1) Do Nothing
Some athletes simply hope that college coaches will just stumble upon them at a game or practice. They just sit around, don’t research schools, and don’t do any work to help themselves get their name out to college coaches or pro scouts.
Keep In Mind: Unless you are Lebron James, Bryce Harper, Adrian Peterson, or some other can’t miss recruit destined to be a top 5 draft pick, you’re not going to get scholarship offers or opportunities using this method.
2) Mail Letters + Videos To Coaches
Some athletes will spend their time writing letters and putting together highlight videos to mail to coaches. Letting coaches know that you are interested in playing for them, that you feel you would be a great addition to their program, and providing them with a highlight reel is one way to get your name out there and give yourself some exposure to college coaches.
Keep In Mind: Most of these letters and videos end up in storage closets, waiting to be reviewed by administrative assistants or graduate assistants.
3) Call, Text, + Email Coaches
Writing letters and mailing videos can be a little time consuming and old school. Instead, some athletes write emails, make phone calls, and send text messages to college coaches explaining their desire to play at the next level.
Because it’s easier and takes less time to email, call, and text coaches, it allows them to send more messages and provide more information than writing letters or mailing highlight reels.
Keep In Mind: Coaches receive hundreds of calls, emails, and text messages everyday and most coaches have spam filters that catch unsolicited emails.
4) Social Media
Social media is another way athletes are trying to get the attention of college coaches. Because social networks like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others are so easy to join and have so many members (including some college coaches), athletes will try to use these platforms to communicate with coaches.
Since social media is such a new technology, the rules that regulate the communication between recruits and coaches are still being formed and can allow for more interaction.
Keep In Mind: Many coaches can’t join social media platforms because fans, parents, and the general public can bombard them with messages.
5) “Do-It-Yourself” Websites
Just like social media, newer technology and the internet has helped grow “Do-It-Yourself” (DIY) websites.
These types of sites can be found in every type of industry including recruiting. It allows athletes to sign up and create online profiles where they can input all of their information. Many athletes use these profiling sites hoping that college coaches will search for potential recruits online and discover them.
Keep In Mind: Because the information can come from anywhere and anyone, college coaches cannot trust the information and don’t use these websites.
6) Recruiting Services
Finally, some athletes turn to recruiting services.
Recruiting services are where athletes pay a 3rd party source to “evaluate” and recommend them to colleges. Athletes pay to have these companies package their information and email it to colleges in hopes of getting their name out to coaches.
Keep In Mind: There is an inherent conflict of interest with these services. Because athletes are paying them, recruiting services provide very optimistic and inaccurate evaluations.
MORE TO COME NEXT WEEK…
| 1) Easier Admittance
“Recruited athletes are TWICE as likely to gain admittance to Ivy League schools despite having SAT scores on average 100 points lower” -Malcolm Gladwell
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| “The review identified at least 27 schools where athletes were at least 10 times more likely to benefit from special admission programs than students in the general population”
-The Huffington Post
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| 2) Go To School For Free
Over 15,000 baseball scholarships available in college (DI, DII, DIII, NAIA, and Junior College) “If you’re particularly talented in a certain area—think sports or the arts—you may be eligible for a full-tuition athletic or arts scholarship from your college. Not every college offers strictly football or basketball scholarships. A full-tuition scholarship can be offered from any athletic department” -US News
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| 3) Preferential Class Scheduling / Private Tutoring
“All of the nation’s more than 100 major college athletic departments employ some type of academic support program. So do some Ivy League colleges and other smaller institutions. The National Collegiate Athletic Association said Division I athletic departments spend at least $150 million annually on such programs [...] U.S.C. spends $1.5 million annually on tutors and other academic support for its student athletes, more than most programs” -New York Times
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4) World Class Training Ohio State University’s state-of-the-art weight lifting facility |
| 5) Travel The World
“Incoming SAAC President, Kyle McCartan echoed van den Bergh’s sentiments, adding, ‘Coach For College gives me a chance to use my athletic ability to change the lives of many others in the world. I received access to higher education through sports and this program gives me a chance to give others a similar opportunity’” -BCEagles.com |
6) Free Gear Oregon Football Team |
7) Free Room, Board, Food  |
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“Last time I checked, [student-athletes] got to attend college FOR FREE. Not just free tuition: an all-the-way free experience. Not just free food: Free “training table” super food. Not just a free room and board: The best dorm rooms on campus. Not just the occasional access to professors: Full-time teaching assistants whose only job is to make sure the athletes get the most out of the education experience. Not just free books and classes: First choice of any classes they want.” -ESPN
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8) Play The Best Competition  Magic Johnson and Larry Bird on the cover of Sports Illustrated
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9) Become A National Champion
 2007 Division III Baseball National Championship trophy and rings |
10) Meet The President
 UConn Men’s Basketball National Championship Team meeting President Barack Obama |
| 11) Play On National Television
“Last year, ESPN’s game plan was only meant to cover as many as 83 games in the entire tournament, which uses a double-elimination format. This year, depending on play, ESPN could end up with 153 games – meaning every game in the tournament.” -USA TODAY
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12) Play In World-Renowned Venues
 TD Ameritrade Park – Home of the College World Series  Notre Dame Football Stadium |
13) Become A Role Model
 Former Florida QB Tim Tebow  Former USC QB Matt Barkley |
14) Play For Great Coaches
 LSU Baseball Coach Paul Mainieri and Texas Baseball Coach Auggie Garrido |
 Duke Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski |
| 15) Life-Long Friendships
“‘The best feeling is when a friend supports you,’ Johnson said of Bird after the announcement. ‘And this young man came and supported me. Forget the sports, forget the championships, forget the MVP. He came to my side and supported me and I’ll never forget that.’” -Magic Johnson on Larry Bird
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| 1) GET A JOB MORE EASILY
“We try to recruit people that can work in a team environment, are competitive and driven, and it is not a pre-requisite, but many times athletes have those traits.” -Ken Marschner (Executive Director) |
| “In my 30 years in the business world, I have found that what an athlete brings to the workplace is discipline, teamwork, a drive for success, the desire to be held accountable and a willingness to have their performance measured”
-Steve Reinemund (Former Chairman & CEO)
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| 2) EXCEL AT WORK
“Athletic participation produces personal traits or behavior patterns that enhance labor market productivity, and athletes acquire reputations that increase employer demand for their services off the playing field.” -Long and Caudill (Review of Economics and Statistics) “Transferable skills of college athletes to the workplace: Communication, time-management, self-motivation, strategic thinking, goal-oriented, and leadership” -Colgate University (The Athlete’s Advantage) |
| 3) EARN MORE MONEY
“Former college athletes earn a 9% wage premium in business” -Henderson et al (The Journal of Human Resources) “You are 31% more likely to become a player who earns over $5 million per year if you go to college” -Scott Boras (Agent & President of Boras Corporation) |
| 4) BECOME A BETTER LEADER
President George H. Bush (Yale Baseball)
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President Ronald Reagan (Eureka Football) |
General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt (Darmouth Football) |
Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman (Princeton Lacrosse) |
| “Hiring organizations recognize, even if implicitly, that college athletes have developed leadership skills in which other students did not have or take the opportunity to engage.”
-Robert Sternberg (Provost of Oklahoma State) |
| 5) LIVE A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE“Without regular physical activity, the body slowly loses its strength, stamina and ability to function well. And for each hour of regular exercise you get, you’ll gain about two hours of additional life expectancy.”
-American Heart Association |
