of colleges you will have no issues in gaining acceptance to.

Making contact with coaches

You will most likely not hear back from coaches at your reach schools as much as you will hear back from college coaches who see your potential and see how it will benefit their team. Coaches are always going to want to see your highlight video; they are looking for your skills and improvements. Video is one of the best ways to keep them updated.

Your reach school should be just that

Colleges with well-known athletic programs that recruit from the top 100 players in the nation are not going to make it a priority to contact you back; not just because you are not a top 100 athlete, but it could also be for the lack of one of these issues:

1. You sent a mass email to all top colleges in your “reach category”- this is one of the biggest mistakes recruits can make when they are contacting college coaches. Coaches want to know why you want to be a part of their program and what makes you qualified to play on their team. They will not be impressed if they see you sending out your information to hundreds of coaches. Make your first impression is a good one; do the research and make yourself marketable.
2. Your sports resume is incomplete- If you are pressed for time and think the concept of creating a sports resume will not make a difference in your recruitment, think again. The resume is a way coaches can review your accomplishments and see if you have what it takes to play on their team. Once again it is all about making that first impression count.
3. You did not include a highlight video- Video is the best way to show coaches your skills. They can review your athleticism quickly and will be able to compare your sports resume with your skills on the field. Missing this will not make for a lasting first-impression.

If you want to know more about creating a lasting first impression for college coaches than leave a comment below or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.