Chris has an M.A. in history and taught university and high school history.
So you want to play sports in college or university? Are you the best player on your team? Are you one of the best in your county, league, or region? Do you have what it takes to manage a stressful training schedule while still excelling in the classroom?
If you answered 'yes' to all these questions, you may just have what it takes to earn a scholarship to play sports at the collegiate level. But there are thousands of good high school players out there, and being a good player and a good student is rarely enough to earn you a scholarship. This lesson will give you some examples that can help you improve your visibility with college coaches and get that scholarship.
Knowing what the recruiting situation and scholarship scene is like in your sport is the most important thing to kick-starting the recruiting process. College coaching staffs in some sports, like football or basketball, have extensive scouting and recruiting networks that will likely find you and make first contact if your play is good enough.
But for most college sports outside of the mainstream, recruiting is a less formal process. In some sports, coaches have no budget, so recruits need to reach out directly to coaches to get on their radar. In other sports, coaches only attend major club team competitions, so playing well for your high school team won't help you much.
Knowing the lay of the recruiting land in your sport will help you focus your energies in a positive direction.
Another great place to start is with your high school or club team coaches. There is a good chance these coaches have contacts at the next level, whether through past playing or coaching experiences. Your coach may be able to put you into contact directly with the coaches themselves, or at the very least write you a recommendation letter that you can send to other college coaches.
In most sports, you will need to be proactive in the recruiting process. You can get on the radar of college coaches by first simply letting them know you exist and intend to play at the collegiate level. Write a letter or pick up a phone and call the athletic department or coach for whom you want to play.
Every coach hates missing out on a top player; they may not have heard of you before, but now that you have made contact, they will likely track your performance and view you as a potential recruit.
With everyone living on the internet these days, it should come as no surprise that there are dozens of sites devoted to recruiting and tracking high school athletes. It doesn't take an invite to join these; most you can join for free by filling out a profile with your basic specifications. Coaches and scouts use these sites, and ensuring your profile is visible and up-to-date can improve your chances at being recruited.
Viral videos may be all the rage today, but video footage has played an important part of the recruiting process in most sports for decades. Ask coaches and parents to take video footage and help you create highlight videos of your best play. These videos can be sent to coaches, uploaded to your recruiting profiles, or even uploaded to YouTube. Maybe your play will be so good that you will go viral!
In many sports there are recruiting camps held at different locations across the country. Find out which of these camps are the most high profile and attend them. Many coaches attend these camps as they know the greatest concentration of the best athletes will be at them; you may end up on the radar of coaches for whom you never dreamed of playing.
There are recruiting services across the country that are willing to help you publicize your play and get you recruited by as many schools as possible. The drawback to these, of course, is they charge a fee for their services. You should assess your potential as a college recruit and talk to your family before engaging one of these services.
Being recruited can be an exhilarating and life-changing experience. If it ends in an athletic scholarship, it can also help you pay for your post-secondary education. But recruiting isn't just about your performance in games; it can be just as important to know the right people and make the right connections. There are a range of things you can do to improve your visibility with college coaches, from filling out recruiting profiles, to attending camps, to hiring a recruiting service. Knowing your sport, and knowing where to concentrate your efforts, is a great place to begin.
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Guide to College Recruiting & Athletic Scholarships5 chapters | 28 lessons
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