Steve Spurrier Shows How to Take the Right Approach to Recruiting Camps
Spurrier said they had over 400 kids come to a one-day camp at SC today from places as far as FL and NJ.
— Kristi Dosh (@SportsBizMiss) July 17, 2012
2012 marks Steve Spurrier’s 20th appearance at SEC Media Day. Spurrier’s first appearance came in 1985, almost a full decade before the birth of most athletes currently looking to get recruited by colleges; that doesn’t mean the Old Ball Coach doesn’t still have some valuable information to bestow upon potential recruits: over 400 athletes attended a one-day camp at the University of South Carolina this summer (via Kristi Dosh, @sportsbizmiss on Twitter).
If you think that strictly showing up to camps will get you a scholarship, then this number should surprise you. We have said it several times before, but you need to do more than show up to camps and perform well. South Carolina currently has a coaching staff of 14. That means each coach is responsible for scouting roughly 30 athletes. South Carolina holds three of these camps a summer (among other camps), so the coaching staff sees over 1,000 athletes at camps each year.
Attendance at camps is a big key to getting recruited, especially in team sports, but too often athletes don’t take full advantage of the opportunity. Your camp experience should be used to supplement your recruiting game plan, it shouldn’t be your recruiting game plan.
So, What Can You Do to Get the Most Value out of Attending Camps?
It starts with evaluating what camps are the best match for your needs. You only have a limited amount of time, and it can cost a good deal of money to attend multiple camps, so make sure you are using your resources to attend the camps that are held at schools you are truly interested in, not schools that have a flashy name.
Once you have determined what camps you want to attend, it is time to start making a connection with the coaching staff (if you haven’t already. If you are already talking to coaches and they’ve shown an interest, you may want to consider going to their camps first). Our Guide to Communicating with College Coaches E-book will help you learn how you can build relationships with coaches that will eventually lead to scholarship opportunities. When you walk into a camp, you want the coach to already know who you are and be familiar with your skills.
Coaches love to see athletes play live, and camp is a great way to make it happen, but before you go to camp you can use video to make sure a coach pays attention to you when you are at camp. Create a great highlight video and upload it to YouTube. Coaches will be ten times more likely to watch and scout you at a camp after you have properly displayed your skills via video.
Do you have questions about how to best utilize your camp experience to get recruited? Leave your question in the comments section below, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+!