(Originally posted 6/1/2020)

It's the day we have been looking towards for almost a year now. For those athletes in the 2022 class (and their parents) it's been a long road and quite an adjustment for most of them. From having to call and set-up calls each week, to almost absolute radio silence. It's been quite the dramatic shift that has certainly had some positives to it. The stress and anxiety of talking to college coaches when you're 14 or 15 has gone away, but now when the floodgates open on June 15th I think we be seeing a slightly different kind of anxiety.

We are two weeks away from June 15th and so if you haven't started prepping for that day you really should. For all of my clients, we are creating a list with 3 different categories:

(The last two are schools that athletes are planning on reaching out to if we don't hear from that school).

This will give us an idea of what to expect on June 15th and then what to plan on doing in the days that follow. Even for those athletes that don't hear from a school on the 15th, there is still hope in my opinion. One of the frustrating pieces about the new rules is that no one on either side really knows a lot. I think as the days progress and athletes commit (totally possible) and tell schools they aren't actually interested, it will force some schools to move down their list. Maybe you weren't someone's top choice; that's okay. Maybe a school's top 3 all disappear after one day and they have to create a new list; totally possible.

Regardless of how small or large the floodgates are you should be as proactive as possible with the planning for that day. Make sure you are doing some research on each school and have some questions written down that you want to ask. One thing for sure is that college coaches have been looking forward to this day for a long time. They are just as excited as the athletes to get on the phone and talk.

(Originally posted 6/9/2020)

We are one week away from June 15th! Who else is excited?! It's been quite the journey for this class of 2022 and I am definitely excited about things moving forward.

One thing that I did want to mention was to think about the time that this could potentially take over the course of a few days. It was something I mentioned to a small group of recruits a few nights ago and I thought it was another good proactive idea to mention here. I think that for a lot of athletes, June 15th and the few days that follow could end up taking more time out of their schedule than they think. I wanted to just crunch a few numbers to give everyone an idea of the time this could take.

Lets say that you have been emailing 25 schools and they are all interested and planning on calling you on the 15th. If each phone call takes a minimum of 15 minutes, then that is 6 hours and 15 minutes of time on the phone. Now, I know several schools that are planning on having Zoom calls or even trying to do a virtual visit with athletes on the 15th or in the days that follow. Those kind of calls will easily take 30 minutes. What about texting? I don't know exactly how much time 16-17 year olds spend texting, but just today I spent 2.5 hours texting from my phone talking to roughly 25 different people. Lets put emails in here too, since I know that several coaches will reach out through email. If an athlete is reading and then responding to 25 emails on June 15th at about 5 minutes each email, then that is roughly 2 hours on email. Essentially, if an athlete is talking to 25 schools, then you would want to set aside the following amount of time:

If an athlete uses different platforms to talk to each of the 25 schools, then obviously the time will be a little bit less. If an athlete is planning on talking to more than 25 schools, then it could take longer than 10 hours. Lets also think about spreading this out across a couple of days. 4 hours of talking on the phone with college coaches is going to be a lot! So even at 16 calls in one day, you're going to be exhausted. Those 25 schools that might be calling you are realistically going to get on the phone with you from June 15th through most of that first week and for sure those first three days. Maybe you are going to spend 6 hours on the phone, but 2 hours a day over 3 days is certainly a lot less daunting then doing it all in one day.

June 15th is a big day for a lot of athletes. Some athletes are going to manage more than 25 schools and some maybe less. Either way, making sure you are setting aside time each day to handle communicating with coaches is going to be important. Don't burn yourself out! Be happy and excited that this day is finally here!

(Originally posted 6/15/2020)

Well, it's finally here! The day that many of us have been waiting to arrive for over a year. While there is a lot going on today for athletes across the country, I wanted to write briefly about what happens next. Maybe today you got a lot of phone calls from college coaches or got a call from your number one choice; so it was a good day.

Some maybe received few phone calls and others did not get a text from their top choice. It's honestly a perspective that I never have had before. As a college coach I had September 1st as our first day of contact for the Junior class and most years I was done with that class or close. We had already spent the club season building those relationships through phone calls and had camps in July. When September 1st rolled around I sent out emails and set up phone calls with several athletes that were already committed. I never thought about the perspective of athletes that didn't get calls or texts on that day or how they would need to be encouraged through their process.

I talked a few weeks ago to some 2022 parents about the need to figure out what the purpose or goal of the phone call is. It's important to know that for many athletes, this is just the beginning. It's the start of communication. It's the beginning of building a relationship with someone that will turn out to be your future college coach and some others that won't be. As I have said many times before in recruiting seminars, "It's a process." Whether today signals the start of a 100m sprint to your recruiting finish line or a marathon, try as best as you can to enjoy it. Coaches across the country are excited to talk to you, so be excited also. Just remember that it is a process and everyone's recruiting process looks different.

In the end you will find a great fit for your academic and athletic college careers. When you show up to college the whole journey and process starts over again! Enjoy the conversations you have with college coaches and your parents as you grow and learn throughout this process.

