Prospects and families get hurt because they are entering a
contest where only the opposition knows the rules. They don’t
understand their value in the recruiting marketplace. They don’t
know how to interpret the meaning (both obvious and hidden)
of all the calls, letters, promises, and other communications
from college recruiters. They don’t know when they are being
strung along or when they are being told the truth.
You can be intensely recruited with letters, personal notes,
and phone calls for months and suddenly hear nothing because
you were being strung along. It goes with the territory.
Protect yourself with the following counterforce of knowledge
and strategies to level the playing field:
- Until you have an offer in writing (award letter, contract,
or tender) and until you make a commitment to a coach;
you must always create the impression that you are consid-
ering other colleges’ offers. In fact, you should always have
at least one backup in case of an unpleasant surprise.
Why? Sometimes, if a coach believes that you are being
recruited by other coaches and you are at or near the top of
another coach’s recruiting depth chart, the coach (or some
other official at the college) may offer additional incen-
tives (financial aid) for you to choose his/her program. If
chapter 15
Why Prospects and
Families Get Hurt