I received an email today from a Mr. Adams who asked, "Why are you charging parents $35? Randy Roger Events is free." (sic) Good question, since I am basically a nobody and Randy Rogers is the 'guru' of Texas high school football recruiting.
The answer is simple: You get what you pay for! So this is a good time to address the cottage industry of 'Recruiting Consultants'. These entities range from one-man operations to organizations with multiple staff. Most are headed by former college coaches. Some of them are unable to find employment in their field so they hang out a 'consultant' shingle.
As varied as they are staff-wise, they all have one thing in common: they are trying to get parents to part with their hard-earned money to buy their 'expertise'. Furthermore, the main focus of their endeavors are so-called 'blue chip', 'five star', or 'four star' recruits. (Translation: not my son)
Take Randy Rogers for instance: http://randyrodgersrecruiting.com/ Sure his Blue Chip Recruiting Roundup is free, but the schedule is one hour for weigh-ins and pictures, one hour listening to Randy Rogers, then a 30 minute guest speaker. Trust me, you'll leave that event with more questions than information, but don't despair. For $150, Randy will come to your home for a 90 minute consultation, $225 for the 'Total Access' treatment. His website lists 62 'client' schools, all but four of which are D-I. So unless your son is a blue-chip, you're not likely to get much attention.
Now not to pick on Randy Rogers, I'm sure the man has great insights that are of value to Dave Campbell's Texas Football Magazine as well as D-I college coaches through his published scouting report. My point is that he and most like him are only interested in the top tier players, yet the majority of high school football players go on to D-II, D-III, and NAIA schools.
I'd also like to share two personal experiences with recruiting consultants. In 2008, our booster club president paid a recruiting consultant to address the football parents. In all my years of listening to speakers, I'd never heard anyone so offensive. His greatest insight was that the best way for a football player to get face time with a college coach was to attend college basketball games, because when football season ended the coaches didn't want to go home to their wives at night so they attended basketball games! He also dizzied the parents talking about NCAA's high school core requirements, and of course offered to evaluate any one's son for a fee. (Your son's guidance counselor will do it for free!) What a waste of $300+ of booster club money.
The second experience is with a company called National College Scouting Association. http://www.ncsasports.org/ You may likely get a call from them as they reach out to high school coaches for rosters and contact information. One of their consultants will set up a conference call with parents and son, and when all is said and done will try to sign you up as a client. They quoted me $2600 and I said 'No, thank you'.
I know of two families who ended up engaging this outfit. One young man ended up signing with a D-II school, and the other with a D-III. What did it cost these families to get their sons signed? A 12 pack each of Amstel Light Beer.
When their high-priced consultants failed to deliver as promised and only 'found' one and three potential schools respectively, I sat at their kitchen table and reviewed a list I'd compiled of D-II and D-III schools and contacts. They developed a target list, put together marketing packets, reached out to the coaches, and got their sons commitments. And I got 24 bottles of Amstel Light, most of which are aging in the refrigerator in the garage, because I gave up beer for Lent! While I'm well-stocked on beer and won't take anymore in trade, $35 is a small investment to learn what you need to know to market your son to college coaches!
So the moral of the story is, buyer beware, and remember - no one can promote your student-athlete like you can!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Parent Recruiting Workshop
The amount of interest and feedback which I've received from parents as a result of my Dallas Morning News OpEd piece and this Blog has been quite positive. I'd like to take the transfer of knowledge about recruiting to the next level.
I am planning a Parent Recruiting Workshop on Thursday, April 9 at 7:00 pm at the Marriott Courtyard in Lewisville. As a contract sales trainer, I've trained hundreds of salespeople, and also trained Marine Recruiters on how to 'sell' the Marine Corps as a career choice, as well as a D-I college football coaching staff on how to sell their school to potential recruits.
This will be an interactive workshop. You will leave with knowledge and tools to market your student-athlete to college coaches. While the principal focus will be on football recruiting, many of the discussion points will be generic in nature.
What this event is not: It is not a ruse to get you to buy books, tapes, videos, or any other media, nor is it a scheme to get you to hire some recruiting consultant. (we'll actually discuss that pitfall in the workshop)
The parent investment to participate is $35. Registration deadline is April 2. To receive a Registration Form, email me at marauderdad@verizon.net
I am planning a Parent Recruiting Workshop on Thursday, April 9 at 7:00 pm at the Marriott Courtyard in Lewisville. As a contract sales trainer, I've trained hundreds of salespeople, and also trained Marine Recruiters on how to 'sell' the Marine Corps as a career choice, as well as a D-I college football coaching staff on how to sell their school to potential recruits.
