Come back every Tuesday for Recruiting Horror Stories™, athletes' first-hand stories on what can go wrong during the recruiting process.
It is very important that you have a reasonably large group of schools that you're interested in and that you continue conversations with coaches at your top schools. Don't narrow down schools to one or two at the beginning of your recruiting process. It's better to have five to six schools on your radar. This way, you will have a good chance to negotiate scholarship offers in case things do not work out with your top schools.
We interviewed a transfer athlete, whose Recruiting Horror Story™ is a perfect reminder of how important it is to research your coaches, read the scholarship contract, and have a back-up plan.
Related: The Broken Promise from College Coaches
The First Offer
This athlete went on an official visit and was offered a full-ride and room and board during her first year, then 100% of tuition her second year if she transfered. But, there was a catch: the offer was open to other recruits as well. If she didn't accept ASAP, the money was gone. So, even though she had other schools to visit, she accepted the offer and signed her NIL a few days later.
Related: Why Committing Early in Distance Running is Not Best
The *Revised* Offer
The athlete asked for a copy of the scholarship offer in writing to make things official, and the coach sent her a text explaining that the offer wasn't as high as they had originally agreed. The new offer was only 38% of the original! But, she stuck with it because she had already cancelled her other visits.
Decomitting
It gets worse. After getting this text, the athlete as given the official offer: only 31% of tuition! At this point, she realized she can't trust a coach who lied this often, this early on. She decided to decommit and play elsewhere.
Related: Rate your Coaches, Facilities and Campus Visits
This Recruiting Horror Story™ reminds us how important it is to communicate with coaches and not feel rushed into committing. The offer is almost never as good as they make it sound, and you don't know for sure that it will be gone as soon as you walk out the door.
You should always have time to think about an offer and even to talk with other coaches after the initial offer. Unfortunately, offers will be coming in at different times, which can make it a bit difficult. When an offer does come in, you will need to be respectful, make sure you thank the coach and let them know that you are interested in competing for them. A coach should never pressure you into deciding on the spot.
If you notice that a coach is not standing by their word or they are pushing you to make a decision, then mark that as a RED flag.
End: Have a horror story of your own? Email us at [email protected]
* Originally published on January 25, 2022, by Monique Felix
