Behind the process of college sports recruiting
Published on June 14, 2012 in News
by Rekha Kennedy '13 (News Editor)
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| Graphic by Juwon Jun '14 for the Log |
From the somewhat gloating online profiles on sports-clad websites to the anxious waiting of phone calls from coaches, many students turn to the intricate and complex world of college recruiting as a stepping stone to going pro but also to getting a scholarship to go to college. The world of athletic sports recruiting has rapidly changed in the last several years. The availability of video has allowed recruiters to view ever extending numbers of potential athletes, giving students at smaller schools a better chance of being discovered. However, this accessibility has brought about some glitches in the process as well. Because of the advancement in technology, recruiters are able to find athletes at a younger age and as a result, athletes who aren’t early-bloomers are left at a disadvantage.
Almost every sport is guided by the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association), which provides a complex set of rules outlining the dead and live periods of every individual sport. These periods delineate when the coaches are able to contact the student athletes via emails or phone calls. These rules include but are not limited to college coaches being able to contact the high school coaches of the player but not the player himself. However, the students are able to contact the college coach at any time they please, but here is where the process gets complicated. The coach, upon receiving a phone call from the students, can attend the call. However, if the college recruiter missed the call, he cannot call the students back because then he would be breaking the NCAA rules. But like any other system of established rules, loopholes inevitably exist. Recruiters are known to call high school coaches to advise the high school coaches to inform the perspective students of a specific time so they can conveniently be present to answer the phone. Some recruiters’ voice mails also provide detailed instructions on how to maneuver around the NCAA rules and contact the recruiter. Other recruiters send mass emails advising Freshman and Sophomores to wait to contact them, such as this email sent to Coach Garber from a D1 school: “If you are a 2014 or 2015 high school graduate, We can not communicate via email (NCAA rules) until you begin your Junior year of High School. We cannot return your calls until July 1st after your Junior year of high school.”
As many of the Loomis coaches said, once Junior year comes around and contacting the perspective athlete is allowed with minimal interference of NCAA rules, students get anything from the noncommittal phone call to the handwritten letter from the recruiting college. Many student-athletes, excited to get their first call, commit to that first college only to regret their rash decision afterwards.
As one student athlete said, “Certain programs hope to get their college recruiting class done early. UCONN soccer is a great example. They hope to snag up the local talent for 2013 very quickly so they can move onto getting a few international players. Certain coaches based on their interest or their desire for their recruiting class will get things done earlier. Also, committing early lifts a big weight off your shoulders. There is a bit of pressure to commit, because it alleviates a lot of stress during senior fall and what not.” Others make the mistake of assuming their verbal commitment will guarantee them a spot into the college, only to be deceived when the admissions office rejects them leaving them out in the cold. Some students even advertise these verbal commitments on their online profiles, causing the other colleges and universities which were once looking into them abandon their efforts, assuming the student is already recruited.
For an experienced student athlete, Nick Sailor ‘13 noted, “The academic piece is huge in the college process. Schools can’t really gauge whether they can get you into the school if the academic piece isn’t strong. Certain schools with certain reputations hold higher academic standards than others. Other schools factor in the academic piece less.”
Despite the Loomis coaches’ humble claims that the parents, students, and coaches all play a crucial role in the recruiting process, the student athletes polled all claimed that the Loomis coaches play the biggest role in the process and are with them every step of the way. Lyle Seebeck, being recruited for football, said, “Coaches, they are the connection to the colleges. The coaches are the ones who open the door for you to be looked at by the colleges and to have a dialogue with the college coaches.” Coach Garber, the boys varsity lacrosse coach, even helped a previous LC student athlete get recruited by Duke, by introducing the recruiter to the player and sending in video of the student practicing.
With so many of the recruiters’ jobs on the line and limited spots on their teams, the field of athletic recruiting gets tougher and tougher. Although Loomis Coaches can get the student’s foot in the door of some colleges, the main responsibility of getting recruits is up to the proactivity of the students to contact recruiters, get seen in high level tournaments, and keep up their grades. While the NCAA does have academic requirements that every athlete should meet to even be eligible for athletic scholarships, students who do not meet requirements often end up taking a Post Graduate year to improve their SAT scores or going to a community college for two years before transferring. In the end, the student’s academic standing play a deciding role in the recruiting process. Once getting to college some of the students love the programs they are in and others simply can’t handle the hours of commitment for one sport as well as how much time and energy it drains from other aspects of their life, especially at the D1 level. So student athletes follow the parting words from Garber: “ You should play to enjoy the game and if you’re good enough, someone will find you.”
