College Recruiting

Beginning the Process

First Steps

1. Ask yourself what kind of college experience you are looking for.
2. Decide if you see yourself playing volleyball in college.
3. Research degree programs that you may become interested in.
4. Think about what states / towns you could see yourself living in.
5. Be realistic in your skill level and open-minded towards different paths to take to achieve your ultimate goal.

What Kind of College Experience Do You Want?

1. There are so many aspects to being a college student.
2. Think about academics, social life, sports
3. Some schools have “big” school feels vs “small” school feels
4. Some you can walk around to all your classes others you have to take busses
5. Do you want your school to have a football team?
6. Do you want freedom in your schedule or are you okay with rigidness?
7. Will you want more in-person or online classes?
8. Will you want to join sororities / clubs
9. How far do you want to be from home?
10. How often will you want to go home?

Student Over Athlete

1. Academics should always come first
2. Don't choose a school that forces you to change career paths
3. If you struggle academically, sports can help or harm that depending on your level of drive
4. Find a school where you would be happy being a student outside of athletics
5. Remember that your life after college is what you need to focus on. Sports can help you get there.

Day to Day Life Outside Of Volleyball

1. Your happiness in a campus should also be forefront in your mind
2. Is there things you enjoy within reach (beach, hiking, shopping, etc.)
3. Could you see yourself living in the town if volleyball wasn’t in the picture?
4. Do you like the culture of the campus? Are the people friendly?
5. Does the school offer nice housing and dining?

Paths to Take

1. Full ride athletic scholarship
2. Academic scholarship with role on the team
3. Walk on spot
4. Small program to big
5. Club volleyball

So It Is A Yes?

Next Steps To Take

Become Informed

1. Register for a free account with the NCAA Eligibility Center
1. This will allow you the schools you contact to find you and reach back out.
2. As you get more involved with colleges you can pay for the advanced one.
3. Don't get tricked into buying fancy services - this one is all you NEED and the others can become scammy.
2. Check into your financial situation
• Do you need your degree to be covered?
• Would you be comfortable taking out loans?
• D1 - athletic $, D2 - mixed $, D3 - academic $, NAIA different governing
3. Research programs and their rosters
• How do they recruit for your position (height, academic year, number of players)
• How do they recruit overall? Out of state, overseas, transfers, etc.
• How long has their coaching staff been there / what is their background?

Creating a Spreadsheet

1. Having a system to track colleges of interest and contact is key to staying organized
2. Any time you see a school of interest, add it to the spreadsheet.
3. If a school says they don't have a spot for you, mark it off and move along. Don't take it personal, it just wasn't meant to be.
4. You can add columns that matter for you such as division, state, etc.
5. Make it make sense for you

Email Email Email

1. Send an email introducing yourself and inviting them to come watch you play.
2. Include all coaches, typically assistants are the gatekeeper to the head coach, if they are interested they will tell the head coach.
3. Add something specific about that school to your email that lets them know you took the time to look into their program.
4. Email them after each tournament with highlights and stats plus a look ahead to the next time you play.
5. Do not stop emailing until they tell you no. These coaches are busy and looking at hundreds of athletes… they will either be interested or respond to get you out of their inbox.

Stats and Video Film

1. Take video of every game you play in.
2. Clip these videos into short videos you can attach to an email to these coaches.
3. If you have hudl that will be easiest but if you do not, YouTube is also a great resource.
4. These coaches don't want to see three perfect attacks in a row. They want to see the full play. Not only your point but how you moved on transition, what you were doing while the ball was on the other side of the net, how you celebrated the point.
5. Summary of stats from the tournament helps add something to your email. Some coaches may not care, others will think it is great that you are evaluating and keeping tangible track of your performance.

https://www.youtube.com/@clairebehan9634

https://www.hudl.com/profile/7949290/LANIE-VANTREASE

Visit Campuses

1. Go visit college campuses in your spare time
2. Take tours and even see about sitting in on classes
3. When you go out of town, check out schools in the area
4. You will quickly learn the things you like and dislike about each school
5. Go into the gym and talk to the coach in person if they are present.

“No” Is Not Devastating

1. In college recruiting, a no is a redirection not a door closed
2. Be thankful that if they respond no, you can focus your attention on other programs that will want you
3. Be open minded to schools that reach out, even if you have never heard of them
4. Be patient - don’t accept your first offer
5. Have a full viewpoint of what you want and what each school can offer you