Good luck today! I hope it goes great!!!!

(Originally published 6/14/2021)

Well, we made it through the Dead Period and came out the other side. For the 2023 class, this is the week that they can FINALLY connect with college coaches in some two-way communication! I know everyone is excited about going forward and there are lots of things to consider and lots of variables as you progress through the recruiting process. Please feel free to read some of my past blogs for more info on this recruiting cycle or reach out to me with any questions going forward.

Here are some things to remember about June 15th (and probably recruiting in general):

1 - Everyone is going to have a different experience.

2 - Create boundaries for yourself in these first few weeks.

3 - Your energy level matters when you are talking with coaches.

4 - Asking specific questions is always better than asking general questions.

5 - Do your research!

6 - You're probably excited, anxious and possibly stressed. Make sure you take breaks :)

7 - Have an idea of what your summer and fall will look like so you can plan camps and visits.

8 - Be proactive throughout this process. Coaches can respond to you now - you need to reach out to them.

9 - Remember, the end goal is to find the best athletic and academic fit.

(Originally posted 6/6/2022)

Here are just a few things that will help make June 15th go smoother for you and the college coaches trying to get in touch with you!

Your contact information

Having the wrong contact information out there can make June 15th and even the months leading up to it difficult. If college coaches don't have the correct contact information for you, they could be reaching out to the wrong person or no one at all. Meanwhile, they are getting in touch with other athletes. It's possible to go a few months without realizing you've been missing communication the whole time. Here are some tips and advice so that nothing falls through the cracks.

Make sure your information in University Athlete is correct.

Fill out a school's questionnaire with the correct contact info within a few weeks of June 15th.

Make sure all of your profiles have the correct contact information.

Think Hudl, NCSA, club page, Sports Recruits...

Email the college coaches the week prior to June 15th WITH your correct contact info in your email signature.

Make sure those college coaches you are wanting to hear from have the contact information for a coach, recruiting coordinator or club director that they can get a hold of you as well if needed.

(Originally posted 6/15/2023)

If you haven't read my post about the Impact of the Transfer Portal (see below), I would suggest you read that along with this post. It might help give you all of the information you need.

June 15th is not the end.

I said it several times to rooms full of 2025 athletes in the weeks leading up to today (June 15th). Because it's not the end, it's important to remember a couple of things.

There is more work to be done

For the majority of athletes, the recruiting process won't stop today. Even if you receive a lot of contacts from college coaches, your process could and most likely will continue all the way into November and beyond. Many athletes in the 2024 class started off the club season being uncommitted. It wasn't until February that several of them even started getting high levels of interest.

Stay motivated

Accomplishing the goal of playing college volleyball is not an easy one. If it's something you really want to do, don't get discouraged about how things go (or don't go) within the first couple of days. There will still be opportunities out there going forward. Stay focused on accomplishing your goal. If your top schools aren't interested in you on June 15th, that's a huge bummer, but it's not the end. It's discouraging, yes, but stay motivated. Make new lists. Reach out to new schools. Lean on the people around you to help keep you going. This process is more of a marathon than a spring for most. It takes endurance. Your goal to play college volleyball is because you are a motivated and competitive person; do NOT lose sight of those aspects about yourself. Stay in the fight. A little perseverance is a good thing! This is just getting you ready for college really. College volleyball is hard and challenging. Results at the highest level can take time too - your recruiting process is going to be similar. Stay focused on your goals, put in the work and good things will happen.

Good luck today and throughout the rest of your process.

If you need some help along the way, please feel free to reach out!

(Originally posted 5/8/2023)

I have had this theory since we got into the club season and Triple Crown (2nd weekend of February) weekend started. It's certainly not written in stone as their are always TONS of variables and everyone's recruiting process is different. This does seem to be the general timeline though for D1 and D2 schools.

June 15th

There is a lot of buildup leading into the June 15th contact date and for good reason. It's the first time that college coaches (D1 and D2) can really speak directly to an athlete. It's a big deal because those first few phone calls in the days and weeks after set-up visits, offers and the next step in the recruiting process. June 15th is still a huge deal and it's something we talk a lot about with the sophomores as they go into their Junior year.

I do wonder though if June 15th will start to have less impact and meaning in the grand scheme of the recruiting process. There are currently PLENTY of uncommitted Juniors (almost seniors) and still plenty of schools still looking to fill holes in their rosters. The impact of the portal window opening on May 1st (The first day of the quiet period) I think certainly has an impact on the current process for juniors. Coaches are having to decide if they want to fill a need in 24 now with a high school athlete, or if they want to fill a spot in 23/24 with someone off the transfer portal.

Beginning of Fall

If you're an athlete going into the fall of your junior year, then you most likely had some contact with college coaches on June 15th. If you get to the start of your high school season and you don't have offers or visits planned, it might be slow going for you for a bit. A lot of that will depend on where you are in the process, where colleges are in the process and how much work you did in the previous club season to put yourself out there and get in front of college coaches. A college coach just told me. "If we don't get this setter committed that we offered, we will most likely just wait and see what happens in the portal after the fall season is over." That being said, I have seen several athletes move the ball forward throughout the fallI. It does take work and finding the right fit with the right school that has a need can be challenging.

