Over the next few weeks I will cover some of the biggest recruiting mistakes we see athletes make throughout the process. The first mistake I want to cover is: Thinking You Will Be Actively Recruited. One of the most common errors in judgement is taking the recruiting process for granted because you think that schools are going to aggressively recruit you. Many athletes receive letters from schools but that doesn’t mean that they are going to be recruited. College coaches send out thousands of letters and emails. When you receive a letter, you need to follow up with the coaches and express a mutual interest.
I’d like to share a story with you. Last season I was hired by a family whose daughter had been receiving handwritten notes from UCLA since she was a freshman in high school. The family felt that since she had been receiving these letters and kind notes from the coaching staff at UCLA, it would result in a full athletic scholarship. She was a junior when she came into my office and UCLA was no longer recruiting for her class. The family was shocked. They didn’t realize that they needed to follow up with the coaches and express interest. Fortunately for her, it was not too late to be recruited and she received a full scholarship from another University. However, her experience haunts me to this day. I make it my mission to educate families about these recruiting mistakes everyday.
Playing at a big named club will ultimately result in much needed exposure, however, playing at that club is not going to get you recruited. You have to do the work! This is a long and tedious process. Whether you play on a 1’s, 2’s or 3’s team is irrelevent. Do you want to play in college? This is the question you need to ask yourself. If you want to play in college, my team can help you. It’s not easy, but it is not supposed to be easy either. This is a decision that will effect you for the next 40 years. Make sure you don’t take this time for granted. You need to follow up with each program who expresses interest in you. Do your research! Look at the school, does it offer your potential major, how do you feel about the size? Call the coach and get information on the program. You never know what may come out of your conversation. My hope is that if you are reading this blog, you will learn from the mistakes of others and realize what it takes to be recruited. Stay tuned for more recruiting mistakes next week, and what you can do to avoid making these mistakes yourself.