Recently I grabbed dinner with my family and my dad mentioned a conversation he had with an 11th grader earlier that day. We were all traveling for a semi-pro game, and the athlete was working out at the gym before the game. The conversation went something like this:
Dad: “What grade are you in?”
Athlete: “11th”
Dad: “When are tryouts?”
Athlete: “Next month, in November”
Dad: “Ok, have you registered for the eligibility center?”
Athlete: ……..
It seems like this athlete was not sure what the eligibility center was. Unfortunately, this is a scenario that happens way too often. A lack of knowledge about the recruiting process can negatively impact your chances of being recruited to play in college. Failing to sign up for the Eligibility Center can also affect the amount of financial aid, scholarships and other opportunities that come with being a collegiate athlete. But this is not the only reason college coaches might not be contacting you. Below are a few questions you can ask yourself if you’re not getting the looks you think you should be getting.
5 Questions to Ask Yourself If Coaches Aren’t Reaching Out
Is it a blackout period? If you feel like you’re getting the cold shoulder by coaches during certain times of the year, the ‘quiet period’ or ‘dead period’ as it’s sometimes referred to is a specific recruiting period in the NCAA calendar for DI and DII athletics to regulate when and how coaches can contact athletes throughout the year.
Have you registered for the NCAA Eligibility Center? This was formerly known as the ‘NCAA Clearinghouse’. The Eligibility Center helps determine your ability to participate in college sports here in the United States. Athletes need to create their own accounts and identify their academic goals, confirm their course requirements, determine their GPA and ensure they’re not participating in any prohibited behaviors. Essentially, your academic eligibility and amateur status needs to be verified before coaches can work with you.
Are your grades good? Coaches aren’t interested in recruiting athletes that are not academically eligible to attend their school. It’s so important that you get good grades in all of your classes and participate in activities outside of sports to help show coaches how well rounded you are.
In high school, I had to work really hard to get a B+. I was not one of those students who could show up and ace a quiz. Instead I’d study, use flash cards, submit extra credit assignments and more to keep my grades up. I also participated in as many extra curricular activities as my schedule allowed, which included working as a camp counselor, volunteering, and being an active member of my peer ministry group at school.
Are you marketing yourself? What are you doing to market yourself to schools? Coaches receive hundreds and thousands of emails from prospective athletes. Unfortunately, they don’t have the time to respond or follow up with every athlete.
What you can do is to market yourself and create a website that recruiters can view and share with fellow coaches. Include key pieces of information that coaches will want to know, like your height, weight, position, GPA, test scores, and other information. You can share a bio that includes volunteer information and other awards to help them learn more about you.
Are you being realistic? It’s so important to be realistic in your recruiting journey, meaning you’re matching yourself with colleges and universities that are realistic for your abilities. Reaching for schools that are way above your playing abilities, or not a good fit can lead to a very frustrating search. If you’re having trouble finding the right fit, reach out to a coach to give you objective advice.
Are you good? Be honest with yourself- are you good? About 98 percent of athletes who go onto play at the collegiate level have to put in work to earn a college scholarship. That means the rest of the 2 percent of athletes are highly recruited. If you’re not part of that 2 percent club, that’s okay! This just means you’ll have to do more work to find the right opportunity and be proactive in reaching out to coaches to get noticed by programs.
Here are a few other things to consider:
Are your parents involved in the process? Parents can be extremely helpful in your recruiting journey. In most cases, they’ve watched train and compete your whole life, so it’s likely they know a lot about you and what you’re looking for as an athlete. Your parents are your biggest fans, and they can help you with the ‘back office’ work that any athlete can use help with: proofreading emails, gathering contact information of schools, assisting with content creation for website, helping build your recruiting timeline, etc. Your parents can help keep you on track and give you perspective when things get stressful.
Why is this so stressful for me? As a former athlete, I remember how exciting and stressful it was during recruiting season. Besides being on top of my grades, staying injury-free and remembering all of the plays and scouting reports, I put so much pressure on myself to be as competitive as possible. With college coaches always watching, I had to also keep my behavior in check. While I was a super supportive teammate on the court or on the sidelines- I hated losing. So, if a game wasn’t going in our favor, I made sure to check my body language, check my face, and stay as positive as possible.
What external factors can affect my recruiting ? While I knew about The Eligibility Center, there are also other factors that affected my recruiting status. For example, I was recruited during a year that was filled with extremely talented point guards. While I was a good athlete, I quickly learned that recruiters would check out those athletes first, and then mid-major athletes like myself later. As I shared above, understanding the type of programs that are the best fit for you (both academically and athletically) can help prevent you from getting frustrated. Just remember: with hard work, discipline and the right mindset, you will find the right opportunity meant for you.