Your Kid Is Being Recruited Into A System That Doesn't Exist Anymore

One of the first things a parent will ask me is some version of:

**How do I get my kid recruited?**

Usually they're expecting me to start talking about film, camps, social media, emails, coaches, exposure.

And we'll get there.

But that's usually not where I start.

I need to know the kid first.

What level can he actually play at right now? What level could he develop into? What does he want to study? What can the family afford? Does he care about playing right away? Would he be happy three states away from home?

And one I've started asking more:

**If the coach recruiting him left tomorrow, would he still want to go to that school?**

Because we're spending a whole lot of time trying to get kids recruited before we've figured out what a good recruitment would actually look like for them.

That's backwards to me.

And college sports have changed enough that it can cost families if they get this wrong.

Take Division I baseball.

Programs participating in the House settlement are operating with a roster limit of 34. That coach isn't looking at your kid by himself. He's trying to figure out 34 spots while looking at his current roster, incoming freshmen, JUCO players and the portal.

So when somebody tells me a coach “likes” an athlete, cool.

**What did he actually say?**

Because “we like him” and “we have a place for him” are not the same sentence.

Neither are “come to our camp” and “we're recruiting you.”

I think families lose a lot of ground right there. Not because they're stupid. Most of them are learning this shit while they're living it.

And the rules aren't exactly making that easier.

Division I adopted a new age-based eligibility model this summer. I've already seen the “everybody gets five years now” version of it floating around.

That's not what the NCAA says.

Age matters. Initial full-time enrollment matters. There's also a transition period between the previous rules and the new model.

I'm not expecting a parent to sit around reading NCAA legislation all night.

That's my point.

If somebody is helping your family navigate recruiting, **they should know enough to tell you when the answer isn't simple.**

The portal changed this conversation too.

A high-school senior isn't only being evaluated against other high-school seniors. A college coach can look at a JUCO player or somebody who has already spent time in a college weight room, played college innings, failed at one level, succeeded at another, or simply decided he wants a different opportunity.

That doesn't mean high-school kids are screwed.

It means I wouldn't build a recruiting plan around getting “exposure.”

Exposure to who?

For what?

At what level?

Is there a fit there?

Is there actually a roster need?

Can you afford the school if the money isn't what you expected?

Does the school have what you want academically?

And are we hearing what the coach actually said, or what we wanted him to say?

That last one will get people.

A follow feels good.

A camp invite feels good.

A coach watching your film feels good.

Hell, an offer feels good.

Enjoy it.

Then go back to work figuring out what it actually means.

Because the biggest name isn't automatically the best opportunity. The first offer isn't automatically the right opportunity. And being recruited doesn't mean the recruiting process is finished.

I've helped kids through this process, and I don't think my job is to collect logos for them.

I want the kid to land somewhere that makes sense **after the graphic gets posted.**

That's where development matters. That's where academics matter. That's where money matters. That's where the kid having some idea of who he is and what he wants matters.

The recruiting part gets all the attention because that's the fun part.

The decision is the part he has to live with.

Maybe that's where our recruiting conversations need to change.

Before we ask:

**How do we get him seen?**

We probably need to be able to answer:

**What are we actually looking for?**

Because once a family knows that, recruiting starts looking a whole lot different.

You stop treating every coach interaction like a breakthrough.

You stop spending money on every camp with a college logo on the flyer.

You stop thinking the biggest school that calls is automatically the goal.

And you can start evaluating opportunities instead of just hoping somebody gives you one.

**Stop teaching families how to chase recruiting.**

**Teach them how to read it.**

**NO HYPE NEEDED**