Show coaches what you can do!
Thousands of high school athletes earn scholarships and move on each year to compete in collegiate athletics in the United States. The recruiting process begins when young men and women are identified as prospects by college coaches, usually while competing for their high school, club or travel teams (advanced teams that practice and compete during the high school off-season), or in tournaments for athletes who compete in individual sports such as tennis, golf and track and field. Some athletes are recommended to college coaches by high school and club coaches, scouts, or friends and contacts in the alumni and sports community. However, some qualified athletes and their parents may need to try other strategies to gain exposure to college coaches.
Instructions
Team Sports (excluding football)
1. Join the best club or travel team in the area and compete in regional and national tournaments. Not only do college coaches attend and recruit players at these tournaments, some college coaches actually coach elite high school travel teams in the off-season. Even if a coach doesn’t recruit a given player, he or she may make a recommendation to another coach.
2. Attend summer sports camps at colleges of interest. Check sport-specific magazines, college team websites or high school sports sites such as MaxPreps to find out which schools offer camps, the dates and fees. For example, Stanford and UCLA hold summer camps in basketball, volleyball, water polo, tennis and other sports. The coaches who run these camps, many of them college coaches and college athletes, watch the athletes compete every day and get to know them. Many recruits are identified during these camps.
3. Fill out an online "Recruit Form" on the team website for each college of interest, then send a letter of introduction to the head coach of the team or program (use the coach’s actual name, not "Head Coach"). The UCLA Athletic website says, "…be very specific with best times, marks, distances, honors, awards and background since you are being compared to other top high school student-athletes across the country and even the world." If an athlete has a recruit video showing competition and skills highlights, send that to the coach as well.
4. Send the head coach of colleges of interest an email or letter and ask permission to meet with him or her during a visit to the college. The coach will indicate if he or she is available and/or if it is within the recruiting rules to meet with a visiting athlete. Most college visits are done during or after the junior year of high school.
Football
5. Attend football showcases or combines to demonstrate talents to college coaches and scouts. Visit websites such as Schuman’s National Underclassmen Combine to find locations, dates and fees to participate in these showcase events.
6. Attend summer football camps at colleges of interest to get exposure to specific college football programs and coaching staffs, ideally after the sophomore or junior year. See college athletic program websites for summer football camp schedules and fees.
7. Fill out an online "Recruit Form", send an email or letter of introduction to the head coach (or coach in charge of recruiting) and send a recruit video, if available. Visit each college of interest, meet the coaches and tour the school and athletic facilities.
8. Talk to high school football coaches about city, county or state all-star football games. These games, usually played in the summer after the senior year, serve as showcases for regional talent and are attended by college coaches looking for unsigned players.
Individual Sports
9. Find a private coach or join a club specializing in your sport to get advanced coaching on fundamentals and strategy outside of high school competition. Most individual sport athletes who go on to compete at the collegiate level get private instruction from professional coaches in addition to high school coaching and competition. Some coaches and clubs offer lower rates or scholarships to talented athletes who can't afford the fees.
10. Compete in tournaments, meets and competitions put on by the Amateur Athletic Union, United States Golf Association, United States Tennis Association or other organizations. Win and place in these tournaments and college coaches will notice. List accomplishments in these competitions when filling out recruit forms and writing emails and letters to coaches.
11. Attend sport-specific summer camps at colleges of interest. Meet the college coaches and players who run the camp, demonstrate abilities and ask for references for coaches and college programs.
Tags: high school, college coaches, colleges interest, athletes compete, camps colleges