Three Things Every Parent Should Know About Recruiting

The college football recruiting process is difficult for students and parents. While it is a potentially life altering decision for a student, it can be even more difficult for a parent. You want your child to make the best decision possible, but neither of you may know which decision may be the best. Most parents do not know where to start when their child is going through the athletic college recruiting process. If you keep these three main points in mind, you will have a head start in comparison to many other parents going through the same process.

Your Child Needs to Want it

Desire is a very important aspect in football. Coaches look for desire in their potential recruits. Desire is also something that is particularly difficult to measure. Over the years, however, coaches have found a way to measure a recruit’s desire to play college football. Many potential college football players do not take the initiative themselves to get in touch with a college coach. Most players either depend on their coaches, their parents, or their recruiting service to make the contact and do the hard work. Of course, many times these players end up playing college football because of their athletic ability and because someone was able to get in touch with the college staff for them.

Coaches, however, are always looking for leaders. They want the players who will take the initiative. Players who get in contact with coaches and staff by themselves are extremely valuable to coaches because it shows coaches leadership, initiative, and desire. Potential college athletes can show all these qualities by sending snail mail or email to college recruiters and coaches.

Traditional recruiting services get in touch with college coaches themselves. At Smarter Football, we give recruits the advice to show their initiative and leadership directly to coaches. Although we provide the contact phone numbers and email, we do not send mail or call coaches. We take a different approach and advise students how to get in touch with coaches that will best demonstrate their leadership, initiative, and potential to be a positive member of a college football team.

College Recruiting is similar to a Job Interview

Although it is not apparent to many job applicants, the traditional goal of a job interview is to test if the job is mutually beneficial to both the job applicant and the potential employer. Many times when I talk to corporate recruiters, they discuss how the goal of many job interviews is to find a good “Fit” for both the applicant and the employer.

Everyone tries to put their best foot forward when they are interviewing for a new job. You wear your nicest clothes and put a smile on your face. Your goal is to convince your potential future boss that you are going to be able to do the job. You should behave appropriately and show your talent. The college recruitment process is no different. Every time a college sees a potential recruit, the recruit is being evaluated. What is often overlooked about this evaluation, are the non-athletic aspects of the recruit. How he interacts with his teammates, how punctual he is, and how he interacts with fans are all potential areas that a recruit can be evaluated. A recruit that yells at the fans and fights with his teammates during games will turn a coach off. Many times, a coach will not evaluate a recruit’s athletic ability if he is lacking in other important areas like the ability to function as a team member.

The idea of “Fit” is also very important to the process. When looking at potential schools, your son needs to evaluate the coach, staff, future teammates, and the academic institution as a whole. Your son should make sure his intended major is offered at the school. Less than 5% of college athletes end up playing professionally. Your son should have a plan in case he never plays football professionally.

Athletic Ability Isn’t Everything

Most recruits don’t understand how important academics is to the recruitment process. There are many times when athletes do not have the grades to become admitted to a college they are getting recruited at. If a student isn’t admitted to a university, he won’t be able to play football at that school. Many potential college athletes overlook this important aspect and it is crucial that parents play an active role in their son’s academic lives. As a parent, it is crucial that you take time out of your busy schedule to monitor your son’s academic progress.

Many athletes overlook the possibilities of playing football for a Division I-AA, Division II, or Division III school. These schools do not offer nearly as much scholarship money as Division I schools, but they offer an outlet for the high school athletes that want to continue playing football at a high level. Playing team sports in college helps students prepare for life after college by helping them learn time management, leadership, and other important life skills. There are also numerous other opportunities for scholarship money that your son can apply for.