Where are the biggest areas I can save money at during the athletic recruiting process
It seems as if the majority of articles that I write about come from talking to either a parent or an athlete. This will continue today because that is where I got the idea for this article. I know I have talked about different ways to cut costs during the athletic recruiting process but felt that there are more things to talk about.
Anyways, I spoke with a father about the football recruiting process and what can be done for his son. The dad said he didn’t want to be a “cheap ass” but also didn’t want to be throwing money around aimlessly either. So for those non-cheap asses out there, here are some things to do in the recruiting process that will help save some money but not look completely terrible in the process doing it.
The lines you should expect to hear from college coaches throughout the athletic recruiting process and how to process them
If a college coach is recruiting you regardless of the sport, there are three options that they can basically do throughout the athletic recruiting process. The first (and the best) is they can offer you a scholarship. The second is that they will continue evaluating and recruiting you while the third is they are moving on and taking you off their recruiting database.
Again, the goal is to get to the first but most athletes are stuck in the second. These college coaches want to pull out the evaluation card every single time that you talk to them simply because it is easier than saying you are not good enough. But what are some of the most common lines and what they really mean?
What can I do to help Recruiting-101?
One question that I have received from time to time via email is how do I support the Recruiting-101 website? Although this is a free site overall, it is always nice to bring in a few dollars to be able to handle the website costs and time involved for writing daily articles. Here are a few ways that you can help out so that this site can continue to be free to help support athletes and families during the athletic recruiting process:
- Buy an E-Book Package - Our new packages have been a huge hit with families and will continue to help them battle through the recruiting process
Senior All State Package – $89.95
Senior All Conference Package – $49.95
Junior All State Package – $89.95
Junior All Conference Package – $49.95 - Support the Sponsors – Whether it is NCSA Sports, Highlight-Videos.com, ads from Google, or things of that nature, please support the sponsor during your time on the site. Yes, everyone wants to read the articles but there are some interesting advertisers who play a big role in the site.
- Buy an E-Book – So far, we have written multiple e-books that have helped hundreds of familes throughout the country. Here are links to some of the books that we have fore sale:
From Summer to Signing Day: How Seniors Can Finish the Football Recruiting Process Strong – $10.00
Guide to the Athletic Recruiting Process for Parents – $10.00
From Signing Day to Summer: How Juniors Can Get a Head Start – $10.00
Producing a Scholarship Worthy Highlight Video – $7.50
Position by Position Football Recruiting Advice – $5.00
From Signing Day to Summer: How Juniors Can Get a Head Start on the Football Recruiting Process – $10.00 - Individual Athletic Consulation – We unfortunately do not have the time to address every single question that is sent our way. While we try, we just don’t have the time at this point. Scheduling a 30 or 60 minute period to get individualized advice from the author of this site certainly can help confirm that you are headed in the right direction during the athletic recruiting process.
- Become an Email Subscriber - With well over 1,500 email subscribers, the more we have, the better! You can click here to subscribe via email.
- Tell your friends and help spread the word - Do you know other athletes are families that are going through the athletic recruiting process? Please let them know about this site and make sure they visit. The more people that this site can help, the better! Also, feel free to spread the word in emails and on message boards.
How much football recruiting interest can I receive as a sophomore at this point?
While most college coaches normally focus on older prospects, they also want to have a good feel for the top up and coming prospects. That is why it is always important to show interest to sophomores and even sometimes freshmen if they are good enough. While few receive scholarships that early in the process, many wonder how much attention that you can get at that early age.
And while I have talked about it before as far as what mail a college coach can send a sophomore, I decided to talk about it a little more in-depth. This articles takes a look at what college coaches can do in terms of visits, calls, mail, and contact outside of the campus during the football recruiting process.
Changing high schools and how it could factor into the overall athletic recruiting process with letters, recruiting, and full game tapes
Teenagers change high schools all the time in every part of the country. It is something that basically happens everyday because of a job change by the parents. And while most schools won’t raise a fuss about a choir member making the move to another school, the transfer of big name high school athletes always seems to find a way into the newspaper or message boards.
So what happens if you are that high school athlete who decides that changing schools will help you with the overall recruiting process? It may help you in the future but there is no doubt that the key here is figuring out what to do regarding recruiting letters, getting full game tapes for your highlight video, and not burning bridges so that your former high school coach doesn’t talk negatively about you.
Unofficial football recruiting visits: Should I take them and if so, when? should I be doing them?
One of the more popular ways that readers out there stumble upon our websites is by using google and other search engines. One of the most searched phrases that brings people to this site regards unofficial football visits. I can’t really say what makes it so popular but I felt the need to break it down more thoroughly.
For those that do not know, an unofficial recruiting visit to a school is where you pay to travel to a college. During the unofficial visit, you may talk to the coaches, tour the campus, learn more about academics, see a practice, of even watch a game during the fall. There really are a great deal of options when taking this type of visits because it is on your own dime.
When exactly can Division II schools recruit me for sports?
As I have mentioned here in just about every article written, it is essential in the recruiting process to consider all of your options. And while you may have grown up with Division I eyes, it may be time to consider other options. They may essentially be back up options but the most important thing is that there are other possibilities to consider if your dream school does not work out.
So with that in mind, a great option to consider is looking at Division II schools. While the schools are normally much smaller than Division I programs, that doesn’t mean athletics at these programs are played at a much lower level. Many Division I athletes actually end up transferring to Division II schools. If you are curious when these schools can recruit you, we have a few thoughts on the recruiting rules for Division II schools.
What role should your high school coach play in the athletic recruiting process? Part Two
One thing that you will definitely want to speak to your high school coach about is sending game tapes and highlight tapes. Honestly, not all coaches have the time to keep track of where to send highlight tapes and where to send game tapes. That is why it is vital for you to talk to your coach about it.
The first area to discuss is regarding the creation of your highlight video. Some coaches are willing to produce them for the athlete and doing that would help save them a great deal of money during the process. You must make sure that they are able to product a quality highlight video in order to send out to colleges. If the coach does one that is not very good, it is worth investing a few hundred dollars into getting one professionally made.
I got a verbal scholarship offer at a summer college football camp. Is that scholarship really on the table?
College football coaches love getting athletes that they recruit on campus during the summer for at least one day of camp. The reason is that it allows them to work with you, evaluate your skills, determine your level of coachability, and just get a general feel for what you can bring to the table. If I were to ask college coaches, there is no doubt that they would love to see all prospects in camp before offering them. The problem is that is not always possible.
But what happens if you go to a camp and just blow up? The coaches end up loving you and taking you aside multiple times while you are there. Then after the camp, the head coach tells you that there is a scholarship offer waiting for you at the school. He just offered you verbally, but the question is, do you really have an offer on the table?
What role should your high school coach play in the athletic recruiting process? Part One
Love them or hate them, your high school coaches will play a very important role during the athletic recruiting process. It doesn’t matter much what sport you play but if you want to play at the college level, you will need them on your side to help you achieve your goals of playing athletics past high school.
The first thing that you need to do as an athlete is tell them what you want to do early on. For example, say that you just finished up your sophomore season playing at the varsity level. You had a solid year and were named second team All Conference. Because you have that experience for playing under that coach, now is a great time to tell them your goals at the next level.