Often when someone asks about college sports recruiting, one of the first questions I get is “Can you help my child with exposure?” It’s an interesting question and one that lots of parents tend to focus on. But let’s think through the college sports recruiting process a little bit to better understand where “exposure” really fits into the equation.
Let’s go back to the basics:
- Not every student-athlete will play D1. In fact most will NOT. Its just simple math and that in and of itself is important because where you focus your attention as a recruit is critical and many make the mistake of focusing on schools they will never be able to play at.
- College Recruiting is changing. The ability to transfer for student-athletes also has a cause and effect that coaches are taking advantage of too. In fact most college football recruiting directors are now managing their rosters to handle around 25% churn due to transfers. This churn means they are replacing those players with other college players more frequently than high school players. So regardless of your “exposure” plan, the data is the data.
- Measurables: This is where exposure really matters. If you are tall, speedy, have great grades or have other physical characteristics, then this is where exposure starts to matter.
So let’s focus in on the proper way to handle your own “exposure”! Well focus on being the best person, player and student you can be. Develop “target schools” that align to the student-athletes abilities (again most will not go D1 so plan for different types of schools. Once you “target” your priority schools, be proactive with how you communicate, leverage social media, engage with pro-active calls, make visits and more. The “spray & pray” strategy of exposure really doesn’t work well. But if you want to control YOUR exposure, be targeted!
For more information on college sports recruiting, visit http://www.recruit-route.com.
