Club Season Is Upon Us…So Let’s Talk Recruiting!
The release of our Class of 2024 rankings filled our inboxes with emails from some parents not entirely happy with their child’s placement or lack of in the inaugural list. We shared during our release the first batch will be…
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Continue ReadingThe release of our Class of 2024 rankings filled our inboxes with emails from some parents not entirely happy with their child’s placement or lack of in the inaugural list. We shared during our release the first batch will be extremely hard for this class and to be patient as we navigate these young ladies. A common theme in the emails was the idea our rankings ultimately dictate college recruitment. While it’s possible coaches look at the rankings to look up some names, it is not the end all be all of recruitment. Coaches have numerous resources to identify prospects and at the end of the day, their eyes on a player, and their evaluation is ultimately what matters. So today we’ve decided to give a little space to some best practices shared by college coaches to help families out who are stressed about recruitment.
Players Must Own The Process, Parents Chill A Little
The first thing we want to lift up is for parents. When you send an email to us about rankings and talk down your daughter’s teammates and how much better your daughter is and etcetera, that doesn’t help. Please don’t send similar messages to college coaches. In fact, don’t e-mail college coaches. The recruitment process is to be led by your child. There may be areas you can help, but it has to be driven by them. This is where you are the backseat driver keeping an eye out for errors and mistakes. When we get back to a normal volleyball atmosphere and college coaches can come watch games, don’t chase down coaches or attempt to engage and point out your child. Generally speaking, based on the grade of the prospective athlete, college coaches can’t really talk to you at a tournament other than hello and goodbye. Coaches recruit the whole family, act accordingly at and around tournaments. Bad talking teammates, coaches, and officials will get your player crossed off a list faster than a couple of shanked passes.
Be Realistic With Where You Can Play
We don’t want to be a dream killer but a Division I or bust mentality is one we don’t recommend. Understand for every Division 1 program there is a limit on scholarships and roster spots. Ask your club coach and/or recruiting director what level of schools you should focus your attention towards. If you are a 5’9 OH, there are a handful of those playing at top programs and they are athletic freaks. The ultimate goal is to earn the opportunity to play at the next level and pursue a degree. The idea many hold is after shelling out thousands of dollars for club volleyball the reward should be a Division I scholarship. That’s not how it works. So we encourage you to explore ALL of your options. Even though your dream school could be Texas, Minnesota, or Florida, the reality is everyone can’t play at those caliber schools, and the earlier you accept that you can get over the disappointment and engage in recruitment with schools that align with your level of play. There are many good options at NCAA Division II and III, NAIA, and NJCAA.
Your Highlight Video, Recruiting Profile, and Social Media Is Your Resume
Put together a quality highlight video. Make sure what you deem are your top plays are near the beginning of the clip. Ensure you are easily identifiable to the coaches watching the video. A good length for a highlight video is in the range of 2-4 minutes. Everyone likes to add music to their video but many coaches will just put it on mute, so don’t spend a whole lot of time trying to find the right song. Highlight the plays that correspond with your position. For example, pin hitters should show monster kills, different shots, blocking ability, and if six rotation player; strong defensive plays and passing ability. Defenders would showcase tough plays that exhibit athleticism, passing tough serves, and setting out of system balls. If you have a wicked serve, that’s valuable to display. Don’t show a bunch of easy passes in serve receive that should be expected from a passer. Be sure to set up a FREE recruiting profile. Many coaches utilize University Athlete to find players at tournaments and to evaluate them. NCSA offers a free version you can set up. Make sure your academic information and coach contact is updated and accurate. Please don’t pay for a recruiting service with all of the valuable free options at your disposal. We understand technically you’re still “kids” but ensure your social media is respectful and clean of anything that could shine negatively on you. Be mindful of your likes and retweets, coaches see all of them if they follow you. If you have to think twice about posting something, don’t press send.
Don’t Expect All The Schools To Come To You
You will have to do some work. The athletes identified by coaches as the top athletes don’t have problems getting connected to schools. For many, however, you have to put forth some effort. As stated earlier, the first step is being realistic with schools you can compete at. With or without club volleyball, you have to get on the radar of coaches. Many athletes develop a list of schools. They start with their dream schools based on who they see on the television or hometown programs. Don’t get us wrong, you can reach out to those schools but also don’t be disappointed if they don’t respond or recruit you. Find schools that are comparable to your skill and have programs related to your academic interest. Also, it is important to choose a school for the school and not necessarily the coaches, as it’s possible a coach could leave. Our tips to reaching out to schools are to send an introductory e-mail sharing your name, position, year, highlight video, stats, schedule, coaches contact info, and measurables such as height and jump touch. Add something unique that stands out about the school to show you are knowledgeable about the school or program and not just copying and pasting e-mails over and over. This should be a brief e-mail and not an essay paper.
The Recruitment Of Your Teammates Should Motivate Not Discourage
Don’t be discouraged if your teammates are being recruited more heavily than you. Focus on your game and use it as motivation in continuing to improve. Here is a positive way to look at it. If numerous coaches are coming to a court or watching a video to see your teammate, play so well that they leave wanting to learn more about you. There are numerous stories where a player was recruited based on showcasing their skills when not being the reason a coach was at the court. If your teammate has ten offers just remember they can only accept one, so the same applies to you; it only takes one school to say we want you.
Full Rides Aren’t Available To All
Early in the recruitment process many parents and athletes don’t understand this to be the case. In most Division I programs they have 12 Full Scholarships to disperse. Typically, these go to the hitters and setters. There are cases where defenders earn full scholarships but oftentimes they receive a one or two-year scholarship with the option of additional years. There are also cases where defenders walk-on completely. Make yourself aware of what this means for programs you talk to and how it plays at the Division II, NAIA, NJCAA levels. NCAA Division III schools do NOT offer athletic scholarships. Some players will have to pay for their academic studies.
Know The Recruitment Rules and Timelines
The recruitment scene has changed drastically over the last couple of years. Previously a top player could start receiving mail and having conversations with coaches in the 8th grade. That changed. We shared earlier the process in reaching out to colleges but be mindful they can’t respond or have any communication until after June 15th of your sophomore year for Division I. College coaches currently also can’t pass messages on to you via your club coach until that period as well. Make yourself aware of the different rules and timelines associated with each Division you are interested in having dialogue with in the future. This includes when you can visit a school on an unofficial visit. Silence doesn’t always mean they don’t like you, sometimes it is the fact they can’t talk to you.
We could add many more tips and thoughts but we will stop here for today. We may add additional later and make this a monthly addition. We are always here to help.