Coronavirus has been the cause of many changes in the world and the subject of many conversations questioning “what does coronavirus mean for college sports recruiting?” It continues to impact many institutionalized programs and shift the world’s dynamics in and out of sports. For student-athletes, this pandemic brings a world of trouble since many recruitment programs remain closed. Fortunately, some recruitment programs have been evolving and incorporating new methods of recruitment.
The NCAA made countless announcements regarding the new recruitment processes. The major recruitment programs have fortunately managed to continue despite the lockdowns. This is because of the effectiveness of digital communication. Students are still able to show their talent and potential to recruits with the help of multiple online platforms. There are certain tips and techniques you can use to approach coaches that could maximize your chances of recruitment.
Be Proactive
This is a pivotal time for you to be proactive and reach out to coaches. Utilize the extra time you have to gain detailed knowledge regarding various recruitment updates and processes. Gather vital information and use it to your advantage to catch the eyes of coaches. Build an online presence that highlights your abilities. These can include achievements, GPA scores, trophies, and other pertinent accomplishments. Whether you are a sophomore, junior, or senior, now is the perfect time to dive into the research and find out what you want from a college experience. This critical information will help you impress coaches through various online platforms like free recruiting profiles. Visit CaptainU to create a free recruiting profile today!
50-10-3 Rule
Before you go ahead and start blasting emails aimlessly to countless coaches and schools, consider the 50-10-3 rule. It’s always better if you go ahead and find 50 schools that fit your requirement, and reach out to them properly. Hopefully, 10 out of those 50 may reach out to you and 3 might just offer you some financial aid. Be specific and strategic when reaching out to coaches.
Video Footage
Video footage of your skills can be incredibly helpful for recruitment. However, now it is proving to be more crucial than ever because of the Coronavirus. On-field skills analysis is not possible during lockdowns, so coaches are now recruiting solely with the help of video footage. If you don’t have video footage of your skills, you can easily make it with the help of your smartphone. You will be glad to know that it does not exactly have to be in-game footage.
Simple videos that include you doing certain practice drills will work too. Drills that display your footwork, pace, change in direction, fitness, and accuracy work can show your potential coach what you bring to the table. Consider a professional video creation firm to edit and clean up your video to impress coaches even more. CaptainU is one place that offers great quality highlight videos for only $99. You just submit your clips and let them do the rest of the work.
Eligibility Relief
The NCAA council announced the eligibility relief for spring student-athletes and it may apply to other sports athletes as well. They stated that they will allow students to take an extra year of eligibility due to the Coronavirus outbreak. This means that athletes can now take an extra year for eligibility and schools now have to consider adjusting their recruiting programs. Adjusting financial aid is a must, as it will help and students thrive and excel in more ways than one.
Coronavirus’ Impact on Athletic Scholarships
Colleges granted many seniors an extra year of eligibility due to the Coronavirus. This has a huge impact on athletes and recruits who are eligible for scholarships. The NCAA is aware about these complications and concerns, which is why it should come up with updates and solutions that address them.
High School Class of 2020
The NCAA’s eligibility relief plan is going to change the recruiting process. While it will benefit the sophomores looking to get into a college, but it also creates some problems for the coaches. This is because coaches who were planning to replace their seniors will have them in their teams the next year. Recruits that are likely to advance should step up their efforts and reach out to coaches by phone. High school recruits should expand their horizons and consider more schools and division levels.
High School Class of 2021
If you are a student of 2021 and looking to get recruited, it is critical for you to maintain a strong social media presence, since many coaches may not be able to talk to you in person. This is because the government postponed many tournaments and recruiting events. In this case, you will need to take advantage of other options such as emails, texts, DM’s, and social media.
You should be able to build a strong digital presence by collecting the relative online material, largely consisting of videos. Adding your performance videos to your emails could significantly increase your chances of getting recruited.
Fall Sports
Fall sports may include cross country, field hockey, football, soccer, volleyball, and water polo. If you are looking for a fall sport’s scholarship, then the only thing affecting the recruitment process is the NCAA’s regulation that prohibits in-person recruiting. This prohibition will continue until January 1, 2021, depending on the Coronavirus situation getting better. You can still contact coaches by other mediums like phone or social media. For now, it is too early to make predictions regarding any changes in in-game regulations.
Winter Sports
The NCAA’s eligibility relief promises great opportunities for the winter sports athletes that couldn’t compete in NCAA championships. If you are an athlete for winter sports, the recruiting process should continue just like the rest, without the in-game aspect. However, if the NCAA offers eligibility relief to winter sports, college coaches may consider a different game plan and the student-athletes might have to look for other options
To conclude
It’s too soon to tell whether the eligibility relief will apply to all the seasonal sports athletes, but hopefully, this article provided some insight into your question of “What does coronavirus mean for college sports recruiting?”. To know that for sure, you will have to wait until 2021. The Coronavirus pandemic has been a stressful time for student-athletes, but this time also calls for resilience, a quality that you need to develop because coaches admire athletes who possess this trait. So, now is a better time than ever to develop resilience, proving that you are ready for the next level!
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