Recruiting Resources I

Where Can You Play

At what level, based upon your ability and skill level (academics and athletics) could you reasonably expect to make the recruiting roster?

NCAA D-I, II, III, NAIA, JUCO

If you get this question wrong, you seriously risk going "un-recruited"!

This is probably the toughest question that you should be asking yourself...even tougher is getting the right answer. The simple fact that you are pursuing a college scholarship demonstrates your confidence. That's great, however this question is not about confidence, it's about being realistic and honest with yourself and the coaches. Like an IQ test, but a little different you need to know your AAQ or Academic - Athletic - Quotient™. With your academics and athletics where can you play, realistically?

Be a realistic contender for the scholarship. Do you have the academic and athletic skills to meet the standards of the college that you're pursuing? If your academic and or your athletic abilities are not on par with the school you're pursuing, be honest with yourself and maybe consider alternatives. RM2P would NEVER discourage any student athlete from pursuing their dreams. However, we wouldn’t be coaching you appropriately if we didn’t state the facts. The simple fact is that if you don't meet the recruiting standards for a college you won’t get a scholarship. That's not to say that you aren't perfectly suited to play somewhere else. Academically, it's your GPA, SAT/ACT scores and your ranking in your class. This can be easily determined working with your high school counselor. Ask yourself, athletically how do you stand against your target schools’ roster for your position? Pick a player at your position or role and look at his/her height, weight, biography, etc., get a feel for where you stand in comparison. If you think that what you bring matches (or exceeds) them you're OK and by all means go for it; if not maybe you should have an alternate plan.
Here's an example of how it works.

Say you dream of playing Quarterback for your local college. Use our “Complete School List” of all of the colleges in the US found in the Recruiting Resources II section. Then find your school and athletic program. Take a look at the athletes for your position comparing their statistics and relevant skills.

Compare individuals’ attributes (HT, WT, Athletic, Awards). Most roster listings will also provide player BIO information all the way back through their high school careers. Do you think that what you bring matches the talent on their current roster? If so, you should feel good about going after a scholarship there. Again, if not maybe you should keep looking. Chose you own college (college that you're interested in), then go to their athletics page and locate the roster for your sport and then compare yourself to the student athletes there. Believe me this is the BEST way to get a "feel" for how you match up! Not everyone can play NCAA Division I athletics, but that doesn't mean that you can't be a Division II standout! So please be realistic and give yourself the best chance at landing that scholarship!

It's critically important that you maintain an accurate log of all of your relevant statistics beginning at least by your freshman year in high school. Your statistics reflect your performance and as such, are your sole responsibility, not your parents or your coaches, protect and guard them, they are valuable.

Selecting a College

Quite often students don't succeed in their education objectives simply because they neglect to give serious thought to what they want from their experience and which colleges are better suited to deliver their expectations. This can be addressed by taking time to understand what you want from your college experience. Coaches are concerned with this as well! They cannot afford to commit resources to a student athlete only to have that student athlete "quit" after a few semesters because he/she is unhappy. We have compiled a "short list" of considerations and we suggest that you work closely with your parents or another adult, counselor etc. to help develop your own considerations. As a guide for your own research, think about who you are and what's important in your life. This will be extremely helpful in helping you "nail down" the right school. Remember that you will be spending at least the next four (4) years at this school. Think about who you are, and what are the things that make you "happy" and what are the things that don't. Here are some possible considerations:

School demographics and diversity?

School Matriculation rate (how many students actually graduate).

If you prefer a warm climate or are you looking for a school with all the seasons.

How far is it from home? If it’s a long distance you may not be getting home too often. Huge, if you're accustomed to visiting family every weekend.

Do you or will you know other students there when you arrive?

Do you know anyone there now or that has graduated from there that maybe a source of information?

Do you know anyone there now or that has graduated from there that maybe a source of information?

Does the school offer a degree in the area of study that you want?

Does the school offer a master’s or Doctorate in your field of study?

Does the school have an "on-line" program?

Do you meet the academic entry requirements (core courses)?

Do you want a rural or large city environment?

Does the college have adequate on campus undergraduate housing?

Sufficient off campus housing?

Dining hall options. Does the college have broad, healthy menu option (necessary to escape the "freshmen 10")

Does the college have ROTC?

What is the school's vacation schedule?

Create an excel worksheet that lists all of the colleges that you are considering. Clearly identify all of the “pros and cons” for each school so that you can make a fact based, logical decision when choosing a school

What College Degree do you want?  What Degree is right for you? What are your Passions?

