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!