Lessons a Mom has Learned about Recruiting!

Meet the Millers – a great example of a family working the recruiting process hard and the right way. They’re right in the middle of a very positive recruiting experience and can offer some valuable insights into the process.

The Millers came to hear NCSA’s College Recruiting Simplified at Penn High School in September of 2010, when their son Gabriel (in yellow shirt) was a sophomore on the (5A) Penn High Football team, one of the most respected programs in the nation. Athletic Director Ben Karasiak made recruiting education available that night, and the Large Group Instruction Room was packed.

Gabriel is the Center and Long Snapper for the powerhouse Penn team this year. He wants to be a Long Snapper in College. His snaps to their Punter are fast, accurate, and consistently timed at .68 – .72 seconds. He is excelling academically with a 3.8 GPA, and Penn is one of the most respected academic high schools in the Midwest. The Millers have taken advantage of the NCSA Network, and came to this year’s presentation at Penn to personally share how it has impacted their recruiting experience since Gabriel entered as a 10th grader. Steffany Miller, Gabriel’s Mom, had this to say:

“I can’t tell enough people about the wealth of information that NCSA has provided us with. My husband Doug and his two brothers each had full rides to college back in the 70′s, so we would have thought things were done the same had we not have gotten the knowledge from NCSA! Now let me tell you, if you are doing everything that needs to be done for your athlete, it will seem like it is another full time job, but it is what it is. They give you all of the information needed to contact the college coaches then you and your athlete just need to get busy and get to work! I can’t imagine all of the time that I have put in to this, that I could have ever expected a highschool coach to have to do for each of their athletes that want to go to college. Parents, you need to be just as committed to the recruiting process as your athlete is, because there is a lot of work to do, but once you receive your first email from a coach, you will know that it has all been worth the effort! Thank you NCSA for all of the tools that you have provided our family with! Especially for directing us to Chris Rubio Long Snapping. What a change that has made in our son! He was committed before, but now has direction, proper instruction, and all of the confidence in the world!”

Besides being in the NCSA Network, Gabriel and his family have received guidance on the top Camps and Exposure events to attend. Many families struggle with this as they want to get their kids out there but don’t know which events are best to attend. Here are Gabriel’s insights on the process so far:

“Last year when my family and I heard Charlie Adams speak at Penn, we approached him after the Talk and brought up that I wanted to be a Long Snapper in college football. He advised me to contact Chris Rubio for long snapping.  That one piece of advice has changed the course of my college recruiting.  I am currently the #7 ranked long snapper for the Class of 2013 in the country via the Chris Rubio rankings, and the #6 ranked snapper for the Class of 2013 via the Kohls rankings.  Chris Rubio has really pin pointed the areas that I needed to work on.  I will be going to the Rubio national event in Las Vegas in January, and I expect to finish well enough to  be ranked in the top 5.  I have watched this year as many of my fellow Rubio longsnappers, and now friends in the class of 2011 and the class of 2012 have receive full scholorships to major D1 colleges.  I have very high expectations that with continued hard work and dedication, I will follow in their footsteps.  I’m not just chasing a dream anymore, but I now feel empowered to climb the ladder of success!  The information that we have gathered from NCSA has been priceless.”

I contacted Mrs. Miller and asked her a few questions so I could share some of the insight they’ve gained seeing the recruiting process from the inside:

CHARLIE ADAMS: Steffany, what are some of the misconceptions you feel that families have about the recruiting process?

STEFFANY MILLER (Gabriel’s mother) “I think that many families think that the colleges are going to come seeking out their athlete, when in most cases, that is just not going to happen.  Also many think that it is their high school coach’s responsibility to have a college scholarship all wrapped up for their athlete. I feel that the high school coach should be willing and able when contacted by a coach to give their recommendation, but they just don’t have time to do all of the leg work for every athlete. ”

CHARLIE ADAMS: What are the top 3 things you all have learned so far about recruiting?

STEFFANY MILLER: “It is alot of work, but with the help of NCSA it is so much easier!  You have to be pro-active and let colleges know that you are interested in them.  My son’s position is specific, so he asks the coach if they are going to need a long snapper in his graduating class.  They will tell you if they are interested, if they are pretty sure they aren’t going to need that position filled, they will generally let you know, and you just move on.  When they are interested they will ask for more films, and for you to keep in touch with them.  Don’t get discouraged!”

