The Art of Swinging for the Fences, But Still Hitting for Average

In recruiting, what's the smart way to approach The Big Fish you really, really want without sacrificing the core of good, solid, but unspectacular athletes that make up most college rosters?

An outstanding question from one of our clients that I just had to spend some time talking about with all of you:

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Almost every campus where I go to lead workshops, and every coach we get to work with on a one-on-one basis, this is a topic that comes up:

“How do I get my top end dream athletes without spending too much time on them to the point where it causes my solid B and B+ prospects to lose interest and go somewhere else?”

That’s what this coach is asking, too.

There is no fool-proof way to hack the system to win on this question every time, of course, but I can outline a strategy that we see work well - especially for the long haul, year after year, if building a solid program is the goal:

Step One: Budget your roster space and scholarship dollars

Want to eliminate the stress and “should I ask Athlete A to commit when I really want Athlete B” conundrum year after year? The secret is budgeting. We don’t often think of our rosters in terms of finances or something that needs a budget, but it does. It’s essential. Once you have one in place, it allows you to move forward on any level of prospect you want, who is also ready to commit to your program.

(P.S….if you want to go down a fun, information-rich rabbit hole on the topic of the right way to ask your prospects to commit, click on that link right there above this. You won’t be sorry. It’s one of the best free resources we’ve published, and loved by hundreds of college coaches).

Here’s how to budget the right way: