We would like to congratulate Maeve Hungerford on her commitment to Colorado Mesa University! Here are Maeve’s recruiting story and interview after her commitment. Good luck as a Maverick!

1. Share your recruiting story and status

I knew I wanted to play lacrosse in college early on. It is an intimidating process and despite all the camps, club, and tournaments I had no idea where I wanted to go to college, what constituted a “good fit”, or what I should be looking at with regards to lacrosse programs. My dad would talk to me about colleges, towns, or coaches and I just didn’t fully understand what he was talking about. After joining SportsForce in 9th grade, Coach Andrea Ervay was assigned to me as my mentor. We would talk by phone every few months and she would ask about my grades, how lacrosse was going and helped keep me on track. The one thing both Coach Ervay and my dad said was grades came first and lacrosse comes after. I definitely stalled out in my process during junior year. It was hard enough trying to handle school and lacrosse and I didn’t want to think about college yet. However, being with SportsForce helped as all communication that was or wasn’t doing was in a central place and easy to keep track of. Summer after my junior year, my dad helped me narrow down my options and then we visited campuses and met with coaches. While I hate to admit it, my dad was right in that going to the campuses was the most helpful thing in my recruiting process. There were quite a few D2 and D3 coaches that were interested and the websites for all the schools made them all look awesome. However, I didn’t realize how truly far away, or how I would feel on campus, the size of school I was looking for, and the geographic location until I got on campus. Visiting the schools really helped and I was able to rank them better after getting offers and an idea of location, cost, and lacrosse program. I was really surprised at the results. A few schools I had thought I really would like, I didn’t, and a few that I didn’t think I would like at all, ended up enjoying them. Ultimately I narrowed everything down and when I was offered by an in-state school (which I had always thought I wanted to go out of state) that I really liked the lacrosse coach and location/cost, it was an easy decision. If I hadn’t made all those visits, I think I might have made some choices I would regret.

2. What school are you going to, and why did you choose them?

I will be attending and playing at Colorado Mesa University (DII) in the RMAC. Ultimately I decided to become a Maverick because the campus was beautiful, it had all the academic programs I needed and wanted, the facilities are unreal, and I really liked the lacrosse coach. Also, as I said before, I thought I wanted to go out of state, but everything seemed really far away when it got down to it. CMU is close enough to access my parents and friends in Denver but far enough away they won’t be randomly knocking on my dorm door.

3. How did SportsForce help in the process?

SportsForce helped in many ways. For me, the constant reminder to fill out my contact sheet, the accountability knowing that I had to schedule a talk with Coach Ervay from time to time, and the ability to have all my recruiting stuff in one place ended up being crucial. My dad says that for him as a parent, it was really nice to deal with Darrell (Client Services) and Coach Ervay as his only contacts, that the site was easy to use and update, and that he only had to pay once for four years of ongoing help. The database of schools, coaches, and contact information ended up being really helpful. I didn’t realize this until some of my teammates started trying to get recruited and I realized what a struggle getting a film, making contact with coaches, and then keeping all that straight was. SportsForce truly made all that easy.

4. What advice would you give to other players and parents with the recruiting process?

I would say that getting good footage of your play is key. Also, after meeting with many coaches during this process, I found that they don’t always want to see your best plays, they want to see everything. If you start using film from 9th grade and as a sophomore, you improved, it is ok to show how something wasn’t awesome but now it is. The coaches mentioned they like to see coachability and progress more than your most awesome plays (include those of course), or something where you made a mistake but showed hustle to get the ball back (the words tenacity, speed, and attitude come up a lot).

My dad wanted me to be sure and mention that campus visits and patience were what helped most as a parent. I know he was frustrated with me but was kind enough to let me figure stuff out on my own to some degree. The visits helped because I really got a feel right away whether I liked the college or not. I talked to a lot of coaches on the phone and the campuses always sound awesome, but until I got there I knew pretty quickly whether it would make my short list or whether I wasn’t interested anymore.

