Grand Slam Recruitment Consultants

A high school athlete recently contacted us requesting recruitment assistance. These were a couple questions I asked:

What have you done to get recruited?

ANSWER: My coach knows some college coaches and he is going to make some calls. I have also participated in Showcase style events for 3 years without any offers.

Coaches that know college coaches are a great resource, but it limits athletes to who a coach knows. There are hundreds of collegiate programs with many different levels of play and needs.

The biggest misconception about a Showcase events is the recruitment expectation. The biggest benefit to a showcase event is the high-level of play. Players need to show college coaches that they can compete at the high levels.

What colleges have you contacted?

None

Players that want to play in college have to communicate with coaches. Every college has lists of players that are interested in playing for them. Step 1 is get on their recruitment list.

Team College Recruitment Class

1. Teach players and parents the tools to increase recruitment opportunities.

2. Recruitment timing and research.

3. Social media developement and use.

4. Use of Showcase and colligate camps.

When players leave the class they will have a individualized recruitment plan.

*Class size is restricted to 15 so that individual attention can be give to each player.

If you are willing to go to a hitting or pitching lesson, why wouldn’t you go to an ACT prep class or use a tutor to increase your GPA?

Collegiate Recruitment starts in the classroom.

Ego and attitude keep more kids out of college sports than ability.

Thank you to Coach Chris Allen at Wheelhouse Baseball for the invitation to participate in the podcast!

Are collegiate athletic camps worth the money?

Absolutely! This is your opportunity to meet the coach, learn their coaching style, meet players and see the campus. It is also a great time to schedule a campus tour and talk to an academic advisor in your area of study. I encourage student athletes to schedule the campus tour a day prior to the camp. This is a great time to see the city where the school is located. After all , this is wher you will be living the next four years.

Are Showcase Tournaments worth the money?

The short answer is maybe. Not every tournament is full of college coaches. It is a players responsibility to communicate with a coach prior to the tournament by providing a list of games and times. Even if coaches are not there, use short video clips to capture your abilities and you being a good teammate.

College Coaches will not magically find you. Take control of your recruitment by developing a plan.

Step 1: Evaluate the education that the school provides. Does the school have your major of study? Do they have athletes that complete the major. (Some majors will discourage student athletes from selecting a major because of the travel and commitments of being a student athlete.

Step 2: Is the school in an area that you are willing to live in for the next 4 years.

Step 3: Is the athletic program a fit. Coaches and players.

Step 4: Sign up as a recruit on the schools website.

The most important three letters in recruitment of collegiate players is GPA.