One of the things I tell parents and players all the time is that you need to start early in the college recruiting process.  This process does NOT start Junior or Senior year.  It’s starts as soon as you get to high school!!!  I talk about 3 major reasons you should start early in my $1 College Recruiting Webinar, but today, I’ll share yet another reason; one that you may not have considered.

The Competition is FIERCE!

I know, you’re probably thinking, “Duh, I already know that.”

I’m not talking about the competition you’re in for a scholarship, I’m talking about the competition coaches are in battling to get the best players and strengthen their program.

Have you ever thought about that side of it before?

One thing you have to realize about this whole thing is that technology has seriously changed the game.  People are connecting like never before.  Information spreads from one end of the country to the other (heck even around the world) in seconds!  The internet has forever changed communication and, as a result, the college recruiting game.

After all, put yourself in a college coaches shoes for a second.   You’re trying to build the best team possible so that you can have successful seasons and keep your job.  However, with the speed at which information travels now days, if you know about  great player, chances are so do at least a dozen other coaches.  Great news travels fast and news about a great player is certainly no exception.  Wouldn’t you, as a coach, want to be on top of the game and get in touch with this player before some other big fish has the chance to snatch her up?  After all, if you sit back and wait, some other team is going to get stacked up with all the best players and you’re team will end up losing to theirs 8 days a week.

Make no mistake, the competition among coaches to get players for their team is probably close to as fierce as the competition to get that spot on a college team.  That’s why college coaches are starting to identify prospects earlier and earlier. Don’t kid yourself by thinking that this doesn’t happen since college coaches aren’t allowed to talk to players until junior year.  Scholarship funds ARE being “allocated” BEFORE student-athletes reach their junior year for many program.  If you wait until then, it may be too late to get the opportunities you were looking for.

Yes, it’s true that not all colleges are that far ahead of the recruiting time line.  Not all college coaches start looking for prospects in the freshman and sophomore classes.  The FTR Episode I did with Bill Vasko, DII Softball Coach explains that a bit further.   However, why eliminate a chunk of your options simply by making the decision to WAIT in this college recruiting process?

Remember, college coaches are starting earlier and earlier to get a jump on their competition.  That means YOU need to be ready sooner than players of the past.  Don’t wait!  If you’re a high school aged softball player, your journey has already started. What have you done so far?

Need help getting started? Check out these awesome college recruiting resources.

1.  Get the NCAA’s Guide for the College Bound Student-Athlete (free download).  I won’t post a link here because it changes every year as they put out a new publication every year.  But if you Google “NCAA Guide for the College Bound Student-Athlete” you should be able to find it rather quickly.  Get the guide.  Read it cover to cover.  Make sure you understand it and do the things the NCAA suggests.

2.  I have a couple of free college recruiting resources up on our Fastpitch Freebies page.  Check those out as well.

3.  $1 College Recruiting Webinar:  I did a webinar on why it’s so super important to start early.    Got some valuable information in there and it’ll only cost ya a buck.

4.  Online College Recruiting Educational System:  Feel like there’s more you need to know about the college recruiting process?  Learn the ins and outs of college recruiting so that you can create your own blue print for success.

5.  Help from NCSA: The college recruiting process can be overwhelming and frustrating.  If you feel that you need personal assistance through this journey you can get it from people who help families like yours every day.  They are as passionate about what they do as you are about softball.  The only people I recommend for this is NSCA.  As much as I know about this process, I plan in tapping into the wealth of knowledge and expertise they bring to the table when my oldest daughter begins her journey in 2010.