#1 piece of advice….. KEEP YOUR GRADES UP. It turns out both colleges and coaches want to know about those first before you even start talking about lacrosse. Also, so many avenues open up for financial help when your GPA is as high as you can keep it and you do well on the SAT/ACT. It makes coaches much more interested because as one coach told me “it shows you are serious about coming here for all 4 years and that you have the chops to succeed”.

5. How excited are you about your future in college?

I am really excited to start college and get to play lacrosse too. I think I took a long time to commit/sign but I think I found a really good fit, one that I will be successful at academically and enjoy playing lacrosse.

6. How much money do you estimate your family saving in college expenses over the entirety of your college career?

Over the 4 years, it likely will add up to about 40k.

7. Would you recommend SportsForce to any other student-athletes? Why?

My family would absolutely recommend SportsForce to other student-athletes. By starting with them early in 9th grade, the cost was essentially for 4 years of service rather than a blitz right at the end of high school. Also, while I did ultimately want a scholarship for athletics, SportsForce provided another outside source of motivation and accountability that helped me stay on top of my grades and ultimately receive scholarship money for my academics as well. There is no way I or my parents could have done all the research and communications with the effectiveness or ease that SportsForce provides. Darrell and Coach Ervay were patient and understanding, as well as very attentive whenever we needed something i.e. game footage compilations, questions about NCAA rules and how to get a number, as well as keeping the communications list up to date.

Over the last six years, SportsForce has helped over 1,000 student-athletes and families successfully navigate the college recruiting and athletic scholarship process while saving families on average $50,000 in college expenses.

For students who are just entering high school, the time to start preparing for college is right now. Coaching staffs at colleges and universities start their search for talent at the freshman and sophomore levels. By the time a student reaches their senior year, they will most likely have been evaluated many times and their chances at getting an athletic scholarship is set.

Unfortunately, many parents are not aware of the process that college and university coaching staffs use to find the right talent for their programs. This means that for many students who have the right potential, they are not finding the places where they have the best chances of landing an athletic scholarship.

What Parents Do Not Know

Because there are relatively few athletes who excel so well they seemed destined for scholarships, many parents believe the same is true for all those who show talent in their field. Unfortunately, that is not the case as so many are simply not seen because they are not in the right place.

Talent: Every parent sees the best in their child in every endeavor. Unfortunately, many of them do not compare what they see to the competition that is out there for athletic scholarships. So many parents push for Division I schools that they overlook the opportunities at lower level programs where landing a scholarship is easier. This means that loads of kids are missing out on valuable opportunities because they are aiming at the wrong places.

Starting at the Right Time: College and university coaches start their search for talent when students enter high school. Basically, to maximize the chances for success, students must not only excel in their sport, but also participate in tournaments, camps, and sessions where coaches are present. For those who wait until their senior year, it’s usually too late, which means that they have missed out on the opportunities available to excel when they were freshmen and sophomores.

Marketing: It takes more than just playing well on the field or court, your child must be seen by the right people for them to stand a chance at landing a scholarship. Today, thanks to the internet, social media, and the many connections they provide, marketing your child’s abilities is easier than ever, but still, most get lost because they are never seen by those who make the decisions.

Why Choose SportsForce?

At Sports Force, we have proven ourselves to be one of the best college athletic recruiting websites by helping over 1,000 kids get scholarships. Our professionals have many years of experience in evaluating, promoting, marketing, and building networks so that students stand the best chance of landing an athletic scholarship. This is why SportsForce has become one of the premiere recruiting sites that helps high school athletes realize their dream of playing at the college level.

If you have a son or daughter entering high school with a talent for a specific sport, we can help them in their quest to play at a higher level. Let us help you make the most of your child’s chances of getting an athletic scholarship by applying for a free evaluation here.

The two most important measures of whether your child can earn an athletic scholarship are having superb talent and superior grades. However, as important as those two measures are, they are often not enough for many students to get a scholarship because they have not been seen by the right coaching staff. This is where sports recruiting websites can help your child get seen by the proper people to maximize their chances of success.