Almost every sport is guided by the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association), which provides a complex set of rules outlining the dead and live periods of every individual sport. These periods delineate when the coaches are able to contact the student athletes via emails or phone calls. These rules include but are not limited to college coaches being able to contact the high school coaches of the player but not the player himself. However, the students are able to contact the college coach at any time they please, but here is where the process gets complicated. The coach, upon receiving a phone call from the students, can attend the call. However, if the college recruiter missed the call, he cannot call the students back because then he would be breaking the NCAA rules. But like any other system of established rules, loopholes inevitably exist. Recruiters are known to call high school coaches to advise the high school coaches to inform the perspective students of a specific time so they can conveniently be present to answer the phone. Some recruiters’ voice mails also provide detailed instructions on how to maneuver around the NCAA rules and contact the recruiter. Other recruiters send mass emails advising Freshman and Sophomores to wait to contact them, such as this email sent to Coach Garber from a D1 school: “If you are a 2014 or 2015 high school graduate, We can not communicate via email (NCAA rules) until you begin your Junior year of High School. We cannot return your calls until July 1st after your Junior year of high school.”
As many of the Loomis coaches said, once Junior year comes around and contacting the perspective athlete is allowed with minimal interference of NCAA rules, students get anything from the noncommittal phone call to the handwritten letter from the recruiting college. Many student-athletes, excited to get their first call, commit to that first college only to regret their rash decision afterwards.
As one student athlete said, “Certain programs hope to get their college recruiting class done early. UCONN soccer is a great example. They hope to snag up the local talent for 2013 very quickly so they can move onto getting a few international players. Certain coaches based on their interest or their desire for their recruiting class will get things done earlier. Also, committing early lifts a big weight off your shoulders. There is a bit of pressure to commit, because it alleviates a lot of stress during senior fall and what not.” Others make the mistake of assuming their verbal commitment will guarantee them a spot into the college, only to be deceived when the admissions office rejects them leaving them out in the cold. Some students even advertise these verbal commitments on their online profiles, causing the other colleges and universities which were once looking into them abandon their efforts, assuming the student is already recruited.
For an experienced student athlete, Nick Sailor ‘13 noted, “The academic piece is huge in the college process. Schools can’t really gauge whether they can get you into the school if the academic piece isn’t strong. Certain schools with certain reputations hold higher academic standards than others. Other schools factor in the academic piece less.”
Despite the Loomis coaches’ humble claims that the parents, students, and coaches all play a crucial role in the recruiting process, the student athletes polled all claimed that the Loomis coaches play the biggest role in the process and are with them every step of the way. Lyle Seebeck, being recruited for football, said, “Coaches, they are the connection to the colleges. The coaches are the ones who open the door for you to be looked at by the colleges and to have a dialogue with the college coaches.” Coach Garber, the boys varsity lacrosse coach, even helped a previous LC student athlete get recruited by Duke, by introducing the recruiter to the player and sending in video of the student practicing.
With so many of the recruiters’ jobs on the line and limited spots on their teams, the field of athletic recruiting gets tougher and tougher. Although Loomis Coaches can get the student’s foot in the door of some colleges, the main responsibility of getting recruits is up to the proactivity of the students to contact recruiters, get seen in high level tournaments, and keep up their grades. While the NCAA does have academic requirements that every athlete should meet to even be eligible for athletic scholarships, students who do not meet requirements often end up taking a Post Graduate year to improve their SAT scores or going to a community college for two years before transferring. In the end, the student’s academic standing play a deciding role in the recruiting process. Once getting to college some of the students love the programs they are in and others simply can’t handle the hours of commitment for one sport as well as how much time and energy it drains from other aspects of their life, especially at the D1 level. So student athletes follow the parting words from Garber: “ You should play to enjoy the game and if you’re good enough, someone will find you.”
