Getting Recruited

We all know that the time is now, and every second we wait is one we're not getting back. Yatta, yeata, yata..... (figured I'd go w/ three different possible spellings.)

Everyone wants a Division I scholarship and it feels cool when you get pulled from class to the principles office and instead of being in trouble it's actually a football coach that's there to recruit you. Then you get to go back to all your buddies, they're asking what's up,why was *so and so* w/ all the *enter school of your choice*'s gear on talking w/ you, and all that jazz. I'm not gonna lie, I remember feeling like a total BAMF.

But that's probably about as cool as it ever got. Really no one tells you how full of crap some of them are. Or that probably 25% of the time it's actually a guy trying to sell you some kind of service that'll supposedly help you get recruited.

Always sucks when you walk in and see this guy.

Guess it's better than being in trouble though.

Now I've heard a few feelings towards the recruiting process.

-If you're good enough you'll be found

-You gotta put on a campaign for yourself and send highlight videos everywhere.

-Go to as many camps and combines as you can, showcase your talents, and network w/ all the coaches and recruiters

-You have to hire a recruiting agency to create highlight videos of you and send them across the country.

-Blah, blah, blah... No, No, NOOO

Okay, here's what you have

Your kids have 4 years of high shool sports period there is no more, and they only have 2 that they'll be able to be recruited during (freshman year no one looks, sophmore's have to be something really special to get on the radar, junior year is the big year to get noticed, senior year scouts have already decided who they're going after).

I grew up in small town Iowa. It's pretty rare that a recruiter is going to come to a small town game b/c s/he's only going to be able to see 1 or 2 potential recruits. So unless your team is very good and you have multiple specimens on one team, then your chances of being found are not as high.

Not every position is going to get the spotlight. If you're a baseball pitcher, you'll probably be found, same w/ a running back and other glory positions, but linemen don't get noticed.

It was a lot less like this

And a lot more like this

But add a few players (I played 11 man) then replace the 'ranch' w/ some trees, corn fields and cows. Not joking.

Here's what you need to do.

1) Take care of yourself. Your performance is everything.

First and foremost you gotta be in top physical shape. By the time your junior year rolls around you gotta be very very focused and have to have put in the work.

-Take your offseasons, but don't sit on your ass

-If you wanna do all 4 sports go ahead, but that doesn't mean you can slack in other areas. If you wrestle that doesn't mean we can be cutting enormous amounts of weight, and not lifting. Just like everything else we have to do it the right way. Power output doesn't mean we have to have huge muscles.

-Sleep, Eat, and Recover correctly

-Train like a madman. You want this then its on your shoulders.

-Eat right: breakfast, stay hydrated, protein throughout the day, lots of fruits and vegetables, time your carbs but get enough of them.

2) Show the world

-Perform. You've prepared, you're ready, now get it done.

-Sending videos doesn't hurt. But remember recruiters get videos all the time. Include your stats in a readable manner:

Name:

Height:

Weight:

40yrd:

Pro Agility:

Vertical:

Broad Jump:

L Drill:

Squat: if it's good

Bench: if it's good

Feats of strength don't hurt: For example, if you can do 10 good pullups w/ an additional 100lbs, I'd probably throw it in there.

-No one cares about your track times or your wrestling record. If you placed at state mention it. If you have a wow factor use it otherwise it's just a number.

-Be honest but leave out anything bad. Don't mention any previous or current injuries, ever! Never ever admit to a weak point. I used to be kinda proud of all my injuries, felt like it showed my toughness. Another friend of mine had his scholarship pulled soon as he got a herniation in his back.

-Social media is making things interesting. This is where networking pays off b/c you can expose yourself to friends of friends of friends very quickly. Don't be afraid to post a video on facebook of your squat, deadlift, bench, or performance highlight, even if it's practice.

3) Going to camps is a must. But not at the cost of your season. Training preparation comes before any camp.

I hate to admit that camps are pivotal but it but it's true. The problem I'm seeing is that kids are going to 4-6 camps a summer. This is way too many, and not going to allow enough training time nor rest time. So kids end up going into the season under prepared and not having the season they needed. Remember reason one.

Number one thing an athlete must do to be recruited is to perform. Plain and simple.

-while your at camps, perform. You gotta be the best version of you all the time, no matter what.

-Show character: this means working your ass off (and making that work look easy, don't show weakness), doing things crisp and correct, showing up early, showing leadership (which means be a leader while you're there), etc..

-parents/coaches should spend at least a couple of days observing and networking w/ the staff, coaches and other parents. It goes w/o saying that you should write down peoples names after you meet them so you remember who to look up later.

-Kids should bring a video w/ them if they have it.

-Be forward w/ the team's coaches. You want to be recruited. Say that, "I want to play here." Coaches like that, they'll remember you, and it shows them your commitment and character.

-Always meet the strength coach, and make sure he remembers you.

-Keep it to less than 3 camps/summer. Anymore and we're losing too much time. The season is the first priority to getting recruited and it should be anyway.

4) Follow up immediately

Don't wait one week. Get on email, facebook, w/e and email all the coaches you meet or want to play under as soon as you can. Keep it short and sweet. Under 6 sentences.

5) Do NOT hire a recruiting agency. They're a rip and full of dip shit life failures that probably got fired from selling used cars, women's cosmetics, or vacuums.

That's how you get recruited. You gotta prepare and perform, the other stuff just helps a little.

Tweet