What is wrong with the College Recruiting Process from the eyes of a college soccer coach...

Journal Entry December 2016

For the last few years, I have noticed that the same questions come up from athletes and parents when I am attending ID Camps or Collge Nights. When my colleagues and I talk at showcase events, we often chat about the mistakes that recruits make when they contact us or send highlight tapes. And then there are the parents; they don't understand that we are not recruiting them, we are recruiting their son or daughter.  

Every once in a while, we share a great success story of a recruit and how they handled the entire recruiting process. 

I know there has to be a better way to educate athletes and parents on the recruiting process. Recruiting is not about getting in front of as many coaches as possible; it is all about getting in front of the right coaches and showcasing the value they can bring to our programs. 

I remember the day that I was breakfast with one of my mentors, telling him that I wanted to build a recruiting education platform that taught leadership skills as part of the process. It had to tell the real story about recruiting, be authentic (from the eyes of a college coach for 25 years), be affordable and scalable, and leverage technology that delivered it in a virtual environment.

[The picture to the right is from that meeting, April 2017]

Journal Entry October 2018

I woke up at 5:00 AM this morning with a very vivid picture in my head.

Coaches don't recruit success; they recruit Significance. Coaches desire Athletes of Significance. 

Christian, go build your sports leadership and recruiting education platform! Call it:

 AOS- The Athlete of Significance.

Journal Entry November 2019

Meet Nutmeg the AOS Avatar

Nutmeg is a junior or senior high school soccer player who dreams of becoming a collegiate soccer player. Currently, Nutmeg's focus is on becoming a collegiate soccer player and securing a scholarship to play soccer.

Ultimately, Nutmeg really wants to realize the dream of playing college soccer and having a great college experience.

Nutmeg would be ecstatic if s/he could identify 3-4 colleges to play, meet the coach and team, and not get frustrated with the recruiting process.

Unfortunately, Nutmeg still needs to figure out how to communicate with college coaches and how to get noticed by college coaches.

Nutmeg is also really frustrated:

• By the fact that the college recruiting process is overwhelming.
• That s/he doesn't know where to start, or s/he feels as if they started too late.
• Connecting with college coaches seems like an impossible task.

Finally, so-called experts are saying they will get me in front of college coaches, but I never hear back from schools that I am interested in attending. 

Plus, Nutmeg still feels like s/he needs to get the answers to these questions before moving forward:

• How do I start the search process to find the right place to place?
• How do I do communicate with coaches to get noticed?
• When is the best time to talk with coaches?
• What are coaches looking for in a college soccer player?

Nutmeg is also still hung up on the idea that recruiting services cost money but don't always deliver.

OR

At times it seems as if my high coaches don't have the time or the know-how to help me get recruited.

AND

My parents become over-involved in the recruiting process, and it feels as if they are hindering more then helping.

IN FACT

Nutmeg feels like the miss information on the recruiting process actually won't help her/him to succeed with becoming a collegiate soccer player or securing a scholarship to play soccer.

When all is said and done, Nutmeg wants to be playing for a college soccer team, playing at a college that will prepare him/her for a future, and come out of college with little to no debt.

To help Nutmeg, I would invite him/her to check out AOS The Athlete of Significance, so s/he can understand the recruiting process, know where to start and learn how to communicate with college coaches.

I promise to show Nutmeg "How to showcase his/her Significance to college coaches when presented with the opportunity."

START YOUR JOURNEY WITH THE AOS
JUMPSTART COURSE

Inside the JumpStart Course

• The AOS Recruiting Roadmap
• AOS Recruiting Worksheets
• 3  - Coaches Connection 
• 4 - Mentorship Webinars
• AOS Resources Library
• AOS Leadership Course