An athlete’s athletic ability is something college coaches look for when recruiting. But there are some other traits college coaches want in a prospective student-athlete.<\/p>\n
First and foremost, you must have the skills to play in college. Or at least skills that match what a college coach is looking for in your recruiting class.<\/p>\n
You must prove that you can thrive in an academic setting. The NCAA no longer allows high school student-athletes to become eligible as college freshmen. \u00a0In DI, and soon in DII, you must pass 16 core courses in high school to academically qualify to play sports as an incoming freshman in college. \u00a0Then by\u00a0the conclusion of your second year of college, you must\u00a0complete 40% of the coursework necessary toward your degree. Followed by 60%\u00a0at the completion of your third year and\u00a080% by the\u00a0end of your fourth year.\u00a0This is no cake walk.\u00a0 If you aren’t ready for the academic focus required by the NCAA, in high school or college, you will not survive.<\/p>\n
You must consistently demonstrate that you can be a positive representative of the college once you arrive.\u00a0 In high school, joining clubs, participating in community volunteer projects, holding down a part-time job — these are ways to\u00a0exhibit good character.\u00a0 As important is having\u00a0written letters of recommendation from community leaders.<\/p>\n
College coaches want athlete’s who have impeccable work ethic. You must have a strong work ethic and prove it\u00a0through documentation and\u00a0references.\u00a0\u00a0Recording your workouts and practices with details of what you accomplished is an excellent\u00a0way to show that you have put in the hours athletically.\u00a0 Confidently discussing your academic habits is another.\u00a0 And, again, getting written letters of recommendation from your coaches, teachers and community leaders will also impress college coaches.<\/p>\n
You must be willing to do what is best for the team.\u00a0\u00a0Many freshmen college athletes find it hard to get playing time or to break into the top group of athletes on the team.\u00a0 That’s natural because\u00a0older teammates have earned their place over time while you are, well, a rookie.\u00a0 As a freshman, you are starting over from scratch.\u00a0 Having come from being\u00a0one of the stars on your high school team makes\u00a0it difficult, mentally,\u00a0to stand\u00a0in the background.\u00a0\u00a0So, many\u00a0coaches ask first-year students to take on unfamiliar roles at first to gain confidence.\u00a0 A team player does this without question or complaint.\u00a0 Knowing this and telling a\u00a0coach that you can bide your time for the team until your\u00a0opportunity presents itself is a huge plus to any college coach.<\/p>\n
You must exhibit an understanding of\u00a0the impact which hustle has on all aspects of competition.\u00a0 Whether during practice, in pre-game, in starting or substitute positions, and during the off-season, hustle is an intangible that influences the outcomes of games and the mentality of opponents more than any other single\u00a0aspect of athletics.\u00a0 If you’re a good hustler, you can have an immediate impact on any college team or program.\u00a0 But, you must have consistently shown this in\u00a0high school and club sports.\u00a0\u00a0Part of what others,\u00a0especially your coaches, need to be saying about you is their admiration for the effort you\u00a0have always given.<\/p>\n
You must have actively demonstrated an in-depth knowledge of the game in high school and club\/travel teams.\u00a0 Thinking, not just doing.\u00a0 Learning, not just\u00a0playing.\u00a0 Anticipating, not just reacting.\u00a0 These are the mental aspects of the game which coaches at the next level\u00a0cherish.\u00a0 Developing a reputation for being a smart athlete is something college coaches want and need\u00a0recruits to\u00a0have to be ready to play as a first-year student-athlete.<\/p>\n
You must be capable of making mature decisions when you are with and away from your coach and team.\u00a0 Far too many good high school\u00a0athletes have a sense of entitlement. \u00a0They\u00a0think that they are\u00a0entitled to do things which other students or\u00a0less skilled athletes are not allowed to do. \u00a0That is not the case at all and most, get caught and permanently damage their reputations and\u00a0future opportunities. Bad decisions in high school can be life-changing moments. Also, college coaches want mature student-athletes on their roster or squad because they know they can be trusted. College athletics isn’t easy\u00a0and requires a lot of time management. That is a skill mature student-athletes seem to obtain easier than those students who lack maturity.<\/p>\n
You must want to be a winner.\u00a0Most college coaches highest priority is not to win games but to keep their jobs.\u00a0Winning is certainly a big part of\u00a0accomplishing that objective. Therefore having highly competitive teams is always at the forefront of any coach’s mind when offering scholarships to high school prospects.\u00a0Seeing your competitive drive during the recruiting phase is\u00a0something coaches\u00a0want and need to look at from prospective student-athletes.\u00a0 Athletes can demonstrate this by\u00a0going through pre-game\u00a0drills with focus and intensity, by being mentally locked into the challenge ahead when\u00a0others are being\u00a0overconfident or nonchalant,\u00a0and by encouraging other players to do their best throughout the game, win or lose.<\/p>\n
You must be truthful with your coach and team.\u00a0 One of the most complimentary things any teammate, coach or parent can say about a prospect is that he or she is honest. No one likes a liar.\u00a0No one wants to associate themselves with a liar.\u00a0 And, no college coach wants to recruit a liar. If you can’t be trusted, then it will make your college recruiting experience very difficult.<\/p>\n
You must have a genuine\u00a0desire to be a champion.\u00a0 When talking to college coaches, it’s important to ask questions about the future of the program. Ask if the coach sees potential in winning a championship while you are at the school and how the coach sees you contributing to that goal.\u00a0Prove that you will be an impact player. Tell the coach that you want to be a part of something special, not just another member of a college team.\u00a0Yes, being a college athlete is the dream, but college coaches want an athlete who has the desire to make a difference for their program.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Do you have most of these traits? Contact an NSR scout and start your recruiting process today.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" An athlete’s athletic ability is something college coaches look for when recruiting. But there are some other traits college coaches want in a prospective student-athlete. Athleticism: First and foremost, you must have the skills to play in college. Or at least skills that match what a college coach is looking for in your recruiting class. … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":14975,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[10,1252,1155,1080,1250,29,1251,81,792],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/834"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=834"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/834\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14915,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/834\/revisions\/14915"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}