Be Prepared

Recruiters and coaches are very busy. Make sure that your e-mail, phone calls and visits come across exactly the way you intend. The best way to make sure that you're ready is to familiarize topics and questions. This is not an all-inclusive list, but it will prepare you for general topics and questions that a college coach or recruiter may ask in an interview.

Questions can always be Academic - Athletic - Intangible!

Academic

What is your favorite class?

What is your worst class?

What do you plan on majoring in?

What's the last book you read?

What's your greatest academic strength?

What's your greatest academic weakness?

What career interests you?

Have you registered with the NCAA Clearing House?

What is your GPA

What were your SAT or ACT scores?

Who is your favorite teacher?

What would your coaches or teachers most likely say about you as a student athlete?

Athletic

What varsity sports have you played?

What position(s) do you play?

What is your favorite sport/position?

What do you think of your coaches?

Why should we want you to come to our school?

What is your greatest athletic strength?

What is your greatest athletic weakness?

How long have you been playing your sport?

Are you a good sport, do you have good sportsmanship?

Intangible/Personal/General

What's your weight?

What's your height?

What's your mother's name?

What's your father's name?

Are your parents married?

What's your birthday?

How old are you?

How many brothers and sisters do you have, and what are their names and ages?

Have you done any public service?

Are you married?

Do you have a serious girlfriend or boyfriend?

Do you think that you will get homesick?

What are your hobbies?  

Remember that these are not intended to be an all-inclusive list of questions. You should always be prepared to address any topic a coach or recruiter may bring up.  

What to Watch for

Always have direct eye contact.

Watch out for too much body movement.

No restless hands.

Not too many "ahhs" or "umms".

Listen to the question, so that you can answer accurately.

Project true confidence not "cocky".

Use more "we" than "I" This shows that you’re a team player.

Watch your grammar, slang, and absolutely no profanity.

Questions should address (at a minimum)

Academic - Athletic - Personal topics
Questions that you can ask coach or college staff on your visit.

How do you run your practices?

How long are you practices?

Would the players consider them "hard"?

How many players do you carry on your roster?

What is your philosophy for this sport?

How do you address conflicts with sport and class assignments?

What is your game travel philosophy

Can I have a copy of you Academic Report?

Does the school or sport provide "free" tutors?

What is the Team GPA?

What it the Team Graduation rate?

What are some of the Team members Majors?

How many assistant coaches are there?

Where do you see me fitting in with your team?

Questionnaires

Get Noticed & Get Recruited!  That includes completing the athletic Questionnaire for every school that you are interested in. Our main tool to get noticed is the Student Athlete Recruiting Profile which is primarily delivered through e-mail.  Sometimes however your e-mails go un-seen because the recruiters and coaches are not expecting an e-mail from you and maybe it goes directly into their “junk mail”. The solution is to expand your efforts two (2) ways.  (1) Continue to use the e-mail and (2). Use the “on-line questionnaire” to get on the coaches and recruiters “radar”.

Step 1:  Go to the sports/team website and look for the “QUESTIONNAIRE”

Step 2:  Complete the questionnaire and submit.

Step 3:  Then immediately send the coach and recruiter an e-mail with your Profile. Inform him/her that you “just completed their Questionnaire”. This will prompt them to look for it, review it. The key to completing a Questionnaire is to be prepared and have all the information in front of you as you fill in the boxes. This will also prevent the system from “timing out” before you’re done.  To assist we have listed questions below that are likely to be on the Questionnaire. Copy and paste them into a word document. Then complete them and file way your responses. Then when you are completing a questionnaire simply use the document to speed up your response and complete the form. Expand your marketing efforts by completing the Student-Athlete Recruit Questionnaire for every school that you have interest in.

Personal Information

First Name:

Middle Name:

Last Name:

Nick/preferred name:

E-mail:

Facebook:

Home Address:

City:

State:

Zip Code:

Country:

Home Phone:

Cell Phone:

Gender:

Date of Birth:

Place of Birth:

Hobbies:

Additional Contact 1

(parent)

First Name:

Middle Name:

Last Name:

Phone:

E-mail:

Relationship

College attended:

Occupation:

Employer:

Work Phone:

Additional Contact 2

(parent)

First Name:

Middle Name:

Last Name:

Phone:

E-mail:

Relationship

College attended:

Occupation:

Employer:

Work Phone:

Athletic Information

Height:

Weight:

Primary Position:

Secondary Position:

Bench:

Squat:

40:

Vertical:

Note: These are typical Football measurements used to just give you an idea of what you should be prepared to provide. You will need to use measurements unique to your sport.

Coach

First name:

Last Name:

E-mail:

Phone:

Camps and Combines/Service Academies

Know the difference between Camps and Combines

Camps

Typically conducted by a school sports program. They are used by the coaching staff as a primary recruiting tool.

