The recruiting process can be chaotic. It can be stressful. It can feel overwhelming – like trying to navigate the New York City subway system for the first time, or looking at a menu at the Cheesecake Factory.
However, there are challenges in the process that can be met with proper planning and the right tools.
Here are some problems we have identified that are constantly recurring in the recruiting process, as well as some solutions to these problems.
Problem 1: I Don’t Know Where to Start
Explanation: It can be daunting to try and begin a process that you don’t know anything about. Often, student-athletes and parents will end up hearing about the recruiting process from the “sideline prophets” – parents or others who spew misinformation” and immediately begin panicking, unsure of where to start or how to get going.
Solution: Take the dreaded “recruiting” word out of the equation, and begin the process like you would your college search. Even if you are younger student-athlete and think choosing a college sounds absurd (and yes, it kind of is) this list is a malleable, capricious one that will simply put you in a proactive – and not reactive – position. Think of a broad range of schools, varying in size, selectivity, region and culture. Start with about 20-25 schools, and once you do, you can add athletics into the equation, allowing for some amending and fine-tuning.
How This Is Done on Our Platform: Using our state-of-the-art Search Feature, you can discover schools that fit your criteria using filters such as SAT and ACT scores, location, and acceptance rates. Once you decide a school may be a good fit for you, you add it to your “Favorites” list, which keeps your schools organized and in one place.
Problem 2: Contacting college coaches can be chaotic and disorganized. And I don’t know what to say.
Explanation: Contacting college coaches is at the heart of the recruiting process, and forging these relationships is the penultimate challenge for student-athletes. The key in these communications is to hit the major points: Why you are interested in their school (not just athletic program), your accomplishments, why you think you’d be a good fit , and your highlight reel.
Solution: Here are some do’s and don’ts for contacting college coaches. It’s important you don’t overdo it, but it is the only way to ensure they know who you are and your interest in their program.
How This Is Done on Our Platform: Every college coach in the country is one click away on our platform. You use the Built-In Messaging System to send your communication, which acts simply as an email for a college coach, but contains a link to your profile – housing all of your relevant information in one place.
Problem 3: How do I get video and what do I do to make a highlight reel?
Explanation: Video has become a staple of the recruiting process. It is necessary for every student-athlete to put together a highlight reel and send it to college coaches. This is the way you can bring your game to a coach, have them evaluate if you are a fit for their program and arrange a way to see you play in person.
Solution: Video is a pain. It can be expensive, it can be hard to track down and it can require your most tech-savvy cousin who offered to go through your footage and help build you a highlight reel. However, breaking it down into stages can sometimes help. First, ensure that at least some of your games are being filmed – be them high school, a showcase or tournament. It’s important that a couple of them are, because just one and you may not have your best game, may not see enough time, or something similar. Second, once you have the raw footage, watch through the games and pick out the plays that highlight your abilities. 15-20 plays is the goal. Last, create a highlight reel editing these plays together.
How This Is Done on Our Platform: Again, video can be a pain. It is hard to track down footage, send large files across the Internet, have the knowledge to use editing software, and finally have a place on the Internet for it to live and be accessed easily. We take care of that entire process in conjunction with you. Our professional editors will create your highlight reel, complete with isolation effects. The video is housed on our platform, easy to send to anyone with your unique profile URL, solving many issues at the same time.
Problem 4: I have no idea who is looking at the messages I’m sending to college coaches, making follow ups a guessing game.
Explanation: Once you send a college coach an email, you are at the mercy of a reply to know if they are interested in you. This can present a problem, because you could be in a holding pattern with other schools, or move on (or hang on) too quickly (or too long.
Solution: Advances in technology has made it possible to know when a college coach is viewing your information, allowing you to have more knowledge at your disposal with which to make decisions.
How This Is Done on Our Platform: Our platform offers you a robust data set – like when a college coach views your information and video – and alerts you immediately when this occurs. Using this information, you can better inform your entire recruitment by only focusing on those schools that are showing an interest in you!