Imagine for one moment that your athlete is going to fill the shoes of a star athlete, like Cam Newton or Terrelle Pryor.  Pretty scary thought right? The fact is that more and more true freshmen are being expected to contribute to college teams. Some of the pressure on freshman is a result of more basketball, football and baseball players leaving college early to cash in and play professionally. Four-year athletes used to be a consistent part of NCAA sports, but now programs are lucky to keep their top athletes around for three years.  Players like star underclassmen Andrew Luck, and Oklahoma State Wide Receiver Justin Blackmon, are examples of players that made significant contributions early in their college careers.

So you must be wondering, where do all these “super underclassmen” come from? One hypothesis is more athletes are focusing on one sport as early as middle school to advance their game, train year around and take advantage of professional instruction.  Another hypothesis says that multi-talented athletes are taking over the superstar roles because of their versatility. What do you think?

After visiting West Point Military Academy, this past weekend I came to the realization that we don’t give enough attention and credit to the service academies for developing leaders on and off the field. More athletes need to consider West Point because the school trains athletes for success in the real world. When we took my brother Griffin Barra, a recruited soccer goalie, to West Point to report I quickly discovered how unique West Point was. At many schools athletes get preferential treatment, but not West Point. All of the athletes must go through a grueling six-week basic training program. West Point mandates basic training as a way of building character.

The demands for West Point athletes don’t end there, athletes are expected to meet a rigorous academic curriculum as well. West Point believes in the development of the student first, athlete second mentality. A mentality we rarely see in today’s society. West Point demands that their athletes become “men of character” as our society needs leaders. After hearing many of the West Point officers speak about West Point’s traditions, I was inspired myself. Athletes are also treated as beacons for the university and are a huge source of pride. A cool tradition West Point has it that all cadets attend football games. As someone who attends a Big Ten School, I was surprised at how much pride Army takes in its athletics. Despite all the demands of West Point, the school’s tradition, pride, and experiences, like basic training make for a unique experience. More schools should strive to be like West Point, after all it’s supposed to be student-athlete.

It is a fact that many colleges over-recruit during the college recruiting process. What this means is that teams with 20 roster spots could be telling 40, 45, and sometimes 50 parents and student-athletes the same thing: that they are seriously interested in them. Even some schools will offer way more scholarships then they can award knowing that they will pull the offer if they get the players they want. In order to know if colleges are potentially over-recruiting you, it is essential to follow the tips below.

TIP # 1 – Be Direct

One of the best ways to deal with this issue is to be direct when you’re talking with college coaches. What this means is being upfront and honest about any recruiting questions, concerns or problems you have about the recruitment process. SportsForce highly recommends that both student-athletes and parents are heavily involved in this process.

TIP # 2 – Ask Questions

Here are three direct ways to ask a college coach about being over-recruited:

“Coach, I was wondering where I am on your recruiting list?” or,

“Can you tell me where I stand your recruiting board?”

“How many players are you recruiting at my position and where I’m on your depth chart?”

Often, if you ask college coaches direct questions, they’re going to give you direct answers. Being upfront and straightforward with them is a good way to ensure a truthful answer. Another question to keep in mind is, “how many athletic-scholarships are available for this recruiting class?” This is a great question to ask especially for sports that are not fully funded like baseball, lacrosse, or softball in which, they have more roster spots than they have scholarships. Parents and student-athletes need to be direct in order to clarify what each college is offering them. Asking these specific questions will allow families to understand where they stand within a college coaches recruiting process.

TIP # 3 – Don’t Be Afraid

It is very common that both parents and student-athletes are too afraid to ask some of these direct questions to college coaches.  The earlier you start the conversation and the more direct, clear, and honest you are with them, the easier you will see where you stand in their recruiting process. Don’t be intimidated when talking to a college coach. If you ask direct questions and find out where you are on their recruiting board, you can avoid being over-recruited.

Our staff of College Recruiting Experts has developed a proven Step-by-Step College Recruiting and Athletic Scholarship system so you can know what to do and when and how to do it.

To get started today take advantage of our FREE 30 Day Trial.

