There is a common fear among recruits (and parents!) that college coaches will somehow miss them in the recruiting process. We want to put that fear to rest right now. If you are proactive and engaged as a recruit, you won’t get missed. A proactive recruit contacts and connects with coaches. He invests in his development as a player and learns what it takes to get recruited. Also, he acts on that information. Proactive recruits who get passed over or ignored by coaches probably targeted the wrong levels or schools for their skill sets.
In the remainder of this article, we discuss 5 reasons why proactive recruits don’t get missed. We’ll lay out the steps you can take to ensure you are putting yourself in the best position to have meaningful contact with coaches.
Reason #1: College Coaches Are Too Good at Their Jobs
Some college coaches are better at finding and signing talent than others. However, generally speaking, college coaches do an incredible job at blanketing the country and finding players. They have deep networks of connections. They spend a lot of time on the road recruiting. Most check their emails and social media religiously. Even if you live in the far corners of the United States (or World, for that matter) you can be seen if you are reaching out to college coaches with a well-written email and skills video, or using social media well. Since these things can be done for free, there’s no excuse for not getting seen by a college coach! More on this in Reason #3.
Reason #2: There Are Too Many College Baseball Programs
Did you know there are over 1,700 college baseball programs in the country? There are programs for every level of college baseball player. They range from enrollment driven JV teams to top level D1 competition and everything in-between. The key to playing at the next level is finding and targeting the right schools. You need to find schools that will be the best fit for you and your skill set. Things you should consider include your on-field skill level, academic level, extracurricular interests, desired major or area of study, budget, and much more! You can find a place that matches your skills and interests.
Reason #3: Creating Quality Exposure Is Free
Let’s reiterate what we said in Reason #1 above. The best form of exposure to a college coach is to send a well-written email with a link to a skill video and use social media to generate additional interest. This is good news. What’s even better? You can create this type of exposure for free! Many programs have tight recruiting budgets and will use video and their network to actively recruit. In our most recent college coaches survey, two-thirds of the respondents said they would commit a player who they had only seen on video if the circumstances were right. Only 2 out of 18 coaches said they wouldn’t.
If you are concerned that you won’t get noticed by college coaches through other means, focus your attention on creating meaningful exposure yourself. The timing of when you send these emails is incredibly important. Don’t just start firing emails off. Time it for when you have developed a recruitable skill set and the coaches at your schools of interest are actively recruiting players in your graduation year. In other words, strike while the iron is hot.
Reason #4: Technology has Made Exposure Easier
This goes hand-in-hand with reason #1 and #3. It’s easier than ever for coaches to reach players and players to reach coaches with meaningful information. Use email, social media, and other technology that’s at your disposal to learn from, connect with, and impress college coaches. Think about it. You are using technology right now to find out how you can get recruited!
Reason #5: You Are an Educated Recruit with a Plan for Success
You’re using KPB as a resource and that means that you have all the information you need to put together a personalized recruiting plan and make it to college baseball! Since you are a KPB recruit, you know how to write an email, create a successful recruiting video, when to contact coaches, what coaches are looking for in recruits, how to create goals and measure development, and much, much more. You have everything you need to be successful in the recruiting process. Now, get to work.
