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Interview with an Athletic Recruiting Expert: Jordan Kern

When searching the Internet for help in the football recruiting process or basketball recruiting process, there are so many options.  Many services and sites are trying to charge hundreds and thousands of dollars to help hold your hand during that process.  That was a main reason why this site was created.  But because we wanted to hear from different recruiting experts on the recruiting process to get a different point of view, Jordan Kern was nice enough to answer some questions via email for the site.

In this extensive Q & A, Kern was nice enough to talk about his experiences as an athlete, running camps, and in the field of recruiting.  His book, The High School Athlete’s Guide to College Sports, is something that families out there may want to take a look at.  Anyways, here is the question and answers from Kern.  If you have any questions for him, please comment and I can try and forward them on to him.

R-101: Talk about your experience as an athlete?

Kern: “I published this guide for athletes like myself. I was an above average three sport athlete in high school who believed that college recruiters would come knocking on my door waving scholarship offers. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. As a result, I never played college sports, even though I would have loved the experience. Never did any of my high school coaches, guidance counselor or athletic director tell me that I should have taken a more proactive roll in the college recruiting process and let coaches know that I existed. We published this book for athletes just like me who would really enjoy the opportunity to suit up in a college uniform, but are confused by the recruiting process and don’t even know where to begin.”

R-101: How have your experiences helped you become an expert in the field of recruiting?

Kern: “For 10 years, we ran baseball, soccer, and softball camps in the states and Puerto Rico attracting over 5,000 high school athletes and hundreds of college coaches who we hired to instruct the athletes. One of the most popular activities during the camp was a round table discussion that the college coaches held to discuss the recruiting process and teach what steps athletes needed to take to attract attention. It was amazing how little the athletes and their parents knew about the subject and how desperate they were for the information. That gave us the idea to publish a book on the subject containing information from about 70 college coaches, teachers, and pro scouts. We simply edited it and put it all together.”

R-101: Did that experience help with putting The High School Athlete’s Guide to College Sports together?

Kern: “Absolutely! We never would have published the book if we didn’t feel there was a real need for the materials. We have had nothing but positive feedback from athletes and their parents who have read it. Thousands of people have used the advice we recommend to help with their college search. It’s very rewarding for us to hear how the information has been instrumental in helping athletes get accepted to the schools of their dreams.”

R-101: What sets your book apart from other potential recruiting books out there?

Kern: “Our book is such an incredible source of information because it really helps the athlete identify the best possible school for him, not just athletically, but academically too. It does not focus on how to get an athletic scholarship like many others do. It’s more realistic and strives to encourage athletes to understand that they will have the most rewarding college experience if they can find a school that provides a great education AND offers a chance to become an integral part of the athletic team. We outline the most common mistakes that high school athletes make and how to avoid them, we provide hundreds of suggestions on how to improve your athletic and academic profile so you become more attractive to recruiters, and we teach the best ways to promote yourself so college coaches add your name to their recruiting lists. Because it’s written by college coaches, the information is credible.”

R-101: What do you feel makes the recruiting process so difficult for parents and athletes?

Kern: “Most high school coaches and guidance counselors do not want to get involved in the process. It’s a no-win situation for them. Sure, it’s easy and exciting for a high school coach to help place an All-State athlete who receives media publicity and interest from high-profile schools, but what about all of the other athletes on the team who also would like to compete collegiately? Is the coach going to devote as much time and energy to phoning college coaches, writing emails, and brainstorming for the “harder” to place athlete? We know from experience that the answer is an emphatic “no” and the non-star athletes usually receive very little support or guidance. That’s why parents and athletes have so much stress and anxiety about the entire process. They assume that their high school coach and guidance counselor will help, but they soon realize that they are pretty much on their own.”

R-101: Do you believe in the old adage, if you are good enough, college coaches will find you?

Kern: “Yes if you are a superstar athlete who possesses All-County or All-State type skills. No if you’re like the remaining 95% of high school athletes who want to play college sports but whose names will never be on a college coach’s “A-List.” Keep in mind that college coaches have limited time and money to devote to recruiting, so it’s natural that they will focus their search on the top athletes who are getting all of the publicity and accolades. That’s why it’s so important for athletes to be proactive with their marketing efforts and NEVER assume a coach is going to find you on his own. Let a coach know that you are interested in his school and you want to be recruited. That’s the safest way to get him to pay attention and hopefully check you out.”