If you have any questions or you would like to learn more about the college recruiting process and our custom highlight video packages contact one of our college recruiting experts at

858.350.5889 or visit http://www.sportsforceonline.com/

As part of the SportsForce recruiting education, we often mention the difference between being actively recruited and receiving a blanket mailing from a coach or program. Below we have included an email from a coach to a potential college athlete, so you can see a great example of an athlete, in this case women’s soccer player, being actively recruited. We edited the email down a bit, and changed the athlete, coach and college name to protect those still involved in the recruiting process who shared this with us.  Enjoy and feel free to leave any questions in the comment section for us to answer!

I hope this email finds you well. My name is Coach, and I have been the Head Women’s Soccer Coach at State College for the last three and a half years. I saw you play at the Texas Shootout, and you can be a goalkeeper for a lot of teams in this country. Selfishly speaking, I hope potentially for State:-) You are one of the few goalkeepers who plays functional defense, meaning you play high when your team is defending in the middle third. You have great instincts when to come out, you have a quick feet and smooth hands. In short, you would be an impact goalkeeper for us starting your freshman year.

In my first three recruiting classes and for the incoming class this fall, we were able to recruit the first NSCAA High School All-American, the first Regional Team player and numerous players from the Top 20 club programs in the nation, including the # 1 club program at that time.  For this 2011 class we already have three verbal commitments. One player is from the Dallas Texans 93G Red team (she picked us over Penn State), the second player is from the D’Feeters 93 team (we were the only DIII team she looked at) and the third player is from the U17 Bethesda SC Dragons team (again, we were the only DIII team she looked at). All three players come from Top 10 nationally ranked club programs.

Our ultimate goal is to win a National Championship. We are very close to being a Top 20 program in the nation, and we received votes last year already, despite being a very young team. With 7-8 players starting for the last three years who were only freshmen and sophomores and finally a few strong juniors this past fall, we were able to beat and tie nationally ranked programs. This fall our goal is to be a nationally ranked program and to start competing for National Titles (all players this fall will be my recruits). We would love to have you help us with such a quest.

Having listed a few pros (there are many more), I am asking you to consider State as a college choice and to be part of something new and exciting in the quest of winning Conference Championships and even more exciting, a National Championship!

For all the above reasons I would like to start communicating with you about your possible interest in State and our Soccer Program. I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to give you a better picture of State, about the potential of gaining a top education and being part of a successful soccer program.  We are a top ranked school academically in the country, and we are very close to matching that rank with soccer!
Sincerely,

Coach

Head Women’s Soccer Coach

State College

One of the biggest issues in college football that is not receiving enough attention is the over-signing of players. Every college football prospect should be concerned with over-signing because there is a chance it can happen to any player once they reach the college level. For this reason, I have listed below important information about over-signing and what you should know.

What is Over-Signing?

All NCAA college football programs are limited to having 85 scholarship players on their team per year. These 85 players include both returning players and new recruits. When a program signs more players than the allotted 85, this is over-signing.

In order to get back down to the 85 players they are allowed to give scholarships to, college football programs go about it a few ways. First, they usually wait to see which players, if any, become ineligible to play. Student-athletes can become ineligible by not making grades, getting in trouble with the law, etc. Then, programs will usually ask players to ‘gray shirt’ for a year. ‘Gray shirting’ is when you give up your scholarship benefits for a season so a peer can use them. Lastly, programs just start making cuts to reach the 85, which is obviously devastating to those student-athletes.

How to Overcome Over-Signing

While there are many college football programs in the nation that do contribute to the problem of over-signing, there are just as many who try at all costs to avoid this issue. These programs would rather sign a few less players than the allotted 85 so they do not have to make those upsetting cuts later on. This then gives the program freedom to sign a few walk-on players later on.

As a college football recruit, it may be in your best interest to research which programs do and do not over-sign when considering your options. By considering football programs that have a reputation of not over-signing, you may ultimately be saving yourself from heartbreak and hassle later on.

To find out more information about over-signing in college football, visit oversigning.com

Your academic strength is just as important as your athletic strength. Take time to read the few tips to ensure your academic skills stand out as much as your athletics.

Find the time that works best

Figure out the time that your brain is most awake. We all had those friends rushing to get homework done in homeroom before school started, but for some, mornings may be good time to get work done. Just set aside more time than homeroom alone. If you’re always exhausted and feeling a little brain-dead after school and practice, get to bed early and wake up earlier to give yourself some time to finish assignments, study and research before you even head off to school.