Assessment

The first step when joining a sports recruiting website is the assessment of your child’s talent. This will help determine at which level they are best suited to excel. There are many opportunities at Division II and even Division III level to play along with the NAIA. By understanding their potential, a recruiting website can aim their efforts at the right schools.

Profile

Once the target has been set, the next step is being seen by the right coaching staff. Filling out the profile on the right sports recruiting websites is a good start, but more will have to be done to ensure maximum exposure. This includes:

• Advice from high school coaching staff
• Participating in off-season tournaments, combines, and camps
• Creating a short, powerful highlight video
• Contacting the right schools
• Registering at NCAA Eligibility Center

All these steps will help in getting your child noticed by the right people. Keep in mind that there are many factors which help coaching staffs decide on which athletes are right for their program. This means that some may show interest, but they may have other players in mind. In this regard, the right recruiting websites will keep expectations realistic. This can be crucial as many parents have given up once some colleges passed up their children while overlooking other institutions that still had a strong interest.

This is where the knowledge and experience of a professional sports recruiting site can be most helpful. They will take every opportunity to help you stay in touch with the colleges or universities that have shown interest so that you never get discouraged.

Keep in mind that being strong academically has a powerful influence on coaching staffs that are looking for the right talent for their teams. This opens the door to academic scholarships and other financial support that can really help, especially at Division III level where financial opportunities can help pay a significant portion of the tuition. Plus, the better they do academically, the more likely they are to succeed in school which is what college and university coaches want.

Why SportsForce is Your Best Choice

At Sports Force, we have the knowledge, experience, and connections to provide your child with the best chance of landing an athletic scholarship. SportsForce takes the complete approach in helping your child improve their skills and get seen by the right people. If your child has demonstrated their skills on the field or court, you should take every step to see if they can earn an athletic scholarship by working with a reputable sports recruiting website like SportsForce. For a free evaluation just click HERE.

Over the past couple of decades, lacrosse has become one of the fastest growing sports at colleges and universities at all division levels. This means that the number of lacrosse scholarships has increased considerably over the years, but that’s not enough to offset the increase in competition. So, to stand the best chance of landing a scholarship, the preparation required will have to begin well before a prospects senior year in high school.

Start Early

The preparation for getting a lacrosse scholarship begins in the 9^th grade, if not earlier. This is because most of the evaluation is done well before they reach their senior year, so your child will need to be playing, going to camps, and participating in tournaments if they are in your area.

Evaluation & Planning

Here is where a professional recruiting organization can really help in evaluating the talent of your child so that you can set proper expectations. Your child may be a superstar in the making, but even if their talent is not on superstar level, coaches may still be interested at all division levels depending on the other skills and attributes they bring to the game.

From evaluation comes the planning needed to focus efforts on contacting the right people. You don’t want to waste your time with colleges and universities that are not interested in your child’s abilities. So, the focus will be on the proper planning to put your child in full view of those who are more likely to appreciate their abilities and want them for their team.

Talk to the Coaches

This is especially true in Division III, which has no traditional scholarships, but they do offer excellent opportunities and tuition discounts that can be really helpful in landing at a good college or university. Also, take advantage of any summer camp or training programs that recruiters attend as part of their search for athletes like your child. This is also true of any tournaments they will attend as well. This can be an excellent place to show off player’s skills.

Academics

Coaches love players who have good grades, so maintaining a “B” average or better can open up many opportunities. Also, do not discount the effects of what an improved grade average can do in terms of gaining additional scholarship potential. Quite often, an excellent academic record makes the difference between landing an athletic scholarship and just missing out.

At Sports Force we have the knowledge, experience, and connections to maximize the chances of teens obtaining lacrosse scholarships. This means that you can rely on our professionalism, networking skills, and evaluation methods to determine the best course of action that helps your child get the right scholarship.

