Get Started On Your College Sports Career – 10 Do’s & Don’ts

February 24, 2015

By Chris LeGates ~ Tackling College Sports Podcast Co-Host | Mark Franco ~ Tackling College Sports Podcast Co-Host

  1. DO make the initial contact! One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding recruiting is thinking that coaches will find you. College coaches will not find you! Many believe that if they just play hard enough, scouts will be there waiting. Nothing will hurt you in recruiting more than believing the previous statement.

  2. DO let the student-athlete do the leg work, parents do not have to act as your agent. Coaches would rather speak to the student-athlete and hear from them directly.

  3. DO the research on the teams and the schools you are interested in.  Are there multiple players already playing your position?

  4. DO understand the NCAA rules on recruiting.  Here is a link to their site
  5. DO yourself a favor, create a cover letter and resume via the following link.                                         
  6. DON’T  send a mass email that includes emails of another coach’s email address. Personalize each email with the coach’s last name and make the body of the email short. Take the time to do your homework specific to what the school has accomplished and why you are interested.

  7. DON’T get involved with recruiting services. These services are often very pricey and also flood the coach’s mailbox with stacks of paper.  Your costly documents will likely wind up in the coach’s circular file – the trash. Moreover, you can do most of the legwork yourself and save your money. Lastly, only send a DVD of yourself if the coach asks for one.  If you do send footage, be certain not to make it a highlight piece – if you play a team sport, make sure you include clips of how the play progressed.  Show them how you handle yourself when a mistake is made.

  8. DON’T embellish your statistics – you will not be recruited based on your numbers.

  9. DON’T post inappropriate content on social media when looking for scholarships, you always want to paint a good self-portrait. YES, coaches and administrators will look at all of your social media accounts as part of the application process.  Coaches recruit based on an athlete’s character more than you might think.

  10. DON’T choose a school solely based on its sports program.  Ask yourself this question:  “If I could not play my sport for whatever reason, would I be happy at this school for four years?”

 

For more information, you can check out all of our podcast episodes; where we interview coaches, trainers, sports psychologists, and the like – Click here!

 

 Be Your Best!

Chris & Mark

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