What Steps Should Athletes Take During The College Recruiting Process? (Part 2)

Here are some more steps you should know about the college recruitment process:

Establishing Success On The Field

It's essential to focus on what you will be doing as a team member. Whether it is scoring points for the team, setting up opportunities for other teammates, taking tough serves in a pressure situation, serving tough to a power hitter, providing leadership off the court or field, etc., embrace those responsibilities that come with being a successful athlete.

A successful athlete also is one who performs well on a consistent basis. Whether it is a regular-season high school game, a tournament, or a training camp, it is important you give your best efforts throughout them all. Keeping this in mind, it would be ideal to gather highlights and footage from your games and training sessions and compile them into a video. Be sure to keep it long enough to where you are able to showcase yourself as a well-rounded athlete, but also short enough to where you don’t lose their attention. Ensure you are easily spotted through the use of a spotlight in the edit, and also include offensive and defensive clips.

Ask yourself how your role as an athlete might affect the team's bottom line. In other words, what measurable impact will you have on your coach and their ability to succeed at their job?

Establishing Success Off The Field

You must find people willing to help guide you through the college recruiting process. Some may go as far as seeking recruiting advisors or consultants. It may seem beneficial to some, but it can be costly and it’s not a necessary measure to take. There are multiple other ways to ensure your recruiting process goes smoothly without spending. It involves those at your high school and most importantly, yourself.

Those who can help you the most early on with this would be your high school coach/coaches and your high school academic advisor. These individuals can and will provide you with the necessary tools and information that you may need about colleges that you have an interest in.

Though they may be of aid along the way, it is your sole responsibility to take care of the other checkboxes that need to be done. You should not expect to be recruited with your athletic skills alone. Another major factor to keep in mind is your academic performance and responsibilities. Not only should you strive to achieve and maintain a good GPA, but you must also keep a close eye on deadlines. The ACT or SAT is a requirement that you must complete to even be considered. It is also extremely important to meet other deadlines such as: registering, sending transcripts and test scores. Checking these early off the list would be the best approach since failing to do so at an early time may cause delays.

Be Proactive

Proactive definition according to Merriam-Webster: acting in anticipation of future problems, needs, or changes

As a young or old athlete, it is important to take advantage of any and all opportunities that come to you. Many coaches from small or big programs will reach out to you throughout your journey. Have a clear line of communication and always be ready to share documents and or updates to any given coach.

If you do what you need to do every step of the way the process can be a smooth transition. If you often delay and do things at the last minute you could miss out on a big life-changing opportunity.

Freshman Year	it is never too early to start the process. As you develop and learn how to be a high school student-athlete start creating highlights and attending camps to perfect your craft. Even start by creating a free recruiting profile to get on the coach's radar.
Sophomore Year	Create your target school list because over time you will start to narrow it down. Build and update your recruiting profiles. Attend camps and combines. Start sharing your video with college coaches. This is an important year for you to get ahead of the recruiting process and start networking with potential or targeted colleges. Use your high school coaches, network, college resources, and academic counselors to aid you.
Junior Year	A big year for you to continue building your profiles and speaking directly with coaches about the possibility of attending their program. Take college visits and see which schools offer the best for you to perform in the classroom and in your sport. Continue to update all your information on recruiting profiles, especially new combine data you obtain from events.
Senior Year	Signing year to get ready for the next stage. Now you should have that list narrowed down and decide to start taking official or more unofficial visits. Do your homework about each program. Think if you were to get injured would that place still be right for you to get a college education? If not then be sure to think twice about your decision. If the school you really wanted to go to does not get back to you it is not the end of the world. With over 1,000 choices you will find somewhere that feels like home. Be sure to enjoy your last year of high school because you will never get that time back. Be the best student-athlete you can be. Go sign somewhere you can make a difference.

ENJOY THE RECRUITING PROCESS

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