Lacrosse has become a highly competitive sport for coaches looking to get the right athletes in their program. When you consider the competition that exists in getting a good athletic scholarship for lacrosse, having the experience of Sports Force who has helped over 1,000 students may make all the difference. Get a free evaluation to see if you qualify for our recruiting services here

It seems in recent years there has been an explosion of lacrosse recruiting services designed to help parents find the best scholarship opportunities for their children. You may have already been bombarded with all sorts of wild promises from advertisements proclaiming that they will find athletic scholarships for your child because they have the inside track.

Given the relatively low cost that many of these services charge compared to even a partial scholarship at a college or university, many parents see them as a worthy investment. However, do they really live up to their hype?

Advantages

It may seem on the surface that recruiting services, in general, are not needed because there are a significant number of athletes who receive scholarships without having to spend a dime. Yet, there are real advantages to using the right lacrosse recruiting services.

Knowledge: Understanding how the system works is vital to getting a scholarship. The best recruiting services properly evaluate the talent of your child and go about shopping their skills to the most appropriate colleges and universities. This knowledge of the system means that less time is wasted on colleges that would have little to no interest in your child while maximizing their chances at places where they will be quickly recruited.

Planning: Recruitment is a multi-year process that often starts in the 9^th grade thanks to the camps and tournaments held outside the school system, which draws in interested parties from colleges and universities. By the time a lacrosse player reaches their senior year, they have already been seen and evaluated by coaches and recruiting staff from many different colleges. A good recruiting service plans for this and provides valuable information about where your child can compete and be seen, which increases their chances of success.

Network: While networking is arguably overrated, it is still an important function of the best-recruiting services. A recruiting company with a solid network knows how to properly market your child’s ability and potential to the right colleges because they have the proper contacts and relationships to reach the right people.

Of course, a recruiting service devoted to lacrosse players will only be as good as the personnel, contacts, attributes, and evaluation abilities. This means it’s important to select the company that offers the best one on one attention for your teen while still being affordable. Plus, you must keep in mind the changing times and perhaps the changing interests of your child. A good recruiting professional will help you stay on track and hone in on the details of current opportunities, which is an invaluable resource for parents who know their child is serious about lacrosse.

How SportsForce Can Help

If you are looking for a lacrosse recruiting service that maximizes your child’s chances of earning a scholarship, SportsForce is here for you. We have the knowledge, experience, and networking that provides lacrosse athletes the right path towards getting successfully recruited.

Our services include proper evaluation and creating a plan that best fits the skills and talents of your child so you can focus on the right schools for scholarship opportunities. At SportsForce, we are here to help your child realize their dream while getting the education they need from the right college or university. For a free evaluation click HERE.

Unfortunately, the college recruiting process is not a predictable one as many coaches use their own criteria to fill the needs of their team. So, while you may try your best to get your name and abilities out there for the coaches to see, the final decision will rest with them on who they choose to provide scholarships.

For parents and their children looking for the right college or university, it pays to look at the big picture, then narrow down the options over time. Too many will start with a shortsighted perspective and try to expand from there, which normally works against getting a scholarship when the original choices are gone. Putting all your eggs in one basket works against your interests primarily because of the unpredictability of recruiting.

The Unpredictability of Recruiting

Recruiting for colleges is a fluid, ever-changing process that often changes the perspective of how a high school athlete is viewed over the course of two to three years. In addition, coaching changes at universities are frequent as well. This means that an athlete who was highly prized may be forgotten as the new coach takes over.

Another issue is the opinions of those who may be a part of the recruiting process who may advise you and your child that the chances of getting a scholarship are not worth much until the offer is presented. You should never put much faith in what anyone tells you until the scholarship has been offered. Plus, focusing on what one coach says may cause you to miss out on other opportunities that may work out better in the long run.

The unpredictability increases with the lack of knowledge parents and their children have about the colleges and universities themselves. All schools that are worth serious consideration should be thoroughly researched so that their recruiting strategies are understood. For example, a coach will recruit athletes that best fit the system they have created. If your talents are not normally part of that system, then your chances are diminished in terms of getting a scholarship.

