UNDERSTANDING THE RECRUITING PROCESS

Each year many athletes and their parents speculate about turning high school athletic success into money to pay for a college education. Landing an athletic scholarship is similar to the process adults follow when searching for employment.

• Since the number of candidates is far greater than the number of “jobs” available, many qualified searchers will face repeated rejection or indifference.
• It is the responsibility of the person seeking a “job” to “sell” himself/herself. (Graduating from college with straight A’s and waiting for the phone to ring with job offers would be fruitless if no employment applications were filed.)
• Selection is often based on the strength of the material submitted, not on the actual merits of the individual candidates.
• Potential employers are searching for someone to fit their specific needs, not conducting a contest to find the best specimen in the universe. Knowing what they are seeking and what you are “selling” assists the process.
• Starting well before you need a job and exercising patience are important factors for success.

Do not wait to be discovered. Start contacting colleges prior to the junior year. At the start of the junior year, file with the NCAA Eligibility Center, and market yourself to a large number of colleges that teach what you want to study and offer your sport. In football, college coaches may visit high schools during the month of May. They need to know about you before spring of the junior year to plan a visit.

If you are seeking guidance through the recruiting process, this website contains:

• Recruiting game plan
• List of questions to ask in letters, during telephone conversations, and on campus visits
• Outline for preparing a successful resume
• Outline for designing a cover letter
• Suggestions for preparing a “sales” videotape or DVD
• Summary of facts about campus visits
• Evaluation of various sources of information provided to football coaches
• Analysis of the high school coach’s role in recruiting
• List, by state, of all 4-year football-playing colleges
• How Must College Teams Limit Participation
• NCAA Eligibility Center