3 Steps To Getting Evaluated By A College Coach
While you may be looking for a college athletic scholarship, other athletes on your club team may not be looking to take that next step or have the money to travel for out-of-state college showcases. Although some student-athletes would try to utilize their high school sports seasons in hopes of a college coach coming to see them perform, it is not realistic for most club-focused team sports such as softball, volleyball, soccer, basketball, lacrosse, and baseball. Most high school coaches in these sports don’t often attend many high school competitions. Instead, coaches in these sports look to utilize college showcase events which bring tons of teams to the same location over a long weekend. These showcases allow the coaches to make good use of their travel budgets and time because the events allow recruiters to hop from one field/court to another evaluating hundreds of prospects over one weekend.
But what if your club team isn’t attending one of these college showcases? What should you do to still get seen by a college coach? We propose 3 strategies to help you in the process of coaches evaluating you as a recruit for their college teams.
1) Attend any ID Camps the college is hosting over the next few months.
Identification (ID) camps can be a great way to get to know the athletic staff, the current team, and the campus. However, parents could end up investing a lot of money in camps for schools that may not be interested in them. I would recommend one day ID camps vs typical summer camps which last 3-7 days. The costs are typically much lower to attend an ID camp and it will usually provide you an indication of where you stand in their recruiting classes in a more timely way. It is important to note, however, that camps are often used as fundraisers for most college programs. Don’t fall into the trap many parents fall into-Just because you get a camp invite does not mean that a college coach is interested in you! They are usually trying to get as many people to attend for their fundraising efforts.
2) Send some video to the college coach.
In one of our recent blogs, we discussed the steps of creating a video to send to college recruiters to do an evaluation of the athlete. Most college coaches will want to eventually see a student-athlete play live, especially in team sports, so this is typically only an initial step to spike their interest with you as a recruit. It is rare for a student-athlete to get fully signed and committed with only links to videos.
3) Investigate “guest” playing opportunities.
If your specific club team is not attending a college showcase event, research the possibility of playing “up” an age group within your club. For example, if you normally play in the Under 16 bracket, see if the Under 17 or 18 team has a team playing in the event. Obviously, you would need to get permission from both coaches and governing bodies to participate. It is important to note every league and club structure has its own unique rules, so this may not always be an option.
If this isn’t an option, investigate if the college showcase tournament offers a service of connecting players that are unattached to a team to be added to another club team. Another option is to look on the list of tournament teams and see if your current club coaches can connect you with coaches they may know who are already bringing a team, even from across the country.
Every tournament has its own stipulations for what they allow of guest players (including deadlines), so make sure you fully investigate the process before you book a hotel or flight. Typically you need to provide club/league paperwork and medical waivers for those situations. Once you are approved to participate in this college showcase, it is very important for you to email the college coaches your new team name, competition schedule, jersey color, numbers, and position you expect to play. We would highly recommend you also read our Special Report on Strategies to Emailing a College Coach prior to sending emails.
It is highly recommended you also include your player profiles and list that you are a guest player for this team. Often times, even if you are a highly skilled athlete, you may not start a game or play in your ideal position because you are a guest player. College coaches understand this can be the case so they will take that into consideration of you playing out of position or you not starting the game (and may plan to be at another game at the start of your game since it is highly likely you will be on the bench). This piece of information can be vital to a coach evaluating you at that event.
If you can’t attend a college showcase tournament, it is important for you to still market yourself to colleges in as many ways possible. Utilizing ID camps, video links, and guest playing can improve your chances to be evaluated by the recruiters to gain that much desired athletic scholarship! Remember you are in competition with those who are marketing themselves, so go the extra mile in every way to demonstrate the leaderships characteristics college coaches look for in potential recruits and also on social media. Make sure that you also read a recent blog discussing college showcases titled Beyond the X’s & O’s!
Would you like help with the college recruiting process?
1. Go to www.lookingforafullride.com to get your FREE Report: Strategies to Emailing A College Coach.
2. Want some help with the recruiting process? Join some of our 9 Facebook Groups:
- Parents of High School Student Athletes Walking Through The Process (All Sports)
- Beyond Xs & Os 4 HS Athletes: Health, Recruiting, Team Building, Mental Training (All Sports)
- Athletic Recruiting Education for Principals, AD's, and Counselors (All Sports)
- Club/HS Coaches Learning College Recruiting Process (All Sports)
- Play College Soccer (Soccer Specifically)
- College Recruiting for GK's (Soccer Specifically)
- Mindset & Leadership Lessons for Athletes, Coaches/Teachers, & Business Leaders (All Sports & Business Leaders)
- Positive Team Building for Pro, College, HS & Youth Coaches (All Sports)
- Christian Competitors (Coaches & Athletes Serving Christ @Field/Court/Gym) (Sports Ministry for All)
3. Would you like her to do individual consulting with your family to get an insider’s perspective?
Email info@lookingforafullride.com for more details.
4. Did you know Coach Renee Lopez can come to your school or sports organization?
Email info@lookingforafullride.com for more details.
Coach Renee Lopez
As a 17 year coaching veteran, Renee Lopez is a recruiting expert for high school student athletes. She uses her NCAA Division I, II, and NAIA Head Coaching experience to help families navigate the recruiting process to be identified by college coaches and help them find the right “fit” for playing at the next level.
She presents recruiting seminars across the country, has recently been featured on ESPN Radio, and is the author of the book, “Looking For A FULL RIDE?: An Insider’s Recruiting Guide” where she interviewed 65 college recruiters across all sports and college levels.
She also does private consulting for student-athletes and their families to help in understanding the often daunting process of recruiting. (See one family’s testimonial.) If you are looking for help in the college recruiting process, please email Coach Renee Lopez at info@lookingforafullride.com.