This will be an interactive workshop. You will leave with knowledge and tools to market your student-athlete to college coaches. While the principal focus will be on football recruiting, many of the discussion points will be generic in nature.
What this event is not: It is not a ruse to get you to buy books, tapes, videos, or any other media, nor is it a scheme to get you to hire some recruiting consultant. (we'll actually discuss that pitfall in the workshop)
The parent investment to participate is $35. Registration deadline is April 2. To receive a Registration Form, email me at marauderdad@verizon.net
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Highlight Films - What Matters?
One of the most critical tools you will use in the effort to have your student-athlete recruited by colleges is their highlight video, and I'd like to share some suggestion gleaned from conversations with college coaches.
Unfortunately, the 'market' for producing highlight videos has been taken over by hucksters and fast buck artists who misrepresent their services and take advantage of parents' pride and emotion. They justify charging the families outrageous amounts of money by putting together a flashy "MTV-style" video which does nothing but turn off a college coach.
These outfits are all over the Internet, and there's a likely chance that through your high school coach they will gain access to you to try and get your business. I've seen parents pay as much as $240 for a six minute video, with the vendor claiming they reviewed all their son's game films and selected the 'best plays'. Truth be told, they obtained the list of 'best plays' from the boys position coach who rates his players performance after every game during weekend film review. The finished product took less than an hour to produce.
But enough about that. Let's talk about what college coaches want and don't want.
DON'Ts
CONTENT - Music - no, No, NO! A typical coach receives several hundred highlight films (DVDs) each season, and has to sit and review them. He is likely in the 40 - 60 year age range, and has absolutely Zero interest in Rap Music, Heavy Metal, etc. Whatever his music taste, he wants to listen to it in his car, at home, etc. - not in an office that is probably shared with other coaches. I've had coaches tell me they refuse to watch any films with music, so the family's efforts have been for naught.
GRAPHICS - Scenes flying in and out, spinning images, etc. only serve to give the coach a headache at best and Vertigo at worst. Go easy on the coach's eyes - remember, he's viewing dozens of these per week.
CALL-OUTS - If your S-A is a lineman and you want to call attention to him before the play starts, do not use what I call the 'Perp' method; that is when the screen goes almost completely dark except for a 'halo' around your son. (Same method used to show criminal activity from security camera footage) The coach wants to not only see your son, but he wants to see how the Offense and Defense are lined up.
PACKAGING - One coach showed me his 'favorite' DVD case; on the cover was a picture of the student-athlete in jeans, without a shirt, and his thumb kid of tucked into his waistband with that 'come-hither' look. The coach called it soft-porn and was disgusted that the family would send out such a representation of a high school student athlete.
Your DVD will be stacked in a pile anyway, so don't go out of your way producing (or get charged for) hyped-up packaging.
MAILING - Do not send a blind DVD to a coach and hope he's just sitting around waiting to discover your student-athlete. Ain't gonna happen.
DO's
CONTENT - In my sales training I tell people - if you want your prospect to buy your product, make it easy for them to do business with you. In the same vein, if you want a coach to show interest in your son, make it easy for him. 1.) Organize plays - run similar plays in sequence on the video. (i.e. if your son is a DE, separate plays by Tackles, Sacks, Hurry-ups, Fumble Recovery, etc.) so there's a continuous stream. Have a Title come up before each section so the coach knows what he's about to see. (Runs; Receptions, etc.) 2.) One Ivy League coach told me that he appreciates having plays organized on the video so they they are not necessarily in game sequence but they are directionally oriented; in other words all the plays where your son is going left to right on the screen are together, then right to left. (1st and 3rd quarter; 2nd and 4th quarter)
GRAPHICS - The video should open with a headshot of your son, and a statistical recap - Academics first, then Season/Career stats afterwards. It should close with email and telephone contact information for the student-athlete as well as Mom and Dad. Plays should simply fade in and out, no fancy swirling stuff.
