Year in and year out, I go through a lot of recruiting. My job makes me a bit of a middleman, so I get to hear all sides. I see and hear an absolute ton of information from the coaches, the parents, sports writers and the athletes. At times, it is almost bizarre. I have essentially gone through the recruiting process well over a 1,000 times. Think about it….say a Long Snapper gets recruited by about five to ten different schools, now say this happens to an average of about fifty Long Snappers per year, over ten years and it can really add up. Bottom line, I am more and more beginning to know about what recruiting is really like and I have come to the conclusion that it is just like the prom!

Let me explain…..

1. The first offer always means the most –  True at the prom and true in recruiting
–  A person, well a Long Snapper, might get asked many times to be someone’s date to the prom but they can only choose one. Many a time, they go with the first person that asked because they simply were the first that took a chance on them and saw what others didn’t. 
– The college that offers first, usually make a huge statement with an athlete. The athlete looks at them in favor because said college took a chance on them in the beginning when no one else would. They saw first what others took awhile to see.  A first offer always sits well and in favor, in an athletes, and their parent’s heart. I have witnessed many an athlete commit to their first offer even after much “bigger” schools came knocking at the door. 

2. Once one asks, usually others will follow – True for the prom and true in recruiting.
– A person waits and waits to be asked to the prom (not Long Snappers of course), someone asks, you are all pumped and then, boom, more offers come in, or you find out that others are about to ask you. What to do, what to do? Odds are you end up going with your first offer since they took a chance on you when others would not. 
– This is easily one of the most common things in recruiting. It is rare, very rare, that a top athlete gets one, and only one, offer. I seriously think schools simply wait, watch, see what happens and then just offer the same guy because others did it and they don’t want to be the ones that didn’t. This is so common that I have actually read articles from sports writers stating, “_________ was just offered by ___________, so you can fully expect _____, _____ and _____ to offer within a couple days.”

3. So much depends on how you are dressed – True for the prom and true in recruiting.
– Dress like a slob and you will end up with a slob. Dress for success and you will end up with success. This is so true for the prom. Dress appropriately prior to the prom and you will be going with the right person, you will look like a stallion and the photos will turn out great at the prom. Dress like a slacker (forgive me, just saw Back to the Future again) and you will be rolling with a slacker. Like I always say, you are who you hang out with.
– Now, I am not saying on a recruiting trip (official or non-official) that you have to be dressed in a three piece suit, but have some common sense. Wear some good clothing that is clean and makes you look the part (THIS blog might help to refresh your memory). Dress appropriately when you are on your visits and you will immediately impress the coaches.

4. Wait too long and your offer is gone – True for the prom and true in recruiting.
– Someone asks you to prom. You are pumped. You, unless they are your permanent significant other, usually will tell them “thank you so much and I just have to check some things” before you answer them. Standard and you should do that. You will need to check cost, times, approval from parents/guardians (yes, you will). Issue: if you wait too long, the person that asked you is going to get nervous and go someplace else and, inevitably, with someone else.
– Same thing happens with a college. They throw an offer your way, whether it is a full ride or a preferred walk-on, and they want an answer….sooner than later. Some schools will give you a timeline, “We need an answer within one week”, while others leave it open-ended. Think about it though, if you were the school would you wait around for the answer and hope for a positive one or would you continue to recruit? You wait too long and your offer is gone.

5. Sometimes it isn’t what you expect, but if you embrace once you get there, it always turns out great – True for the prom and true in recruiting and beyond.
– I have talked down many an athlete from transferring because they weren’t at “the right place for them” or their college was “not what they expected.” Recruiting is a wild journey and it takes a long time and a lot of thought. If you went through all the proper steps and really made your decision based on solid factors, you can’t go wrong with your decision.

When you finally do make your decision and are at your school of choice, things will be difficult. They are for everyone. Anyone that says they were a thousand percent happy in college from the get-go is a flat out liar. Everyone has issues. It is a big change. Huge. But everyone goes through it and has done it. The trick is to stick it out. Understand what is really happening. College is more about the people than what you are learning. It is figuring out that it isn’t what you know, it is who you know and how well you know them. The same exact thing is true for prom. You may not want to go, but once you go and fully embrace, you end up having a great time with memories to last a lifetime….kinda like college:)

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