R-101: How important do you feel it is for athletes to market themselves and get to camps?

Kern: “It is crucial for an athlete to market himself to college coaches. He should take full responsibility for the process. Attending college camps is an excellent way to make college coaches aware of your ability. It is extremely important to attend camps at the schools on your target list. This will give the head and assistant coaches an opportunity to evaluate your skills in a much more formal setting than a “Showcase” camp. Most college teams — especially the bigger schools — will offer camps for high school athletes during summer or winter break. Make sure to inquire about every school on your Target List.”

R-101: When do you think most athletes should begin immersing themselves in the recruiting process?

Kern: “Unfortunately, most athletes delay the process until they reach senior year. Often that is too late since many college coaches start filling their roster spots a few months BEFORE the senior year of high school begins. We recommend that athletes start planning once they enter high school. During freshmen and sophomore years, athletes should start to compile a list of Target Schools that meet their needs. Naturally, the list will be refined as the athlete gets older, so by mid Junior year, it features around seven schools. Make sure it includes a mix of “safety” and “reach” schools. At the start of their junior year is when the bulk of the promotion needs to be done by the athlete.”

R-101: Do you feel that eighth graders getting Division I basketball scholarships is too early?

Kern: “Yes. That’s just the system at its worst.”

R-101: What recruiting advice would you offer parents and athletes looking for help?

Kern: “Educate yourself with all of the details. Don’t rely on others to do any work for you promoting your child. It is your responsibility. Start early and identify the best schools that meet your child’s athleteic and academic needs. Focus on schools where your child would be happy even if he were not playing sports. Do NOT pay a recruiting “agent” thousands of dollars to promote your child. You can do it yourself, save a lot of money, and college coaches are much more impressed hearing from an athlete than a highly paid agent. Only attend “Showcase” camps where coaches from schools on your Target List will be attending. Most importantly, do whatever it take to increase your GPA and SAT scores and challenge yourself with difficult courses. A college coach will not even think about recruiting you unless you meet the school’s admission requirements. An athlete can increase his chance of playing college sports ten fold by graduating with a straight A average! You could be the best athlete in the country, but if you fail to meet the NCAA Clearinghouse GPA and test score requirements, your only option may be a Junior College.”

R-101: Talk a little bit about My Sports Dreams and what the company does?

Kern: “My Sports Dreams is the nation’s leading fundraiser for college, high school, and youth teams who need $5,000 or more travel or equipment. The program takes less than one hour to complete, does not require athletes to sell anything, is risk-free, and every team we work with is guaranteed to earn a profit. We’re endorsed by dozens of national coaching associations, leagues, tournaments, and tour groups. We’ve raised over $16 million for 9,000 teams in every sport and every state. If you’re involved with a team that could use some extra funds this season, call 1-800-376-5988 or visit us at www.MySportsDreams.com. Mention Recruiting-101 and your first $50 donation is on us!”

R-101: Any final tidbits of information to help those out there?

Kern: “We strongly believe that if you have a strong desire to play college sports, there is a school for you. It may not be at Duke, Stanford, or Florida State, but there are over 2,400 terrific colleges in the United States that offer sports programs that all need good athletes and good students to fill their rosters. Focus on the ones where you have a REALISTIC chance to be a starter and make sure they meet all of your non-athletic needs too, just in case your athletic career ends sooner than you would like it to). If you have any questions about the college recruiting process, Email me anytime at Jordan@MySportsDreams.com and I will be help you.”

R-101: Please feel free to plug anything else you are doing that I missed:

Kern: “If anyone would like to receive a copy our 140-page High School Athlete’s Guide to College Sports, just call Jordan at 800-376-5988, make sure to mention Recruiting-101 and we’ll knock $20 off the price! The guide normally sells for $49 at www.CollegeBoundSports.com and it comes with a lifetime money-back guarantee (we’ve had only one returned in over 18,000 sales so we know the information has been very valuable!). As a special free bonus, we’ll throw in a directory of every college coach in the country featuring emails, phones, web pages, etc. It’s a great compliment to the book.”

*A special thanks to Kern for taking the time with this Q&A