How SportsForce Helps You

You can avoid putting all your eggs in one basket by getting SportsForce on your side. We provide the resources you need to help your child get recruited by colleges and universities around the country. In a nutshell we maximize the chances of your son or daughter getting a college scholarship that pays for their higher education.

We help you see the big picture with all the possibilities to consider then narrow down in the right manner. The knowledge, experience, and talents that SportsForce brings to the table means that your child stands the best chance of getting selected by the appropriate college or university.

SportsForce offers a complete line of services designed to get the attention of college coaches so that your child will have their name, abilities, and potential placed front and center for consideration. While there are no guarantees in getting your child a sports scholarship, having SportsForce on your side increases the chances far above the normal recruiting channels that are available. Get a free evaluation from an expert HERE.

While the basic approach college coaches and scouts use to recruit high school athletes have remained the same, one of the more notable changes is the use of social media. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are just a few of the social media sites that allow people to stay connected and enhance the recruiting process.

Combined with the advent of the smartphone, social media has changed the way people stay in touch and has become a method for high school athletes to reach out to colleges and universities.

With colleges reaching out to their fan bases using social media, it’s no surprise that coaches also use it as part of their recruiting efforts. This has created both positive and negative aspects for athletes in terms of how it can affect their chances at being recruited. In fact, there are several cases in which a promising high school talent cost themselves a chance for a scholarship because of their misuse of social media.

How You Can Use Social Media to Your Advantage

For high school students who are looking to get scholarship opportunities from colleges, here are a few tips that will help improve your chances.

Presentation: How you are portrayed on social media is how people like college coaches and recruiters will see you. So, while your friends and family may know one side of you, those who are considering you for their team do not unless that is portrayed on your social media. Keep in mind that this does not mean staying away from subjects like racism, sexual orientation, or political points of view. Rather, it is the use of coarse language, unsettling photos, and vulgarity that will have a negative effect.

Photographs: All it takes is one image of something controversial such as weapons, nudity, or drugs to pull you from consideration. You can use your privacy settings to ensure that your photos are protected and to ensure that you are not tagged in a photo by someone else that is controversial in nature.

Language: If you post something that will have your mother or grandmother disapproving, then you shouldn’t post it. This is mostly about keeping your language in check because the use of profanity is the most eye-catching of all ways to have college coaches lose interest in recruiting you for their team. Go over your posts and tweets over the past several months and remove or at least clean-up those that have profanity.

Keep in mind that your social media presence should still represent who you are, but it needs to be presentable to anyone who views it.

Why SportsForce is the Ultimate Solution

To make the most of your efforts in getting recruited, SportsForce provides proven solutions to help in the preparation and marketing of your abilities. In addition to the many services SportsForce provides, one of them is to advise you on your social media accounts so they are more presentable to college coaches.

This does not mean changing who you are, but simply presenting yourself on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media accounts as your best self. Let SportsForce show you how to reach college coaches to help achieve your goals. Sign up for a free evaluation Here.

For high school athletes who excel at lacrosse, you may have noticed some legitimate and not so legitimate lacrosse recruiting websites for colleges and universities. Just like many other sports, there are now specific websites designed to attract high school athletes to colleges, which increases their recruiting potential.

Although many things have changed in terms of recruiting, the basics of having excellent grades and considerable talent remain the same. Armed with those two attributes and you or your child will have an excellent chance of being recruited by many different universities. However, even the best athletes with the highest grades may be overlooked by some colleges because of the sheer number of talented students available.

Steps to Get Recruited

To maximize the chances of being recruited, it is important that you follow the right steps so that your talents are known to as many colleges as possible.

Evaluation: A proper evaluation of the talent present is the first step to know where you stand in terms of what colleges may be interested in you. A fair assessment means that you can create guidelines of what is obtainable without ruling out other choices. For example, lower division NCAA and NAIA schools may offer substantial scholarships for your talents and the ability to play if you are not considered among the top recruits.

