RECRUITING 101 - BREAKING DOWN THE RECRUITING PROCESS - PART THREE

Breaking down the NCAA recruiting process.

The purpose of these articles will look to give guidance for the student-athlete looking to find the best university for them.

PART THREE

GETTING NOTICED

In Part Three we will discuss ways to be seen by the right coaches. If you are not one of the lucky ones whose phone is being lit up with calls and text messages, then you have to help the college coaches notice you. How do you do that? This is one of the questions that comes up in every recruiting talk or seminar from the parents. It is easier than people think.

It is impossible for college coaches to see everyone. The amount of time college coaches have during the spring is very limited. Most college coaches are on the road Thursday to Sunday with their own teams. Monday is the only “off” day, so that is typically when they get a chance to watch a high school game. If it rains Monday, they may not have a chance to get out on the road at all during the week. So do the math, how are they supposed to see everyone? It’s impossible. Now, once the season ends in late May mid-June for the lucky ones, there becomes a greater opportunity to be noticed. We will get back to the importance about travel ball later.

So let’s continue on how to get noticed during the high school season. As stated before there are not many opportunities available for college coaches to get on the road, one maybe two possibilities are available a week depending on their own team’s travel schedule. So how do you become the game the coach picks to see? Depending on your graduation year the NCAA rules will limit opportunities as well. That being said, you need to do the work for them. What does that mean? It means you need to reach out to them, and let me be clear about that sentence YOU need to reach out to them, not mommy or daddy! Make the first contact, send the assistant coach an email with all of your information on it. Explain why you feel University A is a good fit for you and include your high school schedule, name, cell #, email, high school, grad year, the position you play, height, weight, and any analytics you have; 60 time, exit velo, arm strength. You also need to include your grade point average, SAT scores, and NCAA Eligibility ID# if you have one. After all of that include two or three coaches and their numbers who have seen you play and will speak on your behalf. Make sure to include who they are and what team they coach. You never know, the assistant coach may know one of them and would be an easy call for them to follow up on you.

One of the biggest mistakes on introduction emails that I have seen throughout my career are the kids who make one email and cut and paste the coaches name and school into it. Big mistake, that email usually gets dismissed if it has the wrong information in it. Write each email separately, and explain why you believe that University A is the right fit for you.

Once that email is sent, wait a week and see if they get back to you. Remember these coaches are extremely busy this time of the year and you are not the only one emailing them. If you do not hear back after a week has past, send a follow up email, congratulate him on a good weekend (this shows you are watching University A games), and ask if there are any opportunities for you to come on campus for a camp. With the way NCAA rules are most coaches have started to have mini camps one night a week. That is a great opportunity for you to get in front of the staff in a small setting. Those camps typically only have 15-30 kids and usually are ran by the entire staff. Perfect chance to put a face by a name. After the camp send another follow up email asking where do you fall on their recruiting radar. From there you should have a clearer picture about University A.

Now let’s cover if the opportunity of being noticed during the high school season does not happen. What’s next? It’s time for travel ball and showcases. Since there are so few opportunities to see players throughout the high school season, travel ball has become the go to for college coaches. Understand there are tens of thousands of travel ball teams so choosing the right one is important. Make sure the person running the organization has connections with college coaches and runs the program the right way (I’m getting off topic, that’s a future article). Back to getting noticed by the right coaches. There are plenty of opportunities for college coaches to see players during the summer and fall months. First let’s send another email including all of the information but this time send your travel ball schedule. I would also include a two-minute video of yourself. I would recommend not to go longer than two minutes. Depending on the position you play and if you are making the video keep it simple. Show your swing, speed, arm strength, glove work. Pitchers, three different views from the windup and from the stretch. Don’t go to crazy with it. You are just putting a face to your name. If you feel the need to send in your highlight reel, understand it may show things that coaches will see differently than what you think. I would also recommend you mentioning any upcoming showcases and tournament’s that you are attending. Showcases and tournaments are a great opportunity for college coaches to see a lot of players and games at once. If the coach plans on being at the showcase or tournament, he will get a chance to see you play. Follow up with an email and get his thoughts. Understand you are not being a pest, especially if the coach has not given any feedback about where you stand on his radar. If he is honest with you and gives you negative feedback then it is time to move on, that is why we have chosen five universities to look at. Remember college coaches have different opinions about ballplayers all the time. What one coach values in a player could be very different from what another coach values. There is a good fit for everyone, you just have to find the right one.

Email Format:

Why you are emailing the college coach

Name

Cell number

Email address

High school

Graduation year

Position you play

Height/Weight

60 time, exit velo, arm strength

Grade point average

SAT scores

NCAA Eligibility ID#

2 Coaches & who they coach and cell number

Attach your schedule

In Part Four we will discuss what camps and showcase we should attend. We will also look into travel ball and what college coaches are looking for and what they are not looking for in a player.