It's challenging because we run into another portal window after the fall season. If coaches still have needs to fill in the next two fall seasons, they will immediately go look at the portal to fill those needs. Depending on their commitments from juniors and seniors at that point, they might be able to fill those needs from the portal. If they can't, or don't fill all their needs, then they will be back to looking at that junior class come the start of club season. This is something I think can be challenged on the athlete side if they do their due diligence in reaching out to the right schools throughout their high school season.

January/February

Now we are back to the start of club season. Schools that didn't fill all of their needs from the transfer portal will again be looking at the junior class. Usually this process can go pretty fast and visits and offers will happen once college coaches get the chance to watch athletes live again. This process will carry over into the "quiet period" in May. I have several athletes about to go into their senior year that are currently taking visits and several others have visits planned.

That's the cycle. Or at least how it looks to me from where I'm sitting

Athletes going into their junior year get hit hard with communication, camps, visits and potentially offers at the beginning of the fall season. There's a potential to create interest in yourself throughout the fall, but there are a lot of coaches that will just go to the portal in the fall if they don't finish their needs with commitments. From there, juniors start their 17s club season and have another fairly large window to get recruited.

The portal impacts this process for high school athletes on all sides it feels like. Athletes starting their junior year of high school might be getting a lot of traction with some schools, but when the portal opens up again at the end of the calendar year, the school that had a need for a setter in two years, now needs one and is getting one for the upcoming fall. The ease and simplification of the transfer portal for college coaches makes it a HUGE variable going forward with high school athletes.

All of this to say - don't get discouraged. Variables are a constant in the recruiting world. It's why college coaches say they are "always recruiting"...because they are. You might be "done" with a class, but they are always looking for the next possible athlete to add to their roster. Just the amount of schools needing and asking about senior middles and setters in the last month has been crazy. There are always options to play college volleyball. Work hard. Stay consistent. The work that you're putting in right now to get in front of college coaches will pay off. Stick with it!

(originally published 7/1/2024)

Don't chase the rabbit...

The AAU Nationals tournament put a lot of things into perspective for this class of volleyball recruits. Here is what every athlete needs to understand about June 15th and the implications of this new recruiting world we have been in the last couple of years.

It is extremely important for athletes to nail their June 15th contacts. I really do mean it. Missing on June 15th and by consequence missing which camps you attend over the summer can set you back months.

In some ways you are set up to fail with these current rules and processes. No phone calls. No visits. 0 contact with college coaches. Camp invites and questionnaires (although those are going away) that may or may not mean a school is interested.

Talking to several college coaches in Orlando last week, I learned from one coach (that I trust) there were 100 verbal commitments made in the first week after June 15th. Compare that to the 34 verbal commitments made in the first week in 2023. That's quite the increase!

What does this mean?

First, college coaches are at least bending the rules, if not breaking them. Does this bother me? Not really. Information is the most important part of this process. If we can't get info from college coaches, then how are we supposed to navigate any of this?

Second, this means that athletes are matching up with their top schools better in some respects. Those athletes that are committing quickly and those athletes that are setting up visits for the fall are connecting with college coaches that share a mutual interest. That's important and it's what we are trying to do with all of the families and athletes we work with.

Finally, you can't chase the rabbit. Reach schools are just that, a "reach" and you should spend more of your time and energy with schools where you will be at the top of their list, not just 'on' their list. When schools aren't interested going into the May quiet period, that probably isn't going to change in the next 4-5 weeks.

Does this all mean that you will have to ask tough questions? Yes. Does this mean that you possibly won't like the answers to your questions? Yes. Things can always change in your favor, of course. But we quickly start talking about a LOT of different variables and quite a few "what ifs?".

Is there still hope for athletes to get recruited if they don't make a verbal commitment in the first month?

YES!

There are always schools looking for athletes! Speed bumps don't have to slow you down forever. We can always refocus our list. But we want to do that as soon as possible. Not all D1 and D2 schools are making offers right away in the summer before your junior year, but many are. Lots of schools will wait until your 17s year to make offers. Plenty of others are trying to get athletes on campus the fall of your junior year so they can make you an offer then. Timing is important. Which is why I don't encourage anyone to waste time. Shifting your focus earlier can easily make your process go smoother. Plus, you want a college coach to WANT you! Spend your time, energy and focus engaging with those coaches and programs.

It's not always a perfect process, recruiting. I sometimes feel like a lot of families out there just expect for things to fall into place. I think that there needs to be a lot more proactive work throughout the process. With our younger athletes, this is the approach we try and take. We want specific schools to show interest. If there isn't interest, then we want to move on and the sooner the better. We want to find where you are going to be the best fit. It's not always easy to do leading up to June 15th, but the goal is to put you in a position to be able to manage your process having already FOUND schools that are interested.

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