The reality is you cannot rely on your high school coach to handle the recruiting process for you. Recruiting is simply far too complicated a process. Some coaches do help with the process because they care about their athletes. Some coaches are very good with the recruiting process. Some coaches will tell you they are very good with the recruiting process but don’t truly know enough to help maximize your college sports recruiting success. But the fact of the matter is that most high school coaches do not have the time to get a student-athlete recruited, let alone a handful of them. These coaches have morning workouts, a full-time job, practice after school, film to watch in preparation for their next game, and most of them have families to go home to at the end of the day. There are 1,700 college
Not only do coaches not have the time, but they don’t have the connections to maximize each student-athlete’s recruiting experience. A high school coach typically has five or 10 connections at the collegiate level. Usually these are smaller schools, probably local, or even the coach’s alma mater. How is a student-athlete supposed to maximize their exposure when they may be getting seen by five or 10 college coaches when they should be exposed to a minimum of 100.
So what can your coach do?
Your high school coach is an important contributor to your development as an athlete, but the coach is also the most important character reference that you have.
College coaches rely on high school coaches to provide honest evaluations of a player’s attitude and work ethic. A college coach may even ask if an athlete’s parents are easy to deal with. Your high school coach’s honest response to these concerns can be a big factor in the recruiting process.
There are several ways to foster an excellent relationship with your coach.
- Communicate with your coach from day one. Meet with the coach and find out what he/she expects from you.
- If you have a misunderstanding or disagreement with your coach, ask to meet with them right away to clear it up. Being proactive shows your maturity level and character.
- Respect your coach. Mutual respect can help ensure positive interaction during your high school athletic career.
