My thoughts on Recruiting Services for High School Athletes
One evening as I sat down in my office finishing up a consult with a parent and her son who was a football player, the mother asked me what my opinion was on hiring recruiting services to help her kid get more looks from schools.
My answer:
They definitely could be beneficial; however, they aren’t always necessary.
Some recruiting services are outstanding. The reality of it is, the premise of success is based upon the recruiter’s cultivated relationships with college coaches, universities and the gamut.
A downside to using the services for some families is the investment. Determining if it is worthwhile depends on how much you value what they offer, and how much faith you have in your child’s ability to earn a scholarship at the next level.
But here is the reality, if you and your child have a computer, a phone, an email, a social media account, and are persistent, you will not need hire a recruiter.
At the end of the day, it is about marketing, putting the athlete in front of coaches as much as possible, and consistently.
Pretty simple.
It does not take that much time make a list of school, go on their respective websites, collect the contact information to the coaches, and shoot over an email.
Making a list of 40 schools and reaching out to each, you will for sure get feedback from at least 5 of those schools, and begin cultivating a recruiting relationship.
In addition, some of those schools will probably have a few camps where your kid can actually be able to work with the coaches on a more intimate basis where they can get truly evaluated, and begin communicating.
No it is not the prettiest way to begin the recruiting process, but it is way to learn how to really “sell” the athlete, and also develop the networking skill and resilience necessary to build character.
Again, this is not to disregard recruiting services in any way, because there really are some great companies with great people who strive to get your child an opportunity. However, if you can not afford one, then learning and teaching your child how to create his or her own opportunity can have just as much of a return with less of a financial investment.