How One of the Nation's Top Programs Handles Recruiting

by Dan Greenspan, The Daily Trojan

Spend any time at Howard Jones Field on the campus of the University of Southern California and you'll see them - NFL scouts for the likes of Houston, Minnesota and Pittsburgh.

They are looking at juniors and seniors eligible for the next draft, because before 40 times and vertical leaps are measured they want to know what kind of work ethic they have and how ready they are for instruction. Pete Carroll, head football coach for the USC Trojans, is doing the same thing evaluating high school players.

"We try to do it exactly the same. We use the same mentality, same process.

"The only different being when the coach of the Trojans does it, web sites and message board take notice."

Welcome to the world of recruiting, the second season of college football. To win games, USC needs to sell itself to as many as 25 recruits every year. It is, as offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian said, a business.

"Recruiting is a lot like sales," he said. "We've got a product here, we've got a pretty good product. If you like our product, we've going to give you a $50,000-a-year scholarship to come to school at a great university.

"ESPN The Magazine senior writer Bruce Feldman describes what the process is like for one program in his new book "Meat Market." Feldman spent a year with Ole Miss and its coach Ed Orgeron, a name familiar to fans of USC, as it put together the class of 2007 with no ground rules or restrictions.Orgeron, the Trojans defensive line coach from 1998 to 2004, made his mark recruiting and developing the likes of Shaun Cody and Mike Patterson.

"I absolutely without hesitation trusted everything that Eddie did while he was here," Carroll said. "He was a huge asset."

The gruff Cajun, who traded an addiction to alcohol for recruiting, found himself trying to land the nation's hottest recruit, a Louisiana running back named Joe McKnight.

But McKnight, who signed with USC and has rushed for 253 yards and one touchdown as a freshman, became caught up in the intense scrutiny and pressure of the process. "Once I narrowed it down to three schools, I stopped taking phone calls," McKnight said. "It's hard to deal with the expectations, not to mention the distractions. Even for the kids with the solid family backgrounds, it's hard if their heads get blown up by the attention from the recruiters and the media and the fans."

Sarkisian said with the growth of online recruiting media, its nebulous evaluations and rankings can drastically impact a recruit. "The Internet has totally changed everything," he said. "There's so many more opinions now of players. The kids believe that opinion so much now that you not only fight other schools but you deal with the Internet stuff as well. "You can take any kid's 12 or 14 game schedule and put together a really nice highlight video. As coaches, we do a lot more game watching - what kind of effort does the young man play with. We find out a lot about their heart and effort in that manner."

Former All-American center Ryan Kalil proved himself in just such a manner to Orgeron, Sarkisian and the Trojans during a summer camp in 2002. They found Mike Williams playing basketball. Their methods produced recruiting classes that were among the best in college football history.

But even mighty USC has had to adjust, including taking verbal commitments from juniors.

Four players - wide receiver Randall Carroll, offensive lineman Kevin Graf, tight end Morrell Presley and linebacker Marquis Simmons - have made nonbinding pledges to join the program in 2009.

Kids are getting influenced to where they think they should make the decision as sophomores or juniors. Some schools will offer guys that early in hopes that they might consider them and some kids get their heads turned.

"I'm really in favor of slowing the process back down and giving these kids time to see schools and go to camps."

Carroll likened the acceleration in the process to letting underclassmen declare for the NFL Draft."They don't want freshmen coming out. They want a chance to evaluate the players, see them grow and mature and ensure their evaluations can be accurate and complete."You can't possibly make choices as well in that kind of evaluation process."

But Carroll said despite some changes, he still approaches recruiting the same way. "We like to be really thorough and make our decisions very judiciously."

No Calls From Coaches? Here's What to Do...

This time of year, solid D1 recruits have already heard from many, many college coaches via phone calls.

Even non-D1 division level programs, in all sports, are busy calling the senior athletes that they have information about. Phone calls are the primary way coaches get to know athletes before they bring them on campus or offer them a scholarship.

If coaches are calling you, it's a very exciting time in the recruiting process.

If you're a high school Senior athlete who isn't hearing from college coaches, something is wrong. And not taking steps to fix the problem will probably result in not playing your sport at the college level.