Expectations: Knowing how your talents are assessed helps in shaping your expectations. Don’t forget the academic aspects of what makes you attractive to colleges. The stronger your academics, the greater the possibilities for obtaining funds for your college experience. Keep in mind that many lower division colleges do not offer full athletic scholarships, but there are academic and community scholarships along with student loans.

Preparation: It’s often the little things that make the difference in getting recruited. This means talking to your high school coach for guidance, attending off-season tournaments, and researching colleges that might have the most interest in your abilities. Other things that can be done include, but are not limited to the following;

Register: You can register with the NCAA Eligibility Center, which puts you on the list of available athletes.

Contact the College: Make them aware that you are available and where they can find more information. Quite often, a short, initial contact makes all the difference in getting them to look at you.

Short Video: A short, three-minute video demonstrating the skills playing lacrosse may provide the impact needed to get their interest. Be sure to post the video to YouTube or another popular site and put in contact information. You should also create a DVD with a full game along with the highlights and send to those who ask for it.

Why SportsForce Can Help You

When viewing the many lacrosse recruiting websites, SportsForce has helped over 1,000 athletes and can help maximize your chances of being recruited by the college or university that best suits your needs. For lacrosse players, getting your name out there is vital towards obtaining a scholarship from the college that will help you succeed in achieving your dreams.

If you are looking to maximize your chances of getting a scholarship to a college that offers the opportunities that you want, then SportsForce provides you with the tools needed to succeed. Sign up for a free evaluation today by clicking HERE

So you’ve developed your recruiting game plan, effectively marketed yourself to your target schools, and you’re starting to see some responses and interest from college coaching staffs. When you get past the initial emails expressing their mutual interest, the next stage is to get on the phone together. So what are you supposed to say?

In this edition of our college lacrosse education series, we’ll cover some of the things you need to keep in mind when you reach the stage of speaking on the phone or in person with a coach who is actively recruiting you. Like many things in life, relationships are the key to a successful recruitment, and often a phone call is an early step in fostering those relationships with college programs.

Breathe

Yes, there is a physical component to this. We’ve all felt anxiety in new situations…it’s a natural and normal reaction. Just like performing on the lacrosse field, you’ll do better when you can calm your nerves to simply perform. One of the main ways you can control this (on the field and off) is through your breathing. Before the call, do some controlled deep breathing exercises and review the information you’ve gathered on the school, lacrosse program, and coach to whom you are scheduled to speak. If you get hung up during the call and find yourself sucking air, try to take deep breaths with your mouth away from the phone while the coach is speaking.

Be honest/ this is about YOU

Of course you don’t want to lie to a coach on the phone or in person, but what we’re talking about here is providing a coach with YOUR goals and dreams. We’ve all memorized the “right answers” to questions about our game- “it’s about the team”, “I’ll play anywhere you need me”, “I just want to be a good teammate”, but that doesn’t tell a recruiter what you think YOU can bring to their program. If you want to compete for a starting spot as a freshman, say that. If you’re willing to play defensive midfield for a year or two to get the chance to compete for an offensive spot, say that, but it needs to be about what YOU want and what YOU are willing to do to make that happen. You have to realize that your coach and your program aren’t in charge of your progression, so it’s up to YOU to get better and compete for playing time. At the college level, your desire and dedication to reaching your own goals serve as an important indicator to a coach of how well you will play for them and their program, increasing your ability to secure a roster spot or scholarship offer.

Avoid negative statements

There is a difference between saying you prefer a larger university and saying you don’t like small schools. There’s a difference between saying that you’re interested in higher-level academics than something disparaging, even about another school. As a high school student-athlete, it’s likely that you have an idea of what you want, but you really don’t know what will work best for you and your family. The risk you run by going negative is in offending a recruiter. These coaches are proud and dedicated to their schools and programs, so the wrong critical or negative comment can change the complexion of the conversation and end their recruitment of you. Enter each interaction with an open mind, ready to listen to what the coach is trying to tell you about the opportunity they’re offering.

