Athletic Scholarship Advice for HS & JuCo Athletes
Nearly every program splits recruiting responsibilities between the staff, primarily by geographic region or by position. Each staff may designate an assistant coach or staff member as the coordinator but normally each assistant coach has an equal responsibility to sign players. One of your first assignments is to find out which coach is responsible for recruiting your area or position …
The goal of each recruiting cycle for each coaching staff is to sign the best player possible to each scholarship. Many staffs don’t rush the process, they’d rather get it RIGHT than simply make it QUICK. Understand—it’s a PROCESS. I’ve worked with players who earned offers days or weeks before Signing Day. I’ve worked with coaches who don’t use all …
#8: Political Ties (Friend of top recruit, family member of influential person within the University or Athletic Department) College coaches are pitched about prospective prospects by some powerful people within the University and Athletic Department: long-time donors, University Board of Trustees members, former players, professional players, CEOs, celebrities—and may spend some time with these prospects above and beyond what they …
#7: Were offered by a rival or comparable school within the conference or region Another common reason why coaches may look into your abilities is if a rival, conference or comparable school offers you a scholarship. It is very common to hear a head coach go into an assistant coach’s office and say, “Hey, the big kid from St. Louis …
All these emails, letters, cards, phone calls and Unofficial Visits won’t mean much at the end of the day, unless they lead to scholarship offers, right? Coaches put a ton of time into evaluations. They watch several games, try to see you play in person, contact several coaches and sources in the area to find out more about you as …
Which do coaches prefer? Have them both ready and included in what you mail/email to coaches, if possible. Coaches get tons of emails with YouTube/Hudl links and hard copies of DVDs from players and have a limited amount of time to go through unsolicited videos. Remember, they are also viewing or requesting film on players they have already heard about …
#1: Send highlights from varsity games only #2: Send recent highlights, games within the last year (unless you sat out due to injury) #3: Be sure to note your jersey number and jersey color (white/dark) so that coaches can identify you quickly #4: If possible, send highlights that show you specifically #5: Include 15-30 plays from multiple games #6: Keep …
Coaches normally mean what they say, and say what they mean. If a coach gives you their contact info and tells you to call them—call them, and call them soon! Often I would get calls from high school seniors or their parents, telling me they met coaches years or months ago—and are calling to see if any scholarships are still …
#6: Sent a highlight video to the coaches and they were impressed In most sports, another quick way to get on a school’s radar is by sending in a copy of your highlight video. Remember, the only way a coach can tell if you are worthy of a scholarship offer is by seeing you play or compete—either in person or …
#5: Stood out as a great player at a college or university camp By the end of your junior year (or better yet, your sophomore season), if you haven’t been getting interest or offers from many schools, a great way to get on the map is by attending a university camp or two. It’s also a great way to network …