A Genuine Desire to Play College Sports Attracts Coaches

What do you say to college coaches when you meet them? For college prospects that have a deep-seeded desire to play their sport at the next level, normal pleasantries aren’t enough to sway a coach.

We’ve learned over the years as college scouts, that is, working closely with college coaches and observing the interactions between them and recruits, that the prospects which openly express their desire to advance into college competition are the ones which inevitably receive scholarship or roster offers. That keen desire connects with college coaches on a personal level and tugs at their instincts to help this young person succeed in reaching his or her dream.

Most college coaches identify with the prospect’s intense aspiration because the coaches themselves walked in those shoes. Seldom do we see college coaches that were high-profile athletes at top-tier college programs. Instead, their bios more often reflect an athlete who was an everyday player on their squad, someone who worked hard to reach their own version of the same dream. They personally get it. Standing here is an athlete whose future will be altered by achieving this goal and because they, too, had to dig deeper than most other of their peers to climb into the college athletic ranks, they empathize and want to help.

The college prospect that can sincerely communicate their wishes is more likely to get the ear, and grab the heart, of a coach. Conversely, the prospects which act as if it is they who are giving the coach a break by considering their program are the ones which predictably get fewer offers.

Coaches know that desire is a transferable emotion. They can visualize how a prospect will practice, play and respond to coaching through the prospect’s eyes. And be assured that coaches are looking for a heart of steel in those eyes and the prospects that demonstrate and can communicate their desire to be a college athlete frequently go to the top of the white boards.