Chip away at big assignments

Procrastination seems like something we all develop in our teen years and have a hard time getting over. It never pays off, but many of us push assignments to the last minute. Instead of ignoring an assignment until the night before, work on it in small doses. This will help for more balance, and help to ease the stress of a big assignment. It will also help you to look at things with fresh eyes and do a better job than if you had crammed all your work into the night before.

Set up study dates

Some of us prefer to work alone, but as you know from sports, things can get done more efficiently with the help of your team. This can also be true for school work. Find someone you know you can work well with, who is also a friend and set up times to work on assignments together. This way you will have something to look forward to come study time and also someone to help you out.

Treat school on the same level, if not higher

At SportsForce, we work hard to highlight your athletic achievements by showcasing your video. But as many of you already know, academics is very important in the recruiting process. It is easy to get in the mindset that your sport deserves all the attention because it is what will get you recruited, but colleges look for academic strength too. Don’t put your schoolwork on the backburner. Think of all the time you devote to athletic training and work to put in equal time towards your academics. Seeing a strong athlete and student is a great selling point for college coaches.

Get extra help when needed

This is a tip that can be applied to college and high school. There is absolutely no shame in going to a teacher or tutor for extra help; that’s what they are there for. In classrooms it’s sometime unavoidable that not everyone is on the same page understanding material. If you feel lost, ask your teacher to meet with you to get extra help. You will absolutely benefit and teachers will appreciate the initiative you put in.

Working towards a goal or a dream can be incredibly taxing. We understand our clients are working towards the goal of playing their sport in college. Early practices, late practices, double sessions, weight training and more, plus academics, work and a social life are a lot to fit in for the student athlete. Many athletes do an excellent job of creating a balance of the many demands in their life. But sometimes, becoming burnt-out may seem unavoidable. Below you’ll find some tips to avoid the burn out and keep that balance going in your life.

Check In With Yourself

Only you can know if you’re headed for a burnout. Every now and then, do a mental check-in to make sure your head is still in the game and you’re still on the path you want. Are you overtired? Are you stressed out? Is your schedule out of control? Take some time to do inventory of your day to day life and ensure you are happy and still working towards a goal without overworking yourself.

Continue Playing All the Sports You Love

There is much debate on specializing within the world of student athletes. Essentially, there are two schools of thought. Some may argue that only focusing on one sport is the best way to ensure a college roster spot, while others say playing multiple sports looks best to coaches. Many, however, will agree that playing multiple sports helps to avoid the burnout. If you like soccer and baseball, play both if possible. The switch between sports can help to avoid a burnout and shows coaches dedication on another level as well as an ability to balance. To learn more about the importance of multiple sports, click here.

Take a Break

While there is the opportunity to play your sport year round between club teams, camps and high school, it is important to take some time off. Take a few days or even a week to rest your body and mind. When you get back to your sport and training you will feel that much more energized!

Reassess ad Reorganize

Sometimes you don’t just need a break, but you need to shake things up completely. Would getting your workouts in in the morning free up more time for homework at night? Is it really necessary to stay out really late on Friday night to be dragging for Saturday morning practice? Along with checking in with yourself, sometimes you need to reorganize and prioritize things in your training plan. This can range from checking how you are fueling your body to what time makes the most sense for you to squeeze in a weight training session so you still have a social life. See what works for you!

Enjoy

It’s pretty hard to burn out on fun. As long as you are enjoying the journey as a student athlete, keep working hard. Some athletes may never feel burnt out. As long as you’re still enjoying yourself and training the best you can, keep moving towards your goals!

Additional Resources

If you are feeling stressed about the College Sports Preparation process then contact us for advice and sign up for our free guide HERE to learn more about the process and action items to take

Are you looking to feel more confident as you look to prepare for college sports and the recruiting process? At SportsForce we hear many different questions, opinions and stories from student-athletes, parents and coaches all the time.

Here are some of the most common college sports recruiting questions our staff receives:

When do college coaches start recruiting?

What are college coaches looking for?

How can we maximize exposure to college recruiters?

What do we need to do and when do we need to do it?

What about the SAT, ACT, financial aid, NCAA Eligibility Center, etc…

Here are two simple and proven ACTION STEPS you can use today to begin taking control of your sports career and college sports goals.