Here's what the experts at CSA-Prepstar recommend:

1. E-mail at least ten college coaches right away. Pick schools that are realistic for your athletic ability, and offer the academic programs that you want. Initiate some one-on-one contact via e-mail that will lead to those coveted phone calls.


2. Fill out the college's online recruiting form. If you go the school's website to look-up the coach's e-mail address, take a few minutes to fill out their program's online recruiting form. For many coaches, that's the start of their recruiting contact.


3. Call the coach yourself. Scary? Maybe a little. But if you feel you have what it takes, make an impression by calling to introduce yourself to a coach yourself.


4. Register your athletic profile. Getting your name online and with an organization that is trusted and used by college coaches is a great way to jump-start recruiting. Find out more by clicking here.

If you're already a CSA-Prepstar client, we encourage you to work with your personal Area Scouting Director to develop a list of college contacts that you are interested in, and manage the contacts that you are already receiving from the CSA-Prepstar recruiting network.

If you're an athlete that wants to go through the process on your own, that's O.K. too. But you have to be ready to take control of the process and make sure that your name is getting talked about in college coaching offices around the country. Doing some simple things to generate phone calls is the first step as we head into the last part of the year.

Prepstar Rose Bowl Combine Features the Nation's Top 250 Prospects

A few weeks ago, some of the nation's best football prospects gathered at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California in what has become an annual tradition: The Prepstar Magazine football camp and combine.

It was a great day from start to finish. It's just one more reason why CSA Prepstar has established itself as the leader in college athletic recruiting. Even if you aren't one of the nation's top football prospects, CSA Prepstar can help you show off your talents to the right college coaches (no matter what sport you play).

Here are some pictures of the day at the Rose Bowl.

Getting ready to start the day...hundreds of prospects line up early to register and get their camp workout jerseys.

Inside the Rose Bowl...250 future college and pro football players get ready to show what they've got and compare themselves to some of the best talent in the country.

A special welcome for the athletes and their parents on the Rose Bowl jumbotron...

Parents file in and take their seats...ready to enjoy the sun, the competition, and a great day of football at the Prepstar mini-camp and combine...

Former Florida State quarterback legend, Chris Rix, talks to the prospects before the big day begins...Chris was a special guest of CSA Prepstar for the event.

The testing begins...40 yard dash, shuttle runs, bench press, and more. It was a chance to line up against the best of the best and see where you ranked. That information will go out to college coaches as a regular part of how CSA Prepstar communicates with college recruiters searching for the best athletes in the nation.

Even CSA Prepstar founder and President (and former University of Hawaii quarterback) Jeff Duva showed off his form. We don't know why, but none of the camp participants asked for his autograph afterwards...

The results of the combine will be available soon through Prepstar Magazine, and will be distributed to hundreds of college coaches nationwise.

If you're interested in seeing what CSA Prepstar could do for you and your chances of playing college sports, the first step is easy: Just register and build your basic profile for coaches to view.

Thanks to everyone who made the 2007 mini-camp and combine at the Rose Bowl a success.

A Prime Example of How Athletes Get Overlooked

One of our CSA Prepstar area scouts in Florida shared an amazing story with us the other day. It's a prime example of just how easily good (in this case, great) prospects get overlooked by major colleges.

One of the athletes that enrolled in the CSA Prepstar program with Chad Bell, our area scout, is now getting interest from lots of large programs: Florida, Miami, Florida State, LSU...and about 60 other D1 programs around the program.

The athlete's name is Matt Patchan. He plays football, and while he's happy with the way his recruiting experience has unfolded so far, he still hadn't heard from his dream school: The USC Trojans.

So, Chad used the CSA Prepstar registered coach directory to get in touch with Brennan Carroll, the son of Head Coach Pete Carroll and an assistant coach with the Trojans. Chad e-mailed him Matt's Prepstar profile and told him that USC was at the top of his list. All of this was made easier by the fact that USC, like most colleges around the country, are registered with the CSA Prepstar searchable database for college coaches.