CALL OUTS - In order for a coach to locate your son on the line, using either an arrow or a circle around him are the best methods. These may not seem as 'high-tech' as the 'Perp' method, but are you trying to impress the coach with your son's skills or with technology? This way the coach can see the whole field clearly around your son and how the X's and O's are lined up. If there is a play that happens quickly and may be visually confusing, use Freeze Action in the video and add a caption to call attention to it. (I recently helped a family with their son's video and he batted down a pass; just before it happened the picture froze, a caption said 'Pass Batted Down' and then the video continued.)
PACKAGING - The cover of the DVD case should contain a simple smiling, casual picture of your son. No need for action still shots or snarling in uniform. You want the coach to see a nice, likable young man. Along with the photo, I would suggest listing his Academic and Season/Career stats. It's like the 'Contents' listing on food products!
MAILING - Prior to sending a DVD to a Coach, you should have had some kind of interaction with that coach. 1.) Make him aware that it is coming. 2.) Be sure to get the correct street address of the coaches' offices; on a large campus if its just sent to the school's address it could take a couple of days to get from the general mail room to the coach's office. 3.) Send it Priority Mail two day service. 4.) after several days make a follow-up call to the coach to ensure that he's received it. (That's all you want to ask, 'Has it arrived?' - don't bug him about 'what he thought'; let him get to it on his time frame)
Remember, if you are paying for video services - YOU - are the customer. Don't let some slick outfit play you into buying something that's overpriced which won't serve your son's interests!
POSTSCRIPT
I was cleaning out a file folder this afternoon and came across a cover letter sent to us by Columbia University's Texas Recruiter and it reminded me of another point. When the letter arrived last Fall, it had a blank DVD with the Columbia Lions logo on it, with three blank lines to write the player's Name, Hometown, and School. The letter stated that was the only format for DVDs that they would accept! See, these coaches know what they want.
Unfortunately, the 'market' for producing highlight videos has been taken over by hucksters and fast buck artists who misrepresent their services and take advantage of parents' pride and emotion. They justify charging the families outrageous amounts of money by putting together a flashy "MTV-style" video which does nothing but turn off a college coach.
These outfits are all over the Internet, and there's a likely chance that through your high school coach they will gain access to you to try and get your business. I've seen parents pay as much as $240 for a six minute video, with the vendor claiming they reviewed all their son's game films and selected the 'best plays'. Truth be told, they obtained the list of 'best plays' from the boys position coach who rates his players performance after every game during weekend film review. The finished product took less than an hour to produce.
But enough about that. Let's talk about what college coaches want and don't want.
DON'Ts
CONTENT - Music - no, No, NO! A typical coach receives several hundred highlight films (DVDs) each season, and has to sit and review them. He is likely in the 40 - 60 year age range, and has absolutely Zero interest in Rap Music, Heavy Metal, etc. Whatever his music taste, he wants to listen to it in his car, at home, etc. - not in an office that is probably shared with other coaches. I've had coaches tell me they refuse to watch any films with music, so the family's efforts have been for naught.
GRAPHICS - Scenes flying in and out, spinning images, etc. only serve to give the coach a headache at best and Vertigo at worst. Go easy on the coach's eyes - remember, he's viewing dozens of these per week.
CALL-OUTS - If your S-A is a lineman and you want to call attention to him before the play starts, do not use what I call the 'Perp' method; that is when the screen goes almost completely dark except for a 'halo' around your son. (Same method used to show criminal activity from security camera footage) The coach wants to not only see your son, but he wants to see how the Offense and Defense are lined up.
PACKAGING - One coach showed me his 'favorite' DVD case; on the cover was a picture of the student-athlete in jeans, without a shirt, and his thumb kid of tucked into his waistband with that 'come-hither' look. The coach called it soft-porn and was disgusted that the family would send out such a representation of a high school student athlete.
Your DVD will be stacked in a pile anyway, so don't go out of your way producing (or get charged for) hyped-up packaging.
MAILING - Do not send a blind DVD to a coach and hope he's just sitting around waiting to discover your student-athlete. Ain't gonna happen.
