Getting recruited to play college sports is easier said than done. Many high school athletes do not realize the amount of work that goes into the recruiting process, until they find themselves somewhere in the middle of it. Because there is so much to learn about getting recruited, it’s easy to be led astray. Most people close to you want to help you throughout your recruitment, but these people are at times misinformed or have dated information, which may no longer be relevant in today’s recruiting process. We want athletes to be aware of all aspects of their recruiting process, which is why we provide you the tools to learn and understand all aspects of recruiting.
Below are three myths recruits fall subject to. If you are aware of these myths and know the right way to approach them, then you can be more prepared during your recruitment.
College Coaches Will Find You
Most high school players are under the understanding that they will get recruited just by being an outstanding athlete at their school.
The reality is unless you are part of the top 1 percent of recruits in the nation then you will not be actively recruited by college coaches. Recruits outside of the top 1 percent will need to be proactive and put in the time to make themselves a known recruit. In order to gain an athletic scholarship or a spot on a college team, coaches will need to know who you are. The easiest way to connect with college coaches is to send them an e-mail telling them about yourself and why you want to be a part of their program.
Registering with the NCAA Eligibility Center or the NAIA Eligibility Center will Get You Recruited to a College
Registering with either eligibility center requires athletes to submit their academic material, including grades, test scores, schools attended, and sports history information. Completing the NCAA or NAIA eligibility registration will allow college coaches to recruit athletes who have completed and passed eligibility standards.
Many athletes are under the impression that registering with an eligibility center will get their information out to college coaches faster, but in reality, your eligibility center information will only be requested by the college coach who knows who you are and has decided to offer you a spot on their team.
Being a Part of a Club or Travel Team Will Ensure that Athletes Will Get Recruited to Play College Sports
This is not the case. College coaches and their assisting staffs do not have the capability to view all club and travel teams’ tournaments and games. Not all club and travel teams are known on the national level, and most college coaches are not aware of the teams unless they had a previous recruit come from the team or are in the same area as the team.
If you are thinking about playing on a travel team, then be sure to do your research; find out how many alumni athletes have gone on to play at the college level. You should also find out the type of exposure the team will provide, and if the team competes at any national tournaments.
If you have more questions about how to move forward in your recruiting process or what you need to avoid during your recruitment then leave a comment below or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter or Google+!
My daughter and several other players got athletic and academic scholarships and I believe their traveling/ club team were very instrumental in making that possible
Pamela, I agree 100% travel teams are instrumental in the recruiting process. That is great it worked for your family. What we are cautioning against is people thinking that is the only thing they need to do. Where is your daughter going to be playing in college?
I am currently a junior trying to be recruited to play college basketball, I have many highlight videos on youtube of my highschool games and summer ball. What are some of the next things I should do to be recruited?
Hello, thanks for your comment. It is great that you have your highlight videos available online for coaches to see. The next step is for you to start contacting coaches via phone and email. When you email them you can include links to your highlight videos on YouTube. Here is a link to our Building a Resume E-Book page. You will find everything you need to know about creating a great email to send to coaches.
http://www.athleticscholarships.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/How_to_Create_a_College_Recruiting_Resume_E-Book.pdf
If you have any questions about what I said here, just leave us another comment, or you can ask me on Twitter @andrewfbruno.
Hi i am samjela from Cameroon and i want to apply for n international scholarship to play soccer can it be possible to have it?
Hi Samjela, thanks for your comment. To find scholarships in the United States, you must contact coaches directly to look for opportunities. Start by taking a look at our soccer scholarships page to get an idea of the process:
http://www.athleticscholarships.net/soccerscholarships.htm. You can also look at our How to Contact Coaches page to learn how you can go about reaching out to coaches:
http://www.athleticscholarships.net/how-to-contact-college-coaches.htm.
Please let us know if you have more questions after looking at these links!
What grade should we begin this process?
Depending on what level you are hoping to play in college, recruiting is starting at the8h and 9th grades. What sport does you athlete play and what year in school are they?
Sent from my iPad
My son will be in 9th grade this up coming school year and hopes to one day play for a division 1 college when should we start the process?
Going into 9th grade is a good time to begin taking him to DI games and setting aside money each year for camps and showcases. Increasingly, spring and summer camps are becoming more important then high school sports. Also, try creating a recruiting profile where you can have access to our free videos ans resources that teach you more about the recruiting process. Please let me know if you have more questions.