Six Traits College Coaches Want In Recruits
Not all coaches are looking for the same type of athlete. But there are some characteristics that make athletes more attractive to most coaches.
All student athletes need, of course, to excel in two areas:
AthleticsCoaches pay close attention to athletic performance, using high school results to predict a recruits ability to compete at the college level. Coaches are also looking to fill specific needs of their teams, first choosing athletes who can fill team weaknesses.
AcademicsStudent athletes are students are well as athletes. Coaches seek recruits who are motivated in the classroom as well as on the field. Recruits must meet the academic requirements to be admitted to a particular college or university, and they must remain academically eligible throughout their college careers.Beyond academic and athletic success, coaches are looking for recruits who are strong in other areas:
PotentialCoaches want athletes who not only are good but are likely to get better. How do they assess a recruits potential? One key way is to look at how recruits have improved each year during high school. Coaches want athletes who will improve and remain dedicated during their years in college.
Work EthicDedicated athletes not only improve their own performance with their hard work, they motivate their teammates to train harder and compete more intensely. Coaches look for recruits with strong, consistent work ethics.
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What Is The College Recruiting Process
Many coaches begin the college recruiting process by contacting a large group of athletes that think would be a good fit for their program. For bigger programs, this number can be in the hundreds or even thousands. Through evaluations, reviewing highlight video and contact with recruits, they slowly start to whittle that number down until theyve filled their open roster spots. In other words, the college recruiting process resembles a funnel, starting out with a large group of recruits and narrowing down to a select few. Thats why NCSAs athletic recruiting services can help recruits at different stages of the process. Read on to learn the typical steps coaches will take to get to their final recruits.
College Coaches Find Players Through Phone Calls
Dont be afraid to personally call coaches. Make sure you consult NCAA and NAIA recruiting regulations as each division has its own rules. You can call at any time, but depending upon the division and your year in high school, coaches may not be able to respond. If a coach doesnt respond you may have called before they can respond directly. However, you are still getting on their radar screen. This gives them a chance to put you in their data base. Make sure the phone call is in conjunction with emails and filling out their questionnaire and you will generate interest from them, even if you are not hearing from them.
A phone call also goes a long way. It is an intimidating process, but a young athlete being able to pick up the phone and carry on a good conversation with a coach is a quality that will in the least pique our interest. Coach Shayne Lotito, Softball Bryant University
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Character And Personality Questions
Coaches look for well-rounded players in the recruiting process. There are countless players that possess the athletic talent and/or academic standing to play at the next level, but coaches also place a lot of value on finding players with strong personal character and coachability, so you should expect to receive questions that speak to these qualities.
There are many intangible qualities that coaches look for, such as humility, leadership, work ethic, and personability. These types of questions are designed to get a sense of whether or not you possess these qualities and how you can make a positive impact on the program aside from just your skills and talents.
What College Coaches Are Doing To Find Recruits
- I become aware about prospects from emails that they send me and my staff If I know prospects are interested in Green Bay I will try to have either myself of my assistants watch them play. Daniel Popik, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Mens head Soccer Coach
- We received information on players from several sourcesCoaches recommendations, camps, showcases, letters from players and professional scouts. Edward Mathey, Northern Illinois University, Baseball coach
- I look for kids who are motivated to go forward and have ability to come to terms and understand what that is going to entail. DI track coach
- I email every junior college coach asking for a position player and in return I am flooded with over 100 replies. DI Baseball coach
- We receive hundreds of video footage each year. In the highly competitive world of , to not even look at what could be a potential sleeper would be foolish.- DI football on reviewing recruits videos
- Most start with a database full of athletes which could reach over 5,000 athletes.
- USC Coach Lane Kiffen gave a verbal offer to a twelve year old after seeing his YouTube video.
As you can see the range of how college coaches recruit, you will be able to better understand what you need to do to get recruited.
If you have any questions on getting in touch with college coaches than leave a comment below or connect with us on and !
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Is It Your Goal To Play On A College Football Team
Football is one of the most recognizable and dominant sports on the college scene, with TV appearances, huge stadiums and passionate fans. However, behind all the glamor of college football is the down-and-dirty hard work required to get to the spotlight. High school football players who want to make it to the next level must go through the football recruiting process. Everything you need to know about football recruiting.