DO's
CONTENT - In my sales training I tell people - if you want your prospect to buy your product, make it easy for them to do business with you. In the same vein, if you want a coach to show interest in your son, make it easy for him. 1.) Organize plays - run similar plays in sequence on the video. (i.e. if your son is a DE, separate plays by Tackles, Sacks, Hurry-ups, Fumble Recovery, etc.) so there's a continuous stream. Have a Title come up before each section so the coach knows what he's about to see. (Runs; Receptions, etc.) 2.) One Ivy League coach told me that he appreciates having plays organized on the video so they they are not necessarily in game sequence but they are directionally oriented; in other words all the plays where your son is going left to right on the screen are together, then right to left. (1st and 3rd quarter; 2nd and 4th quarter)
GRAPHICS - The video should open with a headshot of your son, and a statistical recap - Academics first, then Season/Career stats afterwards. It should close with email and telephone contact information for the student-athlete as well as Mom and Dad. Plays should simply fade in and out, no fancy swirling stuff.
CALL OUTS - In order for a coach to locate your son on the line, using either an arrow or a circle around him are the best methods. These may not seem as 'high-tech' as the 'Perp' method, but are you trying to impress the coach with your son's skills or with technology? This way the coach can see the whole field clearly around your son and how the X's and O's are lined up. If there is a play that happens quickly and may be visually confusing, use Freeze Action in the video and add a caption to call attention to it. (I recently helped a family with their son's video and he batted down a pass; just before it happened the picture froze, a caption said 'Pass Batted Down' and then the video continued.)
PACKAGING - The cover of the DVD case should contain a simple smiling, casual picture of your son. No need for action still shots or snarling in uniform. You want the coach to see a nice, likable young man. Along with the photo, I would suggest listing his Academic and Season/Career stats. It's like the 'Contents' listing on food products!
MAILING - Prior to sending a DVD to a Coach, you should have had some kind of interaction with that coach. 1.) Make him aware that it is coming. 2.) Be sure to get the correct street address of the coaches' offices; on a large campus if its just sent to the school's address it could take a couple of days to get from the general mail room to the coach's office. 3.) Send it Priority Mail two day service. 4.) after several days make a follow-up call to the coach to ensure that he's received it. (That's all you want to ask, 'Has it arrived?' - don't bug him about 'what he thought'; let him get to it on his time frame)
Remember, if you are paying for video services - YOU - are the customer. Don't let some slick outfit play you into buying something that's overpriced which won't serve your son's interests!
POSTSCRIPT
I was cleaning out a file folder this afternoon and came across a cover letter sent to us by Columbia University's Texas Recruiter and it reminded me of another point. When the letter arrived last Fall, it had a blank DVD with the Columbia Lions logo on it, with three blank lines to write the player's Name, Hometown, and School. The letter stated that was the only format for DVDs that they would accept! See, these coaches know what they want.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Spring Break - Get Some Face Time With Coaches
Most Texas school districts are observing Spring Break next week or the following week. This is a great time to visit some schools and get some initial face time with coaches! According to NCAA Rules and Guidelines, this is a 'Quiet Period' which means that college coaches can not have contact with high school student-athletes except on the campus of their institution, hence they are not out on the road. They'll hit the road April 15, which is when the 'Evaluation Period' commences.
So what better time to get the family on the road and visit a few schools for 'unofficial' visits - i.e. your own expense?
Here are some suggestions for how to approach this:
1. Identify the schools you want to visit; check their website to see if they may be out on Spring Break, though that's not necessarily a trip-killer. (The Coach may be on campus using the quiet time to get caught up)
2. Determine if the school is holding Spring Football workouts. (again, pore over their website, news articles, etc.) What a great time to visit and get a real feel for their program.
3. Identify either you student-athlete's position coach or the coach responsible for recruiting your state/location.
4. Place a call to that coach and make an appointment. At this point, I feel the parent should do that since you likely have good planning and time management skills. Most high school juniors don't really have good telephone skills beyond "Sup?" - "Nada, just chillin'."
5. Organize what you will bring to the coach: game film, student's transcript (get one from the guidance office before school lets out and make copies) and a profile of your student-athlete (make sure it has a picture of your student athlete, with a smile that makes them look human)
6. Plan and rehearse three to four questions that your student athlete will ask the coach - what scheme do they run, what is a typical week like for an athlete on campus, off season conditioning, summer conditioning etc. This will have an amazing impact on the coach and he will remember your child. ("The kid didn't just come in and brag about what he could do on the field, he actually showed inteest in us.")
So what better time to get the family on the road and visit a few schools for 'unofficial' visits - i.e. your own expense?