Step 1: Student-athlete assessment

ACTION ITEMS:

1. Ask yourself “What type of college experience am I looking for?”

Attention student-athletes:

You need to reflect on what type of experience you are looking for. Write your thoughts down in a casual format (bullet points are fine) and be able to verbalize what type of college experience you are looking for.

Attention parents:

We recommend parents asking this question and letting your son or daughter answer this question with no undue pressure. See if your student-athlete can describe the type of experience they are looking for.

GOAL = To get a clear idea of what college experience you want as a student-athlete.

2. What are your key college decision factors?

Create a list of all of the key decision factors and give 1 to 5 points for each decision factor (5 being an extremely important decision factor).  We recommend doing this on a spreadsheet and then ranking the potential colleges you are interested in by using this system to create an overall point total for each school.

Potential decision factors including: Academics (Majors offered, career development, alumni), Athletics (level of competition, W/L record, tradition), Social environment, Size of school, Public vs. Private, Cost, Location, Coaching Staff, Intuition (gut feeling, emotional connection)

GOAL = To have a proven ranking and college decision making system to know what potential colleges you are really interested in.

To accelerate your education on the college sports preparation and recruiting process I recommend signing up for our FREE SportsForce College Sports Recruiting Guide.

* FREE Sign up click HERE

To get access to more advanced college recruiting tips, strategies and advice visit our website and RESOURCES section.

The SportsForce team, which is comprised of former college and professional athletes and coaches, is relentlessly committed to providing an ongoing education to help you best navigate your journey as a student-athlete, parent or coach.

Article courtesy of SportsForce, Home for professional and affordable College Sports Recruiting Tools, Tips, Online Profiles, Highlight Videos and Premium Services.

www.sportsforceonline.com

info@sportsforceonline.com

858.350.5889

Ryan Fobes, a SportsForce athlete and second baseman for Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, CA, has accepted an athletic scholarship to play for the University of Sioux Falls Men’s Baseball team.  SportsForce caught up with Ryan and asked him a few questions about his recruiting process and ultimate decision to play for the USF Cougars.

What factors made you decide on the University of Sioux Falls?

Sioux Falls is a tightly knit community and one of those towns where ‘everyone knows everyone’.  I think attending a University that you can be up close and personal with is important. 

Were there any other schools you were seriously considering?

I was seriously considering attending Whittier College. However, I just didn’t get that feeling where you know it’s going to be the right fit like I did with Sioux Falls.

What are you most looking forward to most about playing for the University of Sioux Falls?

I think the team’s chemistry is what has carried the team to a record breaking season this year, along with coaching.  The Cougars have a great young coaching staff, who really know the game of baseball. Coaches who teach you the little things about the game are what make you a better ballplayer.

What advice would you give to other student athletes looking to play in college?

Grades. Grades. Grades.  You don’t have to be the best player on the field to get a scholarship.  Work ethic in the classroom is just as important as on the field.

Congratulations to Ryan for signing with the University of Sioux Falls! Be sure to visit Ryan’s SportsForce profile (http://www.sportsforceonline.com/athletes/rfobes) or check out his highlight video below.

SportsForce alumnus and Oral Roberts University athlete, Tyler Saladino was named the Summit League Player of the Week. Tyler is an infielder for the ORU Golden Eagles. ORU reported Tyler’s accomplishment on their site:

Saladino collects Player of the Week honors after leading the Golden Eagles to a series sweep over Western Illinois. The junior hit .688 (11-16) for the week with a 1.500 slugging percentage and .762 on-base percentage. He registered at least one run and two RBI in each game vs. WIU with nine and 11 totals for the week, respectively. He also added 11 hits, three homers, two doubles, a triple, a stolen base and three walks, while striking out just once in 16 at-bats.

Highlighting his week were a game-winning three-run homer in the opening contest of the Western Illinois series and his game-ending two-run home run in the eighth inning of the finale, which ORU won by a run-rule score of 14-4.

For the season Saladino is batting .374 with 10 home runs and 43 RBI. In Summit League play, he’s off to a .545-4-24 start over ORU’s first 12 league games.

The Golden Eagles are 22-17 overall and lead the Summit League with a 10-2 record. ORU next faces IPFW in a four-game Summit League series which opens 2 p.m. Friday in Ft. Wayne, Ind.

Check out Tyler’s highlight video below or be sure to visit his full SportsForce profile here.

For the full article visit the ORU Men’s Baseball page here.