Ask questions

One of the best ways to let a coach know that you’re seriously interested is through thoughtful questions. You want to ask things that can’t be found through a quick google search. Information like majors offered, class sizes, and campus location can all be found quickly and easily. If you want to maximize your time with the coach, you want to ask questions you can’t find online:

1. What would my typical day look like in the fall? In the spring?
2. What type of player do you recruit? How many are you recruiting in my class?
3. Where do you see me fitting in your program? What can I work on to fit better in your program?
4. Does the lacrosse team live together? Is there a Greek system or a “Lacrosse Fraternity”?
5. Is there a prevalent major among the guys on the team?

These are just a few examples, but you want to ensure that you convey to the coach that you have thought about his program and you are interested in learning more from him. That kind of preparation encourages the coaches to engage with you and lets them know they’re not wasting their time with a prospect that is only lukewarm on their school.

Don’t commit to anything you’re not sure of

College coaches are salesmen. They have to be salesmen to attract the best recruits and build their programs. Because they are juggling 75 recruits to commit 15 of them, they sometimes get aggressive in asking for your thoughts on commitment to their school. Don’t let a coach paint you into a corner or solicit an answer you’re not prepared to give. A simple “I would need to discuss that with my family before I give you an answer” will usually suffice. The same applies for pressure to visit the campus – “Thanks coach, and I’ll sit down with my parents to see if that weekend can work for us as well”. The main thing you want to avoid is agreeing to something only to go back on it later, which can create issues in your relationship with that coach.

While we often talk about this college selection process as one of the most important decisions you’ll make in your life, we also must recognize that a coach’s choices affect their families and livelihoods as well, so they take this process very seriously. They want to get to know the real you so they can evaluate your fit in their program, both on the field and off. Your ability to communicate effectively and show genuine interest in their school and lacrosse program can greatly impact the opportunities you get throughout the recruiting process. You certainly don’t have to be polished and have all the answers, but effectively communicating through some nerves shows coaches your maturity and begins to give him an idea of who you are, both as a student-athlete and a young man.

As we have mentioned many times, tournaments, showcases, or camps can serve as a great way for you to significantly increase your recruiting exposure. They can also serve as a great way to increase your contact with the college coaches on your target list and to maximize your college recruiting and scholarship opportunities. You need to make sure you are taking advantage of these opportunities!

Have you connected with college coaches both before and after your events?

Many of these events are set up to include many top colleges coaches from across the country. You should choose your events by figuring out where your target schools are attending and where you can play against the best competition and maximize your exposure. Sometimes this means regional team events, prospect days, or individual showcases.

Reaching Out Before an Event

The first thing you need to do is reach out to all of the coaches from the colleges on your target list that will be attending your upcoming events. You will want to introduce yourself, let them know your interest in their program, and how and where they can see you at the upcoming event. (See a full example below)

Here is what you want to make sure you include in your email to coaches:

– Full Name – School – Club Team Name

– Position(s) – Grad Year – Jersey #

– GPA – Club/ High School Coach Contact Info

– Tournament Schedule (Fields, Times, etc.)

Example Email to Coaches before a Recruiting Event:

Following Up After an Event

Many of these events are designed to give coaches a great chance to see a good number of potential recruits playing against top competition. Do you feel that you have had a good amount of coaches at your games? Did you contact your target schools ahead of your events and did their coaches come out to watch you play?

If yes, the most important thing to do now is to follow up with them and thank them for taking the time to come out and watch you play. The biggest challenge in the recruiting process is establishing a solid relationship with your target schools’ coaches.

With the remaining events this year, it is important that you stay relevant in these coaches’ eyes. Establishing and maintaining these relationships with meaningful dialogue will be the most crucial component in getting an offer from your target schools. So while you don’t want to overwhelm them with contact, get your highlight video made, provide a personal update, and follow up with the coaches you’ve met to make sure that you stay on their radar.