The Biggest Mistakes Athletes Make in College Recruiting (and how to fix them).
College recruiting is a lot like dating. The question needs to change from, “Who will choose me,” to, “Who's my best match?”
Just because a college coach wants you doesn't mean that program is where you'll be happy. Once you’ve nailed down preferences like region, size, academic rigor, and area of study, consider these pitfalls and fixes.
Mistake #1:
Only looking at the most competitive programs.
The Fix:
Familiarize yourself with college divisions 1, 2, & 3 and what they offer and require of athletes. If you want to avoid roster cuts or scholarship demands, you might want to check out Division 3 schools. If your heart is set on Division 1, then consider that your sport is a full time job. When I competed at the University of Virginia, about 30+ hours a week was devoted to training, competing, and travel. I was having a completely different experience from my suite-mates pregaming in the dorm before a night out. This fall, one of my clients will compete at Williams, a Division 3 school. She’s happy with her selection because it provides a balance of sports and academic rigor.
Mistake #2:
Ignoring the competitiveness of the conference.
The Fix:
Familiarize yourself with past conference results and the implications for your season depending on if you are in an individual vs team sport. NCAA.com/sports is a statistical hub for team sports, and track athletes can go to TFRRS.com. If you're likely to spend your first two years outside the team's lineup, you may not enjoy it. A former high school all-American lacrosse attacker came to me after spending two years on the bench at a Big 10 school. We found her a nice program in the Mid-American Conference that matched her high-talent/low-pressure profile where she started, and scored in, all 18 games.
Mistake #3:
Not considering whether a program has coaching stability or develops athletes.
The Fix:
Read the coach bios. How long has the coach been there? Do they develop athletes throughout their career? Is there a pattern of injury or transfer portal action? Check player stats over time, compare with high school stats and pro or post-grad player placement, and read feedback on sites like NCSA, 2aDays.com, Athletes.org, or sport-specific message boards like LetsRun.com. One athlete I worked with chose the novice coach/aggressive recruiter over the seasoned stable coach at an equivalent college. He based his decision on the fact that the novice coach really wanted him, which is fair enough. However, the novice coach left after the Fall, the program was unstable for another year, and the athlete quit in his 3rd year having not developed.
In the end, college recruiting isn’t about winning the most impressive offer. It’s about finding the right fit for you. Your match is the place where you can see yourself becoming the athlete, student, and, most-importantly, the person you want to be.
