Inside the Mind of a College Coach: The Process and Strategy of Recruiting
You will have an enormous advantage over your competition if you are familiar with the recruiting process from a college coach’s point of view. Not every college recruits exactly as described below-coaches at smaller schools have less money to recruit and may travel less than their Division 1 counterpart, for example, however the information below is typical of most athletic programs.
A Coach is Always Looking For Top Athletes
A coach constantly keeps his eyes and ears open for athletes who can help his team. Naturally, he will spend the majority of his time focusing on his next recruiting class. However, if you are a talented underclassman and you impressed a college coach, either at a camp, a game, a meet, or from a newspaper article he read about you, he will probably keep your name in his recruiting database and follow your development “I want team oriented players with the ability to make decisions quickly on the field. I look for speed, quickness and toughness. I use a lot of video in my decisions and I certainly like to see each player in person when possible.” –Ben DeLuca, Cornell University, Asst. Lacrosse Coach, NCAA D-1
Coaches Help Each Other Recruit
College coaches belong to a small fraternity. Many are good friends, work the same summer camps, and socialize at annual conventions. Also, many coaches change jobs frequently and devote a lot of time maintaining their professional network of contacts. On occasion, they even share information about top athletes and assist each other with recruiting (assuming they are not rivals in the same conference).
Few college coaches can recruit every outstanding athlete he or his staff sees. If a desirable athlete’s grades don’t meet his school’s requirements, or the athlete plays a specific position and the coach is already stocked at that position, the coach may recommend the athlete to other coaches he knows.
That’s why it’s important to develop relationships with as many coaches as you can. If a college camp coach is really impressed with you, make an effort to stay in touch with him via mail or e-mail. Update him on your development, even if he doesn’t coach at a school that interests you, he could be your ticket to a college scholarship somewhere else. Remember, it’s not who you know, but who knows you!
“I have a circle of other college coaches who share knowledge about different players. I also try to attend high school and summer league games and use scouting services. It’s tough to get to them all, so we like to work off each other and help each other out.” – Jim Brady, University of Missouri – St. Louis, Head Baseball Coach, NCAA D-II
DEVELOPING AN “A-list”
When the recruiting process begins each year, coaching staffs assemble an “A-list” of high school sophomores and juniors they are interested in recruiting. The names on this list are athletes the coaches have seen in action at camp, state and regional games, or tournaments. They also come from referrals by trusted sources like other college coaches, boosters, former athletes, and some high school coaches.
It is important to remember that their “A-lists” are composed of high school juniors-to be, meaning they appeared on their rader long before their junior year. With this in mind, place yourself in position to be noticed and/or evaluated by recruiters before your junior year.
This can be accomplished by: playing for prominent league teams outside of school; participating in college camps held by coaches at school that interest you; attending showcase camps college coaches attend; and, personally notifying the coach of your interest in his program and letting him know your qualifications. LacrosseRecruits.com is a great way to get on a coach’s radar as you can put your profile and video in front of all the coach’s that interest you. One click and the coach is viewing your profile and video. If you are the type of player he is looking for, you are now on this coach’s radar.
Determining Who Is Interested
Questionnaires are sent to every athlete on a coach’s “A-list,” as well as to any athlete who writes or phones the coach’s office expressing interest in the program. If you receive a questionnaire, you will be asked to provide detailed academic and athletic information about yourself and to return the form promptly. If you neglect to return it quickly, be aware that you are sending a strong message that you are not interested in being recruited. Some elite athletes on the “A-list” who do not return their questionnaires may receive a follow-up phone call to determine their interest level, but most will not.
Returning the questionnaire promptly does more than tell the coach you are interested in his program. It also tells him you are conscientious, able to follow instructions and pay attention to detail. Sometimes, little things like that can make all the difference in the world. While you may not stand out from the crowd by doing this, you’ll definitely stand out if your questionnaire comes in late, is completed in a sloppy fashion or lacks important information. A LacrosseRecruits.com profile is another great way to present your information in a professional manner and allow any coach to watch your video with the click of a button.
Working With Admissions Officers to Narrow Down the List
Coaches meet periodically with their college’s admissions officer liaison to discuss prospective recruits. This is where your ability on the playing field can help you get admitted to a good academic school to which you might not qualify on grades or test scores alone. A coach will compile a list of his top recruits so the liaison knows which athletes are the coach’s highest priorities.
Based on your academic credentials, the liaison will often tell the coach who has a chance to be admitted and who does not. Some admission departments will be flexible and accept top recruits who may fall slightly below the academic requirements, but this happens only if you are in high demand by the coaching staff.
The coaching staff will then begin to reduce the “A-list” to a more manageable and realistic pool of candidates. It will only contain students who can contribute athletically, fill a position of need on the team, and possess the academic marks to get accepted to the school.
NCAA Clearinghouse/Eligibility Center
A NCAA member coach will require confirmation from the
Clearinghouse that you are academically eligible to compete in
college sports. If you have not achieved the required grades, test scores, and taken the right courses, the coach will immediately eliminate you from his recruiting list. Don’t get knocked out of the recruiting game before it even starts by underachieving in class.
Core Courses
The NCAA requires a certain number of college preparatory (core) courses to be completed in high school before an athlete is eligible to play his or her freshman year. This requirement recently changed from 13 to 14 and it’s possible it may change again.
Make sure in your freshman year of high school you know the current requirement for your graduating class and are taking enough core courses to qualify for the NCAA Clearinghouse. If athletes have insufficient core courses when they graduate, they not only won’t be allowed to participate in their sport during their freshman year of college, they also won’t be allowed to receive an athletic scholarship.
It is imperative that you make sure at the start of your freshman year that you have planned your academic schedule to include enough core courses and that you do so each year until you graduate. It is also best to try to complete core courses as early as you can in your high school career. In the event that you fail one of the required courses, you will have enough time left in your high school career to make it up!