These events are often an excellent opportunity for uncommitted student athletes to get the attention of coaches and possibly help themselves out and get on the Recruiting Roster!

If you're a" rising" Junior or Senior camps are more critical in your recruiting. However, where you camp and at what level you camp at can make the difference between recruiting successfully and going "un-recruited".

For example, if you're NCAA D-III level player you should NOT camp at a NCAA D-I school. You waste your money and time, and worse you may miss the opportunity to camp at an appropriate level school and be recruited!

Combines

Are usually conducted by a "third party" that's a national or regional program. They do not do a lot of instruction or individual "coaching". They are primarily about skill testing and "ranking" athletes. These are Excellent opportunities for student athletes to match up against other athletes from a broader geographic area. That is what college athletics will be about, might as well get a "taste" of it NOW!

Example using football standardized skill testing

Vertical Jump

40 Yard Dash

Speed and Agility Shuttle

Broad Jump

Bench Press

Are you interested in attending one of the Service Academies? Before you "ship off" you should know the application/admission requirements, which are very different than civilian colleges. Visit the individual websites and learn about all of the opportunities that military experience can provide. There are five U.S. Service academies (undergraduate).

We have a unique approach to receiving Congressional Appointments...ask us we'll tell you

United States Military Academy, also known as West Point and “Army” founded 1802.

https://www.westpoint.edu

United States Naval Academy also known as “Annapolis” founded 1845.

https://www.usna.edu///homepage.php

United States Merchant Marine Academy, also known as "Kings Point" and "Merchant Marine", founded 1942.

https://www.usmma.edu

United States Coast Guard Academy, also known as "Coast Guard", founded 1876.

https://www.uscga.edu/

United States Air Force Academy, also know as “Air Force” or USAFA (pronounced phonetically) founded 1954.

https://www.usafa.af.mil/

Recruiter Turn Off/Turn On’s & Do’s and Don’ts

Student athletes asking for a scholarship the very first e-mail, visit or meeting.

We all know that getting a scholarship is the only reason that we are even talking, but it's just very rude to ask for a scholarship the first time you talk with a coach or recruiter.

Student athlete being noticeably rude to their parents in the presence of the coach or recruiter. The thought here is “look at how he treats his/her parents, how will he/she treat me?”

Student athletes acting as if they’re too good for or above the particular school.

Confidence is one thing; arrogant rude behavior is something else. At the time you're talking to a recruiter focus on his/her school ONLY...be respectful.

Student athletes coming to a visit unprepared. For example, not knowing anything about the school on any topics. This can be embarrassing for your host school and for you. You wouldn't go into a game without preparing and knowing something about your opponent. They aren't going to offer a scholarship to you if they don't think you are actually interested. Go to their team website and read up on the program.

Student athletes with “poor” communication skills. Too quiet on the phone or not being able to hold a conversation. One (1) word answers. It’s OK and understandable to be nervous when you first speak with a coach or recruiter.

You have to "suck it up" and work through it. Coaches want to talk to you, they'll help "break the ice".

Student athletes not being honest about their interest level in that school.

Student athletes who call or e-mail too often. You have to communicate at an acceptable level of frequency. Generally, reserve communication for relevant informational updates.

Student athletes acting inappropriately during a visit. “you never know who’s watching”

Parents being too involved.

Student athletes that misrepresent Academic or Athletic information (lying).

Student athletes not responding in a reasonable amount of time. (returning calls or e-mail).

Student athletes not providing requested information in a timely fashion, (transcripts, video).

Student athletes who do not personalize their correspondence with coaches and recruiters. As an example: “Dear Coach instead of Dear Coach actual last name”. Always call them "coach”.

Student athletes arranging a campus or home visit and not showing up. If you make an appointment, you better be there unless there was a family emergency or illness. Even then, you must call and tell coach what's going on.

Unrealistic opinion of the student athlete by the high school coach, parents, or the athlete.

Recruiting Do's and Don'ts

“Do familiarize yourself with all scholarship options, not just the legendary Division I Full Ride".

Don't focus your efforts ONLY toward the NCAA Division I

Do consider ALL Divisions (NCAA I, II, III and NAIA)

Don't forget to keep your coach "up to speed with your activities.

Do take the time to read each scholarship application instructions carefully and follow the instructions carefully.

Don't forget to carefully spell-check, edit, and proofread every communication and correspondence before you send it. This

Don't ignore scholarships offered by organizations in your hometown, such as the Rotary Club, the Chamber of Commerce, and the American Legion. The more financial assistance you get the better!

Do keep your grades up!