Aside from the obvious trait as to whether or not you can actually play and excel at your respective sport in college, what other traits do collegiate coaches look for when they are recruiting?
For those of you athletes who deeply aspire to play competitively at the next level and are willing to do what it takes to get there, you will actually increase you odds of getting that opportunity if you have an idea of what coaches are looking for.
Do coaches look for ONLY talent?
How much does work ethic matter?
What kind of shape do you need to be in leading up to your freshman year from high school?
How much do your academics matter?
How much does social media matter?
How about Sport IQ?
Grit?
Communication?
All of the above??
In coming to contact with high school athletes on a daily basis and having had to go through the very trying process of walking on at the Division 1 level, I always jump at the opportunity to help an aspiring athlete in any way possible to help them get that chance, if they are willing to work.
Over time, I have gotten a solid feel for who really understands what it takes, and who THINKS they know what it takes.
To help provide even more perspective on what it takes, and what coaches are looking for, I created a survey and asked my close friends, former coaches, and contacts who are elite collegiate coaches and former recruiters what they look for in athletes when they recruit.
From top Division 1 football programs like Penn State, to top Top division 1 volley ball programs, to University of Miami and FIU former recruiting coordinators, the feedback that they provided is invaluable, especially to those of you looking for that opportunity.
Over the next several weeks I will be sharing what these coaches answered in the survey, and how you may be able to get a jumpstart, and maybe a reality check.
On our 3rd part of this series, we interview Ryan Martinez, former assistant recruiting coordinator at The University of Miami and Florida International University
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Sport: Football
School: University of Miami, FIU
What traits do you look for when recruiting high school athletes?
“Overall athleticism, Speed, Sport IQ, Coachability, Drive/Perseverance, Work Ethic, Body Type
What would be the top 3 you choose of these traits? Why?
The top 3 would be Sports/Position IQ, Work Ethic and Strong Academics. Sports IQ tells you a lot about a player. How quick can they retain information and translate it on the field. You want players that can match athleticism with intellect.
Work Ethic. How often is he studying film. Does he lead by example. Does he stay after practice to work on his craft or is he the first one off the field.
Strong Academics. It does not matter how talented the student athlete is, no grades mean no admission into school. Plain and simple.
When do you typically begin the recruiting process?
The recruiting process normally starts after the students athletes sophomore year in High School.