Every college or university has a niche. There is something special about what they do or how they do it. For a recruiting coordinator, their job is to sell that niche as best as possible. What a lot of players and parents don't realize is that they are selling themselves just like the recruiting coordinator is selling their university. Every parent thinks their child is special and I am sure they are, but what makes them stand out? How can their niche help them gain a four year degree?
I have seen so many athletes, who are amazing in their sport, but flop during the recruiting process. They have no idea what they are doing which is reasonable because they are only teenagers. Thankfully, both of my parents went through the recruiting process when they were playing, so they helped guide my siblings and I through it all. They were also not afraid of asking people for help. As much as the athlete thinks they have the recruiting process under control, they will always need some guidance and the online "recruiting" sites are just trying to get your money. The best thing anyone can do when before starting the recruiting process is to talk to someone who has been through it already. If you have resources to former student-athletes, then I highly recommend using them to talk to your athlete.
Most of the time, high school recruits go on tours before they have been offered,which can really help players make an informed decision on where they want to be. The second part of this is that the college coaches are able to see your family dynamic. There were a lot of coaches that I talked to who would not offer until they spent more time with my family and I. That brought in a whole new aspect of the recruiting process that I never knew existed.
A little advice for everyone who is helping their child get recruited.
When you are at your child's game and you are yelling/screaming at the ref for making a bad call just remember that the college coaches are watching and taking notes.
I always felt so bad for girls whose parents would act like fools during games, because I knew that no matter how good they were they were still getting overshadowed by their crazy parents.
Another misconception is that once you are on campus, the coaches are trying to selling you the school, but they are always watching. The second that you and your family steps on to campus, you should all be treating it like an interview. Between my sister, who played college volleyball, my brother, who is playing college football, and myself, my family has been on a lot of college tours. We have seen some families who truly know how to put their best foot forward and others who don't understand the magnitude of how they treat their family members. If you are hanging out in your living room there is one way to talk to your parents and that is probably much different than how you should talk to them in front of coaches.
College coaches notice the small things. If you open doors for your parents, how you interact with your siblings, if you say please and thank you, and other polite habits that may come natural to most people. This goes for the athletes AND their parents. You have to remember that these college coaches are looking for student-athletes that they will be dealing with for the next 4-5 years, so they need to know what type of families they come from.
Do some research on the school before going on tour. Know about the programs and coaches history, so when there is awkward pauses in conversation, then you can show them that you took the initiative and were prepared.
Now don't get me wrong, we all make mistakes and coaches are humans too, so treat them as such. They know we all get a little fired up during matches, but their is a difference between getting fired up and embarrassing your child.
I can honestly say that I was a good high school athlete, but the reason I had offers from some of the top schools in the country is because my parents and family took the time to be educated on the recruiting process. Even my little brother, who was 12 years-old at the time, was on his best behavior during college visits. Whenever I was leaving a college visit, I was proud to be an Evans and that is how even athlete should feel about their family. So parents, help your child find their niche and teach them to market themselves. Not only will it help them immensely in the recruiting process, but that is a trait they will need for the rest of their lives.