It’s good to think through your current status in the recruiting process. Many athletes think they are right on time in their recruitment only to be surprised later that what they thought was recruiting was only the start of a recruitment. Recruiting calendars can be complex. Evaluation and contact periods can be hard to piece together and make them work for the prospect. College coaches give you very little guidance as to how to take a holistic approach to the process. Remember, this is your recruitment and college search. It’s always best to know exactly where you stand in the process on any given day.

Barrett Athletic Consulting helps the student-athlete take control of the pace and depth of their college search. You typically get one shot at selecting the right program and best school, leave nothing to chance. If you can answer yes to most if not all of the following questions, you are in good shape and are well on your way to finding what you want out of the process. If you can’t answer yes, then you may want to consider another approach to your college search.

Gauging your current recruiting status

Simple questions to ask yourself when looking at colleges and their sports programs:

  • Do you have a written athletic offer in your possession?
  • Have you been invited on an official, paid visit to the school?
  • Have you been offered a scholarship verbally?
  • Have you taken multiple visits to the same college both unofficially and officially?
  • Are you speaking to college coaches personally on a regular basis?
  • Have you created a priority list of schools that you have interest in? Are you talking frequently to the coaches of the schools you like best?
  • Have you evaluated all of the ‘fit” criteria for each school? Athletic, Financial, Environmental, Academic factors that will impact your choice. Do you know how each one stands up to your personal values and interests?
  • Are college coaches telling you where you may fit into their program?
  • Do you understand the budgets and scholarship limitations of the schools you are being recruited by?
  • Do you know what schemes/style of play schools that are recruiting play?
  • Have you filled out a Financial Aid Estimator? (Pre FAFSA work)
  • Do you know the net out of pocket costs you will incur at each of the schools you are being recruited by? Do you understand your cumulative 4-5 year investment you will be making for your education?
  • Do you know the coaches career track or their future plans (contract status, stability of program, state of program)
  • Do you have an NCAA ID#
  • Have you signed up for the NCAA Clearinghouse? The Play NAIA?
  • Do you know how many athletes in your class the college coach is going to add? Do you know the college coaches position of need for your particular class? Do you know where they focus their recruiting efforts (geography, positional need, local-regional-national-international)?