Two days later, Chad received a personal e-mail from Brennan. He couldn't believe that they weren't aware of him, and didn't know that USC was the top choice for this prospect across the country in Florida. Coach Carroll gave Chad his cell phone number and told him to have Matt, the prospect, to give him a call.

Here's the point in telling you the story: Sometimes, even highly regarded prospects like Matt Patchan get overlooked by the schools they really want to go to. The old adage that you've probably heard, "If you're good enough to play in college, they'll find you", isn't always true. Much of the time, in fact. Even top recruiting programs like USC let people slip through the cracks from time to time.

If you're a CSA Prepstar athlete, and there is still a school out there that you haven't heard from that you really want to look at, get in touch with your personal CSA Prepstar area scout right away. This is the perfect time of year to make sure that all of your top choices are aware of you and are able to give you feedback as to whether you are a legitimate prospect for them or not.

If you aren't a CSA Prepstar athlete, you should click here to get the process started. If you want to do the work on your own, you can. There are a couple of vital points you'll want to focus on as soon as possible to give yourself the best chance at being recruited:

• E-mail the coach at your "dream schools" and let him or her know that you want to look at playing for their team once you graduate.



• Follow that e-mail up with a phone call within 48 hours. Late morning (coach's time) is the best time, in general, to contact the coach.



• Ask them to honestly assess your talent, and what they think the chances are of you getting a chance to play for them at the college level.



• If they tell you that you probably would not be a good fit, don't lose hope! There are over 1,400 four-year schools out there looking for athletes. You've just taken one step closer to finding the right school for you.
  


• Never, ever, give-up. Keep contacting coaches and repeat the process that I've laid out for you here.

Persistent pays off when it comes to ensuring that you aren't one of those overlooked athletes. Make sure you make your search for the right program a priority on your weekly schedule.

Should You Look at Out-of-State Sports Programs?

We hear back from a lot of our CSA Prepstar athletes and parents who we work with that they're amazed at the number of colleges most end up hearing from as a result of our contacts with college coaches.

But they're also surprised that they hear from so many schools that are outside of their region of the country. They hear from interested schools that are two or three states away, or even schools on the other side of the country.

That brings up an important question for prospects: Should you consider out-of-state offers from interested coaches?

Here are a few things to keep in mind as a potential college athlete:

• Remember, you don't get pick the college you'll play for. What do I mean by that? I'm saying that colleges will end up deciding if you're right for them. Unless you're one of the top 100 or so players in the country in your sport, you have to wait for the offer from a school. You can't just "choose" the school and ask them for a scholarship. It doesn't work like that. So, because you don't get to pick the college you'll play for, you need to be interested in any and all offers that come your way. Even offers from schools in another state that you may not be familiar with yet.



• Colleges want the best athletes. And, they'll go out-of-state at times to find them. In fact, being an out-of-state athlete can be a big advantage to you. Some colleges are mandated to have a good variety of athletes from different parts of the country, so you may fit into that plan for them by being as good (or better) than some of their "local" prospects. College coaches at every level, in every sport, want the best athletes. And, they'll go across the country to find them and use an organization like CSA Prepstar to get qualified prospects interested in their opportunities.



• Use the four hour rule. In other words, if you're thinking you wouldn't want to play for a school because it is out of state or "too far away", remember this: Even if you went to school in your home state, if that school is four hours or more away, you probably won't be driving home on the weekends. In other words, you'll be on campus for the majority of the year aside from holiday breaks and summer vacation. So, does it matter if you travel four hours by car or four hours by airplane? My point here is simple: Don't rule out an interested school just because it seems far away. As a college athlete, you're going to be tied to whatever school you go to and not leave campus all that often to come home.



• Take time to find out more about a new interested college. Take interest from a new school seriously, and research the area where they are located and what the school and sports program offers. Here's an example of what I'm talking about: I'm a graduate of California State University, Bakersfield. Most of you probably have never heard of the school. But lets say you're a good basketball player who is interested in playing and getting your business degree. Did you know that the team plays in a new 10,000 seat pro-style downtown arena? Did you know they were now a D1 team? Did you know that the school's business program is highly rated among west coast business schools? My point is this: This school might be a perfect fit for you, but if you don't take the time to find out you might miss out on a great opportunity.