“Start early, and stay positive.  My sons two top college teams recruited their long snappers out of the graduating class ahead of him. He could have gotten upset, but it just motivated him to work harder!”

CHARLIE ADAMS: Getting back to the role of the high school coach, what do you think are fair expectations of the  Coach in recruiting and how have you worked with Penn High head football coach Cory Yeoman?

STEFFANY MILLER: “Gabriel keeps Coach Yeoman very up to date on all of the camps that he attends, and how he does at them.  We have let him know that we are working with NCSA, and each time Gabriel talks with a different college, he lets Coach Yeoman know that someone might be contacting him.  We believe it is our job to send the college coaches to Coach Yeoman requesting information about Gabriel, and we would hope then that he would give them his take on how Gabriel would fit into their program.  Penn High uses Hudl to tape all of the games, so we go through each play of every game to make his highlight films.  We have the new highlight film updated every Friday night and continually send the updates to every college around.”

CHARLIE ADAMS: Steffany, what are the 2 things you have found most helpful about the NCSA? Athletic Recruiting Network?”

STEFFANY MILLER: “The Recruiting Management System for the athletes is absolutely fabulous. It pulls all of your hard work together in a very professional presentation.  NCSA also then sends out your profile to all of the colleges that your athlete matches up to.  If you want it sent to other colleges, you are able to do that because of all of the information that you have learned from NCSA.  Their athlete webinar calls are so informative, and it really keeps the athlete (and parents) on track and focused on what needs to be done next!”

It is critical to get into the Network to see what kind of College programs you might qualify for…

To talk with a Scout Coordinator to see if you qualify to talk to a College Scout

NCSA has over 30 Recruiting Expert Speakers including former Notre Dame receiver Derrick Mayes, former Clemson soccer standout John Wilson, award winning Journalist Nicole Watson, Coach Rich Hoffman – who coached Alex Rodriguez in High School, former Wisconsin running back Cecil Martin, and many more. To bring a Recruiting Expert to speak at your School, Club or Event

Charlie Adams, NCSA Athletic Recruiting Network Speaker

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Official Recruiting Education Sponsor
   The National Collegiate Scouting Association (NCSA) was founded in 2000 by Chris Krause, a former full-ride scholarship football player at Vanderbilt University, with a two-pronged mission: To provide a means for college coaches at every level to find the recruits best suited for their programs and to educate high school student athletes and their families about the college recruiting process.

   Since 2000, NCSA has quickly grown to be the leading provider of college sports recruiting technology, data and education for more than 35,000 college coaches and over 200,000 of the nation’s top prospects.

For more information visit, www.ncsasports.org.

 

When Does Recruiting Start?

Myth: Recruiting begins when you are contacted by a college coach during junior or senior of high school.

Reality: Due to the rise in athletic scholarship need and the increase of available information for college coaches, the recruiting process is starting earlier than ever before. According to the NCAA, college coaches are starting to identify 7th and 8th graders as recruits and are even starting to offer scholarships to prospects before their freshman year.

Get Started Now! No recruit has ever started too early or been too prepared. Take action and approach recruiting like your sport and school work - spend time working on it everyday. Take the first step and get Evaluated.

 

Where Do Coaches Recruit?

College Coaches Start with Verified, Third Party Information

Myth: Colleges coaches discover talent by attending camps, combines, showcases, tournaments, and high school games.

Reality: College coaches depend on verified information from reliable sources about prospects as young as 7th grade. Most coaches attend tournaments, games, and camps with a list of student athletes they will evaluate, not with the hopes of discovering prospects.

84% of Division I prospects are identified by the end of sophomore year. You need to be pro-active in getting your name, academic scores and athletic achievements in front of coaches.

Make sure your athletic ability, recruiting information and academic qualificaitons have been verified by credible sources that college coaches trust!

 

How Do Coaches Evaluate?

College coaches evaluate prospects online.

Myth: College coaches initially evaluate talent by attending high school games and watching unsolicited video sent from students and families.

Reality: College coaches do a majority of their initial evaluation by looking at video – requested or received from reliable sources – often delivered online or digitally. After watching video, a coach may decide to have a member of his or her staff make an in-person evaluation.

Make sure to have your edited highlight video and full game footage online in a format that can be easily distributed to college coaches.

Your video must make it easy for coaches to identify you and your play.