Student-Athlete Recruiting Tips for the Other 98 Percent

North Dakota State vs South Dakota State (NCAA Softball)

I love collegiate sports! In August, football will kick-off and begin to receive a lot of attention (followed by volleyball, basketball, cheerleading…). Each February seventeen-year-old seniors make big announcements (National Letter of Intent) about where they’ll play college by playing college logo roulette. “He’s holding the hat with college logo B, passes over hat A and puts on hat D. He’s going to State University!”

Only in sports.

What should the other potential student-athletes do?

Brennan Barnard wrote an article in the Summer 2017 edition of The Journal of College Admission (NACAC) titled Guiding the 98%: Counseling Non-Scholarship Athletes. In it he shares simple reminders about the athletic recruiting process for the non-scholarship athletes.

Barnard shared a NCAA report that “colleges and universities offer over $2.7 billion in scholarships each year.” This means that only two percent of student-athletes will be awarded any money. So, what about the other ninety-eight percent who still want to play – and need counseling.

Before you begin working with an athletic recruitment counselor…

• Explore what experiences you hope to have playing collegiate sports
  • You need to know why – answer why you want to play (love the game, competitiveness, team play, childhood dream…)
  • You need to know how much – ask yourself if the cost (sacrifice) is worth it. Are you willing to pay but never play? Playing collegiate sports is a full-time job.
• Evaluate your abilities (as much as possible since we don’t know them personally) and grades
  • “Someone needs to be honest with the student about their ability level. Too many student-athletes have an inflated sense of athletic ability and when they realize they are not the star player they once thought, we may have a retention issue” - Andy Strickler, dean of admission at Connecticut College
• Endorse your list of colleges by doing your research - this means you've visited the campus and know this would be a good social, emotional, financial and academic fit.

Now here are your recruiting tips...

• Remain Positive
  • Above all, remain positive and have fun throughout the college planning process

 

• Be Proactive
  • Know that the beginning of the recruitment process depends on the sport
  • Recognize your abilities, strengths, and limitations
  • Determine how your sport will impact your goals for attending college
    • Will your desire to play Division I basketball keep you from looking at a Division II school that is a better academic fit?
    • Would you rather play club level sports?
  • Work with your high school or club coach - they will help you stay disciplined and connect you with the right people
  • Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center

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• Promote Yourself
  • Students (more than parents) need to research and promote themselves to the colleges
  • Meet eligibility requirements
  • You cannot sign a letter of intent without an athletic scholarship
  • Find out what the coaches want in a video (no flash, no graphics…)
  • Attend summer camps and showcases
  • When working with sports agencies – remember that there are no guarantees in college recruitment

 

• Have a Plan B
  • 7,800,000 million – total number of high school athletes
    • What if you get hurt?
    • What if your offer gets pulled?
  • 480,000 million – less than six percent will compete in college
    • What if you get hurt?
    • What if your scholarship gets pulled?
  • 2 percent – number who will play professional sports
    • What if you get hurt?
    • What if your contract gets pulled?
  • 100 percent – number of athletes who need a job and a career

Students, you need to focus on developing a plan to earn a bachelor’s degree within four years. Major league baseball rookie Arron Judge earned his bachelor’s degree at Fresno State. He also won the 2012 College Home Run Derby and the 2017 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby. Remember, it’s always academics before athletics.

If you are not in the top two percent who might receive some scholarship money, then this article underlines the importance of comparing financial aid award letters, earning merit aid, and applying for private scholarships.

If needed, I can coach student athletes on what to do and create a list of colleges with competitive bowling and sailing (etc.), but I am not an official athletic recruiter. I cannot offer judgment about your current or potential talent. I can offer unfiltered facts about the reality of collegiate sports.

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