Recruiting happens once in your life. Do your college athletic career a favor by exploring every opportunity that comes your way, and don't shy away from a school outside of your area.

If playing college sports is your goal, you need to be open to looking at any and all colleges that show interest in your abilities.

By the way, if you think you're not getting enough attention from colleges but feel you have what it takes to play at the college level, let CSA Prepstar go to work for you. We work with thousands of athletes from every sport, and have contacts with college coaches who are actively searching for qualified prospects. E-mail me if you have questions, or click here to register.

UPDATED! New Sports Scholarship Opportunities Posted by CSA Prepstar's National Headquarters

Here is a sampling of the most recent recruiting requests that CSA Prepstar has received from college coaches as of July 3, 2007.

If you are a CSA Prepstar athlete and think you might be a good fit for any of these programs, contact your personal CSA Prepstar Area Scout immediately and let them know you are interested.

Not a CSA Prepstar registered student-athlete? Click here to get started.

Here are some of the college coaching requests for this week:

• NY - D3 Volleyball program has full scholarships available for a qualified setter and a qualified hitter.
• NY - D2 Volleyball program has a full scholarship available for a blocker. Minimum height 5' 10" with 20" vertical leap.
• NC - D1 tennis coach has partial scholarship for female singles player with a minimum 3.0 GPA.
• TX - D2 women's soccer program looking for multiple positions still unfilled. New coach just taking over and rebuilding the program, needs interested athletes ASAP.
• OH - D2 women's golf coach looking for one more golfer who can break 80 and be a part of an up and coming program.
• CA - D1 Football program looking for 2009 offensive and defensive line prospects. 6' 4" 250 lb minimum size. Well known coaching staff, full scholarships.
• FL - D1-AA Football program has partial scholarship to give to WR/DB prospects that are recent 2007 grads. Also looking for preferred walk-ons.

Every week, college coaches rely on CSA Prepstar to get them information on athletes from around the country. Make sure you are registered as a verified student-athlete prospect in the CSA Prepstar database as you head into the 2007-2008 season.

College coaches are searching, and you might be exactly what they are looking for.

Now Is the Time to E-Mail Coaches

Last week, a dad who was hoping to start the college sports scholarship recruiting process for his son e-mailed me.

His question was simple: "Dan, what's the best way to get started when it comes to contacting college coaches?"



I had two options that I presented to him. First, I recommended that he look into registering with CSA Prepstar so that we could include his son in our online database for coaches, and start sending information to coaches in the areas that he would want to receive offers from. For only a couple of hundred dollars, its almost a no-brainer for someone looking for fast, wide-spread exposure.



The other thing I recommended, whether or not he let CSA Prepstar start telling coaches about his son, was that he and his son sit down and pick no less than fifteen college coaches to e-mail.





Why e-mail, and why at least fifteen coaches?

• E-mail is quick and free. It's something that both teen and adults feel comfortable sending, and can be a great start to kicking off a conversation with a college coach.



• The more coaches you contact, the more likely you'll hear back from some. Not all, just some. One of the fatal mistakes I see parents and athletes make when they look at college sports scholarship opportunities is that have too narrow of a focus. They have their two or three favorite schools or coaches, and they focus only on those two or three opportunities. That's way too few! You need to be in contact with fifteen schools at a minimum before you have any business being even remotely secure in the prospects for finding an opportunity at the college level. When CSA Prepstar works with an athlete, they send the athlete's profile to several hundred colleges at a time. Why? They realize that not every coach is going to be interested in that athlete. So, in order to get multiple opportunities in front of a family, they distribute the information to as wide an audience as possible.
  
  

If you want a good starting point for this easy-to-do project, use CSA Prepstar's free Campus Visit page. You can get access to every college website in the country, where you can find the appropriate coach's e-mail address and send him or her an e-mail stating that you are interested in their program.

Coaches love to hear from prospective athletes, and now is the right time to start contacting them. They are just beginning their new year of recruiting, and you have time away from the classroom.

Don't just sit there and wait to be "discovered"...get to work so that you can get noticed!