The process of getting recruited for college athletics is not easy. It takes a lot of time contacting coaches and practicing to get recognized by coaches but it will be worth it if it pays off.

There is no step to step way to becoming a college athlete but there are some helpful tips coaches, athletic directors, and athletes can give to make the process smoother. Varsity Basketball Coach, Scott Jermain shares how an athlete should start the process of getting recruited.

“The first thing they need to do is sit down with their high school coach and ask them what they need to do to play at the college level,” Jermain said.

Sitting down with your coach and seeing what you need to improve on is a big start to getting recruited. Senior Jack Ardito is a varsity baseball player and he shares some of the things that he works on to make sure he is improving.

“For my position, ball skills, speed, awareness, laying good hits, and leadership skills are the main things I work on,” said Ardito.

Having good skills in the sport is only a part of the recruiting process, and another part is getting your name out there and having good exposure to college coaches. Athletic Director Kirk Hipple gives some advice about getting more exposure.

“The use of social media is huge, here at Ray-Pec we have Huddle and you can use that to create your own highlight film, Huddle is a good one for kids and coaches,” said Hipple.

Creating a highlight film is also a part of the recruiting process. A good idea is to send coaches the video so that they can see you perform. Hipple talks about the things a coach notices when they see you perform.

“When they have the opportunity to perform, coaches get to see their strength and speed, their attitude and good grades so they know they put in the work,” said Hipple.

Coaches are looking for the strongest and fastest players but they also need players that fit the team attitude wise and players that are easy to coach. Coach Jermain shares how attitude is a factor whenever they are looking for the best recruits.

“It is like a job interview, so not every college program is the best fit for the player or the coaches. It only makes sense that you need to be the right fit for the coaches and your attitude and work ethic fit with the philosophy of the program. Players have to be able to persevere in tough times and still have a good attitude,” said Jermain.

As said above, work ethic should fit with the philosophy of the program. Going more in depth about what a good work ethic looks like, Hipple describes a way that you can show coaches that you have what they need and you have a good work ethic.

“By playing, they gotta play a lot, depending on the sport or activity, is there like a combine where they can see me perform? That kinda stuff,” said Hipple.

Even though being the best is important, a player has to enjoy the ride. According to Jack Ardito, how does he feel about the process of being recruited and what is going on in the process?

“I put out a skills video and I’m just trying to get faster and talk to as many people as I can,” said Ardito. “I am excited for it and I hope to end up at a good school with good coaches and people.”

Getting recruited can be helped by your coaches and people around you. Next is just commitment to the process.