Sports Recruitment?

Hey!

As someone who's been involved with sports their whole life I have some advice for you!

First, I'm not sure what grade you are in, but the best thing you can do is start early! While you can't officially commit until your senior year, you can get verbal commits and at least begin to reach out to schools.

Get video prepared of some of your highlights. Most people include video of them when their team is winning, but it's also good to include video of what you do when your team is losing. This can show coaches that you can battle against adversary and won't let the team down. For certain sports you may include videos of you doing certain skills, like basketball and shooting 3's. The video should never be of the whole game, just a few minutes long. You can have multiple videos dedicated to many skills, or videos dedicated to different games/tournaments.

I also know there are plenty of different showcase type things that you can attend. These can be good to get your name out there. There are also many different recruiting website that you can look into to join and start a profile.

Email coaches and assistant coaches, these can usually be found on the colleges website, that you are very interested in their school. These emails should include who you are, what position you play, why you are interested in THEIR school, stats/achievements, how the coach can contact you, your coaches information, and links to some of your highlights. These emails should always come directly from you, not a parent or coach. A college coach might want to reach out to your club or school coach for more information on you, which is why you should include that. You should also include any academic achievements. Including why you would be a good addition to their program is also a good step.

If a coach doesn't respond right away, you should understand that they are busy. However, don't be afraid to continuously email and reach out. NEVER feel bad for advocating for yourself!

One of the most important things you can do is get good grades. While a school can allow some athletes to slip in, the whole process is a lot easier if you are in a good position academically. This can make it easier for you to get into the college and certain programs. It also helps boost the GPA of the team, which coaches love to see.

Interviews and visits usually occur after you and a coach have emailed back and forth for a while. Another way to get in contact with a coach is to go to some of their games. While they are very busy people, sometimes a quick "hey I'm and I emailed you because I want to go here" can go along way. Again, sometimes it might be quicker to reach out to an assistant coach since they usually aren't as preoccupied.

That's all I can think of right now, but let me know if you have any other questions! Hope this helps and good luck on your journey!