Athletic Scholarship Advice for HS & JuCo Athletes
When you think about the essence of college sports, you probably envision a big, electric atmosphere with your team propelled on to a win by a big crowd, followed by a court/field storming by the boisterous student section. This type of relationship between your team and the student body doesn’t just happen, even at athletically successful and tradition-rich schools. To …
Official Visits and Unofficial Visits will make or break your program! You will not sign a player if they don’t have an enjoyable visit to campus! Period, point blank! When trying to sell the program on visits, remember that it’s just as much about the people as it is about the sport and shiny facilities. Human connection is vital—how would …
Organization on a high level is critical to becoming a great recruiter. While relationships will be your biggest strength, organization is also critical! You need to work off an ever-changing list of players that you’ve identified, let’s call it your ‘Watch List.’ You will constantly be adding and subtracting names from your personal list. As a staff, begin to build …
A: Walk-ons make the team in two ways: as a preferred walk-on or through a tryout. Believe it or not, walk-on spots at many schools are just as competitive as scholarship spots—they are very limited! To become a preferred walk-on, coaches need to see you play—either in person, or on video. For any roster spot, coaches are looking for size, …
A: Yes, if a coach is trying to get you to visit campus, they’ve heard something and have some level of early interest. They’ve heard or seen something about you that interests them and they want to get to know you better, meet you in person and show you a little bit about their program. The only exception is …
A: As coaches are evaluating prospects and prioritizing their recruits, they want you to do your research and be just as proactive and involved with the process as they are. While college coaches first must be interested in your athletic and academic abilities they love recruits who show a passion for their program. If you have a scholarship offer or …
A: Every coaching staff will say that they put priority on keeping the best in-state players at home. But when making scholarship decisions, it’s irrelevant to coaches where you are from. They are looking to sign the best players that they can, period! Being in-state does help you get your foot in the door. Many programs split up the …
A: No, camps are just one way to get noticed but not your only opportunity! If possible, try to get to a local camp or talk to your coach about taking your team to a local university Team Camp. Camps are great opportunities to get on the map with colleges –but you won’t be eliminated from recruitment if you …
A: As a prospective college athlete understand that not only are you being evaluated by your skills, size, speed and grades, your character is also under the microscope. It’s not just about what you put out there in your words, it’s also very telling who you are connected to and your communications with them! While you may be trying to …
A: Coaches are evaluating skill, size, strength and speed. Most players may not be great at all four, but being exceptional with any of those qualities can help you get on the map or get the recruiting conversations going. Never let someone tell you that you are “too small” or “too slow” to play college sports—if you have the talent, …