Biz Tips
By Tom Kovic
With summer on the horizon and the end of the academic year fast approaching, high school prospects have every opportunity to get a well-deserved breather. Taking time to relax a little after a demanding school year and a rigorous training schedule creates “new life.”
The summer offers prospective student-athletes a chance to organize and utilize specific recruiting tactics to grow awareness and momentum in your college recruiting effort. The prospect that looks at the next 100 days as an opportunity to maximize college recruiting will position themselves best.
Athletic Goals
Begin by identifying the goals you want to accomplish during the summer. I suggest you develop a list of 2-3 skills on each event and one vault upgrade you plan to master. Develop an e-mail to the college coaches and include your training goals.
This strategy accomplishes two critical points. 1) You create clarity and direction for summer training and 2) You put yourself on the line with the college coaches!
Updates
Share regular highlight video updates with the college coaches. 100 days to Maximize College Recruiting may seem like a lot of time, but it passes quickly!
Prospects should target four video updates throughout the summer. The first update will likely be a little rough around the edges. College coaches are aware of this, so do not hesitate to share imperfect highlights! The first update is only the start point to your quest to attain skill mastery at the end of the summer.
Academic Goals
Progress in the classroom is equally essential to progress in the gym. Share your school transcripts with the college coaches after the academic year. If you have recently taken standardized testing, share this information with the coaches as well.
It would help if you had your fall academic schedule available. Share your upcoming class schedule with the college coaches. Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center and pass this information on to the coaches too!
Campus Visits
If you are serious about a specific group of colleges on your list, there is no better time for a casual visit to campus than the summer. These visits might not have the same feel and energy as a fall visit when school is in session, but if they are well-planned, you can walk away feeling well-informed and more confident.
Summertime is an ideal time to connect with college coaches on campus, but don’t just show up and count on a chance meeting. E-mail coach two weeks out and convey your tentative visit plans and let him know you and your family would be excited to meet with him and inquire about the program.
Let the coach know you will follow-up by phone to confirm the office visit. Remember, there are new NCAA recruiting contact rules in effect. You are now permitted to interview with coaches beginning June 15 after the sophomore year in high school!
Communication
I am a firm believer that practical communications skills can position a prospect best in the eyes of college coaches. The recruiting process is very competitive, and you need to separate yourself from the pack. It just requires a little courage and effort.
Communication is a broad term, but when whittled down to its essential components, it becomes less complicated. Remember to:
- Be proactive in every area of communication (e-mail, phone calls) and remember that for the most part, coaches are bound to strict NCAA contact rules.
- Remain clear and crisp with your updates and re-caps. Continue to be persistent. The coaches want you to initiate contact!
- If your communication requires either a voice to voice or face to face element, prepare well, practice to a fault, and leave nothing to chance.
Tom Kovic is a former Division I college coach and Founder/Principal of Victory Collegiate Consulting, where he advises prospects and families on college recruiting. For further information visit: www.victoryrecruiting.com.