If you have outstanding athletic ability, solid academics, and it is your dream to be recruited by to play sports in college you need to turn the tables and be the recruiter. It would be a big mistake not to be proactive early for 99% of high school athletes. Start doing your research in your sophomore year in high school. In the major sports like football, basketball, soccer, baseball, tennis and golf there are hundreds of potential opportunities. You have lots of decisions to make and a lot of research to do. Part of your research involves asking a lot of the right questions. Questions like, what does your program and school have to offer me? You can ask a question like that if you got game and you have knowledge of the team needs,among other insights. Don’t just pick a school because you saw them on TV or you like their logo.

If it’s your dream school or bust then you are of the wrong mind-set. There are so many things that can go wrong even if the coach said you are a lock to get a scholarship. You need to have a back-up plan by researching a number of other schools. I suggest that you have a list of say 25 schools to focus in on. Looking at the big picture taking everything into consideration, and I mean everything, ask yourself what matters most. To spark thought, some of the things to consider may be weather, geographic location, athletic facilities and more important the graduation rate of student athletes.

Your research may include going to college fairs, taking virtual tours, talking to other students, talking to your counselor, your friends and of course your family. When doing your research keep in mind that bigger is not necessarily better for several reasons and in many cases. Consider all levels of play. The more knowledge you have about a given school and it’s athletic program, the better questions you can ask yourself and the college recruiter. Bottom line is, and coming full circle, the better prepared you are in every way the better chance you have to be the recruiter and not the recruit. Knowledge is power!

Author: Tony Passarella

 Mail this post

Popularity: 47% [?]

Technorati Tags: Sports Recruiting 101 - Become the Recruiter