Why “How to Get Recruited” is the Wrong Question

I’ve been a part of a few youth sports parent groups for years, and I would be willing to bet that topic of how to get recruited is the most common question that’s come up without a close second place.

But it’s the wrong question – and this piece will both address why that’s the case as well as the best advice I can give as a former collegiate player, athlete, and admissions worker.

From my experience, many young athletes think they want to play in college. but their actions do not reflect that / I do not think they are aware of exactly what it takes.

I have worked with many athletes that have gone on to play in college. Most did not make it. They should not feel bad about that – roughly 5.9% of high school volleyball players (that make the team!) will go on to play in college, and only 1.2% will go on to play Division I.

So what separated the players that made it to the next level vs. ones that didn’t?

If you read articles, you’d think it’s all about travel tournaments, recruiting showcases, and online profiles. While those can supplement one’s college search, none of that matters if the player has not gone above and beyond when it comes to their development as a player.

My college athletes have embraced the work it takes to improve their skills. Simply put, they embraced the process of getting better vs. getting caught up in playing time, wins and losses, and other things that are not important to college coaches that are recruiting them.

Some questions to ask yourself when you think you or your athlete wants to play in college:

1) Does my athlete embrace the necessary sacrifices that it will take to get to the next level? One of the biggest differences I saw between the players that said they wanted to play in college and the ones that did it was their actions outside of practice. The players that I never saw outside of our standard practices typically did not make it. You could also see the ones that were putting time into the weight room outside of practices vs. the ones that did not.

I want to make something clear: I do not think playing collegiate volleyball always allows for a healthy balance for well-rounded individuals. Some of my most impressive athletes did not play in college because they were good at other sports, played music/performed in the arts, or simply enjoyed focusing on things other than volleyball 24/7. But it is important for athletes to be honest with themselves: Are they going to be happy sacrificing all the other…