Athletes: Get The Facts About Recruiting
Having a solid understanding of the entire recruiting process is important for any athlete who wants to get recruited. Taking the required steps, setting realistic goals, and knowing the rules are essential for recruiting success.
These are the 5 most common mistakes athletes and parents make:
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They wait until the athlete's Junior or Senior year to start the process.
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It is extremely rare for coaches to recruit athletes who they are only able to evaluate for a short period of time. Many coaches know who most of their recruits will be one year in advance while those athletes are Juniors. So often athletes and parents do not look far enough ahead to realize that with such a competitive recruiting environment, planning needs to start around the athletes Sophomore year of High School!
Athletes who begin to compile their recruiting resume their Freshman year or earlier have a significantly higher chance of success should they decide to pursue opportunies when the time comes.
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They think that coaches will just find them if they are good enough.
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Most people are surprised to learn that a very small percent of college athletic programs even have a recruiting budget at all.
The reality of college sports is that they cost institutions a significant amount of financial resources, and limiting athletic program budgets is the most common way of offsetting these costs. Very few sports have programs that generate revenue and very few programs even of those sports do. Most recruiters make do with what they have available to them, and what is presented to them.
Unless you are a very popular football or basketball player who is already receiving national publicity, you will not be recruited unless you help coaches find you. It's just a fact.
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They try to get recruited all on their own.
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While families should always take an active role in the recruiting process to increase their chances of success, it is important to understand that there are hundreds of thousands of athletes and families who are doing the same thing, and you really do need professional help!
The overwhelming majority of the time coaches receive video from an athlete they don't already know about, or from someone they aren't familiar with, it is never viewed and instead finds its way to the trash with the rest of the videos. Coaches simply do not have the time or resources to look into every athlete who sends them a package and expresses interest in their program.
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They think they are already "getting recruited" when they actually are not.
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Athletes often receive a letter or a birthday card from coaches and schools and think it means they are being recruiting. This is very inaccurate.
While these are great to receive and might make athletes feel good, it is imperative that athletes understand this is not "being recruited." It actually doesn't even mean the coach knows about them. Usually, programs acquire large lists of athletes who play their sport or attended a camp etc. and send a mass mailing out to them as a way to spark an athletes interest in their sports program, and provide them a way of finding out if athletes have any interest in their institution.
Additionally, there are thousands of colleges in the United States, so while receiving 100 letters may be a lot of mail for one athlete's mailbox, it is actually only attention from a tiny fraction of college programs.
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They spend a fortune when they don't need to.
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In the last ten years, the recruiting process has changed dramatically. Coaches and recruiters now have access to alternative means of locating and evaluating athletes, and do not need to spend a fortune themselves travelling around attending combines to find athletes. Technology today provides athletes and coaches the same value of recruiting combines, but much more efficiently and affordably (The Network is 100% free to recruiters).
Simply put, The Prodigy Network™ is simply the best, and most effective use of these technologies which is why it has revolutionized the recruiting process.
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Don't make these same mistakes! Get the facts about each of these questions:
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When does the recruiting process begin?
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Waiting only hurts your chances - Start today!
The timeline is different for everyone, but generally, every day you wait to begin the process after you begin high school is drecreasing your chances of getting recruited.
Many college programs now evaluate athletes who aren't even in high school yet and are offering scholarships to Freshman and Sophomores! If you really want to get recruited, there is absolutely no reason to wait and fall behind. Get started as soon as possible!
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How do I know if I am getting recruited?
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"Interest Forms" are not scholarship offers!
So often, athletes think they are "getting recruited" because they receive a letter or a birthday card in the mail from a college coach or school, only to realize later that the coach didn't even know them. This is NOT getting recruited!
While these are great to receive, athletes must understand this is not "being recruited" and it actually doesn't even mean the coach knows about them. Usually, college programs acquire big lists of athletes who play their sport or attended a camp for example, and send a mass mailing out to all the athletes. This is a way for them to try to spark an athletes interest in their program as well as learn what athletes have any interest in them. Until you have personally spoken with a coach, you cannot assume you are being recruited by them.
Additionally, there are thousands of colleges in the United States, so while receiving 100 letters may be a lot of mail for one athlete's mailbox, it is actually only attention from a tiny fraction of college programs.
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There are two separate elements you must do to even have a chance of getting recruited:
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Build a positive academic and athletic resume so you are qualified.
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Get that resume in front of coaches so they can evaluate you.
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Earning good grades and playing your sport at a high level is something that is up to each athlete, but getting athletes notices is what Prodigy Recruiting Network is all about! Our Recruiting Network simply gets athletes noticed, evaluated, and recruited. Take the tour and learn how.
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