Here are some suggestions for how to approach this:
1. Identify the schools you want to visit; check their website to see if they may be out on Spring Break, though that's not necessarily a trip-killer. (The Coach may be on campus using the quiet time to get caught up)
2. Determine if the school is holding Spring Football workouts. (again, pore over their website, news articles, etc.) What a great time to visit and get a real feel for their program.
3. Identify either you student-athlete's position coach or the coach responsible for recruiting your state/location.
4. Place a call to that coach and make an appointment. At this point, I feel the parent should do that since you likely have good planning and time management skills. Most high school juniors don't really have good telephone skills beyond "Sup?" - "Nada, just chillin'."
5. Organize what you will bring to the coach: game film, student's transcript (get one from the guidance office before school lets out and make copies) and a profile of your student-athlete (make sure it has a picture of your student athlete, with a smile that makes them look human)
6. Plan and rehearse three to four questions that your student athlete will ask the coach - what scheme do they run, what is a typical week like for an athlete on campus, off season conditioning, summer conditioning etc. This will have an amazing impact on the coach and he will remember your child. ("The kid didn't just come in and brag about what he could do on the field, he actually showed inteest in us.")
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Summer Camps - Reality Checks
While most high schools programs are currently preparing for Spring football, college programs are busy organizing and promoting their summer camps. I don't believe that summer camps are the keys to eventual college draft that some would claim them to be.
First and foremost, college camps are designed for one primary purpose: to supplement the income of college coaches. Sure, they will be promoted as helping develop your son's skills, but if the drills they are running are in conflict with what his own high school coach runs then there is very little value.
If your son is an underclassman, the only real value to attending that camp for him is to perhaps experience 'college life'; being away from home for a few nights, sleeping in a dorm room, eating in a dining hall. Based on my own observations and feedback from other parents and student-athletes, underclassmen are generally after-thoughts at most college summer camps.
If, however, your son is between his junior and senior year, he has the potential to be noticed at the camp by the school's coaching staff. The key here is to not waste time and money by having him attend the entire camp.
Most schools will hold a Junior Day (or it may be called Senior Day) at the start of their camp. This is a day for student-athletes and their parents to attend a presentation by the coaching staff, tour the campus and facilities, visit with current players, and have lunch. The schools are required to charge a nominal fee for this and it is well-worth it. I would strongly recommend attending this event.
I would also recommend just attending the first day of camp subsequent to the Junior Day. Make sure your son's position coach knows that he will be there for only one day so that he can be observed and evaluated.
If the school does not host a Junior Day event, then reach out to your son's position coach or camp director before registering, and ask which would be the best day for him to attend to be evaluated.
I saw with my son and several of his teammates that summer camps can cause burnout; after attending two full camps, my son had had enough and no-showed for a third, which had already been paid. So plan accordingly, don't overwork your son, and by all means, enjoy the camaraderie that will develop among parents in the bleachers.
First and foremost, college camps are designed for one primary purpose: to supplement the income of college coaches. Sure, they will be promoted as helping develop your son's skills, but if the drills they are running are in conflict with what his own high school coach runs then there is very little value.
If your son is an underclassman, the only real value to attending that camp for him is to perhaps experience 'college life'; being away from home for a few nights, sleeping in a dorm room, eating in a dining hall. Based on my own observations and feedback from other parents and student-athletes, underclassmen are generally after-thoughts at most college summer camps.
If, however, your son is between his junior and senior year, he has the potential to be noticed at the camp by the school's coaching staff. The key here is to not waste time and money by having him attend the entire camp.
Most schools will hold a Junior Day (or it may be called Senior Day) at the start of their camp. This is a day for student-athletes and their parents to attend a presentation by the coaching staff, tour the campus and facilities, visit with current players, and have lunch. The schools are required to charge a nominal fee for this and it is well-worth it. I would strongly recommend attending this event.
I would also recommend just attending the first day of camp subsequent to the Junior Day. Make sure your son's position coach knows that he will be there for only one day so that he can be observed and evaluated.
If the school does not host a Junior Day event, then reach out to your son's position coach or camp director before registering, and ask which would be the best day for him to attend to be evaluated.
I saw with my son and several of his teammates that summer camps can cause burnout; after attending two full camps, my son had had enough and no-showed for a third, which had already been paid. So plan accordingly, don't overwork your son, and by all means, enjoy the camaraderie that will develop among parents in the bleachers.
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