Untangling a Mess of Recruiting Wires
There are lots of little messes that coaches are having to clean-up due to the crisis
We tend to focus on the big topics around what’s going on in college athletics right now, especially when it comes to emerging big-picture recruiting trends.
But sometimes, when you step back and take a second to catch your breath as a college coach, you realize that buried behind all the big picture things going on in the world, there are a lot of little things tangled up and unresolved that you need to pay attention to and ‘untangle’.
A coach who was a part of one of our training webinars, emailed me with a question about one of those tangled-up wires that needed to be addressed:
This is a scenario that’s playing out more and more with many of our the programs and coaches who are clients: The NCAA has granted an extra year of eligibility for some student-athletes, causing unexpected roster problems. And, as in this coach’s case, some student-athletes are choosing to leave programs suddenly (my forecast for the coming months is that many coaches across the country are going to be facing unexpected roster shortages as student-athletes opt not to come back to school because they want to stay closer to home, or because their families have been adversely affected by a turbulent economy. More on that in the weeks to come).
Do I like untangling wires here at the Tudor house? No. But there are times when it needs to be done, and now is one of those times for college coaches.
Here’s how we’d want to see this coach get himself untangled, one wire at a time:
Start with honesty and transparency. Give as much detail about the situation as possible, with an explanation as to why the change happened.
Let them know you are contacting them because of this sudden situation. Giving them context to understand why you’re reaching out, and citing a specific reason, is really important in getting them on-board for a conversation.
When it comes to a prospect potentially wondering ‘where this coach was earlier in the process’, when you provide context it helps you provide a truthful, believable reason: We had you on our list as a recruit we wanted to talk to earlier in the process, but had a full roster so we couldn’t…until now. Without context and detail, there is a very real threat that what this coach is fearing might happen could indeed very well happen.
Explain what you want to see happen next. Be very clear about the steps from this point forward. Set the agenda.
Immediately following that, ask them what they would want to see happen next. Getting them involved with the process right from the start is imperative, especially because we are starting it all late. This is a part of the strategy we outlined a few days ago on putting the power of the process in their hands as the process unfolds, which we are finding is a powerful motivator for quicker decisions on their part.
Your timeline should be explained to them start to finish. Whether that is a two week decision timeline, two month decision timeline, or two year decision timeline during more normal recruiting times. Your timeline should be a non-negotiable.
Again, effective recruiting comes back to defining and communicating your decision timeline to a prospect, and then laying out the steps you both will take within that timeline.
In this case, you have a built-in reason for an abbreviated timeline: We’re entering late spring, the process is wrapping-up, and you need a decision. Simple as that.
(We went over the reason for this approach in our past training article, “Is It Time to Adjust Recruiting Timelines?” which dealt with effective approaches we see coaches taking during this crisis. Make sure to read it and use the strategies in your approach that you decide to take the next time you face a situation like this.
We’re entering a never before seen landscape in college recruiting.
College budgets are going to be altered drastically, and you need a plan to prioritize the right things to ensure your future as a college coach.
College rosters are going to be in flux for the next 12-18 months as families deal with the financial realities that this crisis has brought on.
Prospects are adopting new criteria for making decisions, meaning the communication you use as you recruit them is more important than ever.
Oh, and by the way: The NCAA is continuing to move forward with the NIL debate, signaling that something is going to be allowed beginning in the 2020-2021 academic year. That means this will become a major part of the recruiting conversation you’ll be having with recruits, whether you’re a Top-10 D1 football program or a small D3 softball team. You’re going to need to develop a strategy around this new landscape.
Whatever we can do to help, let us know. We get to work with over 400 college athletic departments and individual programs around the country to help them formulate their strategies and secure the best recruiting class possible, and we’d love to do the same for you.
Hang tough, Coach.