To get recruited for football, student-athletes not only have to be extremely talented football players with good academics, but they also have to understand how the football recruiting process works. From discovering which football colleges might be a good fit, to reaching out to coaches, creating a football recruiting video, attending camps and combines, and finding the best scholarship offer, this is a multi-year journey with many milestones along the way. Learn more about how to choose a football college and how the recruiting process works.
While the football recruiting process can be daunting, weve created this football recruiting guide, which outlines the steps athletes and their families need to take to get recruited for football. Use this sport-specific information alongside our College Recruiting Guide, which outlines the whole recruiting process from start to Signing Day. Want to know more about Notre Dame football recruiting? Everything you need to know about college football recruiting
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Reliability / Work Ethic
Coaches appreciate reliable athletes people who do what they are supposed to be doing. They look for recruits who will show up on time, every day, at the right place. Being punctual is essential in all aspects of life and for some coaches it is a vital component of an athletes work ethic. Additionally, they look for players who keep working hard even after defeat and no matter the circumstance. And, most importantly, coaches look for leaders: guys and girls who take initiative and who have the ability to motivate others to give their full 100% to reach the teams goal, even in times of hardship.
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How Do College Coaches Find Recruits
Coaches are going to camps, showcases and tournaments to watch a large number of recruits at one time. Then, theyll send out recruiting questionnaires or initial information to a large group of athletes. Coaches will likely be hosting camps on their campus to do a final, in-person evaluation of their top recruits.
How An Injured Athlete Can Still Manage The College Recruiting Process Successfully By Tom Kovic Of Victory Collegiate Consulting
Im including this article because it doesnt come right out and say its going to be tough but rather that its complicated because of the demands put on the coaches. Theres nothing about specific athletes but theres an interesting statement about the benefits of revealing an injury will uncover grey areas of evaluation that could be a game-changer at the conclusion of the recruiting process. This seems to me to suggest that the coaches response may be telling you something about how he or she will handle things in the future.
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What Questions Do College Coaches Ask Recruits
Throughout your recruiting process, youll experience a wide variety of communication with college coaches. In these conversations, there are many questions that college coaches might ask, so youre probably wondering what to expect and how best to prepare.
College coaches look for athletes that could potentially fit their program on a number of different levels, so the questions they ask will usually revolve around the different focuses of recruiting. This might include athletic questions regarding former accomplishments and future plans, academic questions for eligibility purposes, and general personal questions that allow them to get a sense of your character and personality.
Its important to be aware of the different questions that a coach might ask of you throughout recruiting, because these conversations can have a genuine impact on your opportunities. Knowing what to expect and having the right preparation for these questions can lead to further success in your process.
International Student Tip Recruiting Services
Therecruitment of international athletes is in many respects the same, but there are challenges U.S. students dont have. Country boundaries and oceans can make it difficult for college coaches to find athletes. International students are also dealing with an unfamiliar college system. Recruiting services can fill the gap and help you navigate the confusing international recruiting process.
I believe that the recruiting services are extremely valuable. I have dealt with a lot of the major companies and they do an incredible job helping not only market these young players to the Universities they are interested in, but also help navigate the cumbersome process of the NCAA along with the University admissions process. Of course each player is different but generally speaking I think the majority of these companies do a great service for these players and their families. Coach Matt Hill Mens Tennis Arizona State University
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When Can Division Ii Coaches Contact Athletes
The NCAA Recruiting Rules for Division II schools are slightly more relaxed than those for Division I, and the rules are the same across all sports:
- Non-recruiting materials: Athletes can receive brochures for camps, questionnaires, NCAA materials and non-athletic recruiting publications at any time.
- Printed recruiting materials: Starting July 15 after an athletes sophomore year, coaches can begin sending recruits printed recruiting materials.
- Telephone calls: Starting June 15 after an athletes sophomore year, coaches can start calling athletes.
- Off-campus contact: Coaches can conduct off-campus communications with athletes and/or their parents starting June 15 after an athletes sophomore year.
- Unofficial visits: Athletes can take unofficial visits at any time.
- Official visits: Athletes may start taking official visits starting June 15 after an athletes sophomore year.
