Recruiting the Intangibles
What do good programs do with prospects who don't measure-up on paper?
Should college coaches around the country just become a bunch of non-thinking, formula-following robots as they assemble their recruiting classes?
Of course not. Honey badgers aren’t robots; they think on their feet and pivot their strategy immediately based on real time information they’re taking in. That’s what makes them one of the most unique, fearsome animals in the wild.
Like we outlined in our two previous posts, sometimes you’ve just got a gut feeling on a recruit - especially if they’re a next level game-changer you want on your roster. You’ve had those before, right? Perfectly normal! As long as you don’t sacrifice the 98% of the time they won’t come to be a part of your program in exchange for the 2% of the time when it all works out, and they say yes to you over your competitors.
If you’re going to recruit the intangibles, and decide to bring in a student-athlete who you like despite how they might grade out on paper, do it. Pivot, think on your feet, and make that call.
Want to sneak a peek at how other high performing programs do that?
Over the years of working with coaches and their programs one-on-one in a client relationship, we’ve seen how they do it. Here are three core practices we see them using as they make the decision to roll the dice and take an athlete they just feel good about:
The head coach has to be the one who gives the final approval. If you’re a head coach reading this, it’s your program. Professionally, you live or die on those decision. And you know what? That’s perfectly fine…it’s one of the perks (or curses) of sitting behind the desk where the buck stops. Don’t put if off on your assistants for bad scouting if or when that recruit doesn’t work out. Own it as the leader of the program. That’s a must if you want to use this strategy.
Identify traits that have worked in previous gambles. It’s a lot easier for a honey badger to act a little spontaneously if he or she has some evidence that there’s a good chance it’ll all work out in their favor. Can you do the same? Rule #1 becomes a lot easier when you can, Coach.
Define that prospect’s specific and unique roll on the roster. They may not play right away…they may not follow the normal path that your other typical recruits may follow…you owe it to yourself - and to them - to define their roll as they come into your program.
I’m not a big fan of Las Vegas. No problem if you are, but gambling just isn’t my thing. But several times in my life I’ve played blackjack…I feel like at least I’m giving myself some kind of control compared to gamblers sitting around pulling the levers on slot machines.
But when I do play blackjack, I take a certain amount of money to the table I’m willing to lose. And most times, as I’ve seen it dwindle down to almost nothing, I walk away. Did I win some hands? Sure! But I know schlubs like me winning hands of blackjack consistently isn’t how Las Vegas casinos built their empires, and we haven’t seen much evidence that it’s the way consistently strong programs built their roster, either.
Gamble, but set some rules for yourself as you walk up to the table - and, more importantly, know when to walk away.
Are you reading this today and you haven’t become one of our Honey Badger Recruiting coaches who receive our daily strategy talks? That’s gambling! And the odds are, there are things we’re talking about, and research we’re sharing, that you could use to become a much, much better recruiter.
95 cents a day: that’s the investment you’re making, and you can quit the group anytime you want. But you won’t, because you’re going to see that we’re good at what we do, and eager to share it with coaches who want to master the discipline of strategic, intelligent recruiting as they build their careers and their programs.