Get Discovered By College Football Coaches
College football coaches are looking for recruits with extensive varsity experience, a stellar highlight film, the right body type, high football IQ and good academics. However, even if athletes have these characteristics, theres no guarantee that a college coach is going to find them. Student-athletes must reach out to coaches themselves. In this section, we go over how to find the right schools, contact those football coaches, develop relationships with programs that would be a good fit and much more.
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Division I Mens And Womens Lacrosse Ncaa Recruiting Rules
- Any time: Athletes can receive non-recruiting materials from college coaches, such as questionnaires, camp brochures, nonathletic institutional publications and NCAA educational materials published by the NCAA.
- : Coaches can extend verbal scholarship offers and send all forms of private, electronic correspondence, including text messages, direct messages and emails, as well as recruiting materials. Coaches are also able to start calling athletes after this date.
- : Athletes cannot go on unofficial visits or official visits before this date.
- : Coaches are allowed to conduct off-campus evaluations. But during the athletes junior year, those contacts are only allowed at the recruits school or home.
- Coaches can take seven recruiting opportunities per recruit per year. Beginning September 1 of junior year, no more than three of the seven opportunities may be off-campus contacts.
Tips For Knowing When To Call A College Coach
Next College Student Athlete
When it comes to contacting college coaches, student-athletes tend to rely on digital forms of communication, including email, text and social media. But when college coaches are considering hundreds of potential recruits, what really stands out is when a student-athlete calls them. Not to mention, this direct, real-time form of communication gives the student-athlete an opportunity to convey their interest in the program, get their questions answered and build a relationship with the coach.
Before picking up the phone, here are a few things to consider:
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The Recruiting Funnel: How Do College Coaches Recruit
The college recruiting process has many moving parts as all college coaches recruit and evaluate prospects differently. It depends on their needs, the prospects grades, character, and athletic ability too.
However, there is a common approach that college coaches take in beginning to recruit a potential prospect, to evaluating a prospect, and eventually recruiting a prospect before offering themthus hoping the prospect commits then signs with their program. It will help you answer How Do College Coaches Recruit? Its unofficially called: The Recruiting Funnel.
What Time Of Year To Call
If youre calling a coach that you dont currently have a relationship with, you should aim to contact them during the offseason or the summer when theyre less busy. Coaches are generally the busiest during their sports season and may be harder to reach. To identify the best time of year to call, check out the NCAA DI and DII recruiting calendars for detailed information about when coaches are most accessible by sport.
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College Recruiting Timeline For Juniors
While freshman and sophomore years were spent getting familiar with the recruiting process and laying the groundwork, junior year is go-time for recruiting. This is typically when student-athletes and college coaches interact with each other the most as NCAA recruiting rules now allow college coaches to connect with athletes directly. College coaches often let recruits know if there are open roster spots for their grad year, whether theyre actively recruiting for their position and if a recruit needs to improve athletically or academically to stay on their list of prospects.
For recruits who arent hearing from coaches, or who havent started the recruiting process, all hope is not lost! Thankfully, theres still plenty of time to land a roster spot, though itll take some hard work and dedication to play catch-up!
Check out the video below to hear Phill and Danny break down what student-athletes should be doing during their junior year no matter where they are in the process .
How The Ncaa Recruiting Rules Recruiting Calendar And Recruiting Periods Impact This Timeline
The NCAA recruiting calendar and related recruiting rules are meant to mandate the types of communication that athletes and college coaches can have, outline dates for specific communication and protect elite athletes from receiving an overwhelming amount of communication from college coaches. When these rules and periods are laid out for each sport, they create a recruiting calendar during which different periods allow certain types of recruiting activity. Here are the major periods:
- Evaluation period: college coaches can watch an athlete in person or visit their school. Coaches are not allowed to have in-person contact with the athlete or their parents. During this time, student-athletes usually focus on the following:
- Highlight and recruiting videos: Recruiting videos help potential recruits to get on the recruiting radar of college coaches. Coaches rarely start to seriously consider a recruit until they have evaluated their recruiting video.
- Attending camps, showcases and tournaments: Evaluating recruiting videos is an important step for college coaches, but it is always preferable to see recruits compete in person. College coaches put a big emphasis on attending events for top recruits.
- School visits: Its important for athletes to get a feel for the campus that they are hoping to attend and for college coaches to get a feel for athletes carry themselves. This is where school visits come in.
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