June 15 and Volleyball Recruiting.

Hi Coach Sonnichsen,

How are you? I hope you are staying safe during this uncertain time. I have been a long time fan of your blog. Your blog is the most helpful blog that I've found in the internet and I've read through all of your posts. Thank you for your time and dedication in this matter. 

I'm a mother of a 2022 setter and she is 5'9" tall. She is currently a sophomore and her GPA is on track to be 4.0 by the end of this school term. My daughter has had some successes locally and got some individual awards at tournaments. We are located in Idaho and my daughter has started emailing coaches in the northwest to express interests since last October. She has had some responses (mostly Division III and Ivy Leagues) asking her to complete a questionnaire and two Division III schools have invited her to some Zoom meetings, along with other recruits, to have a conversations with the coaches and current teammates. She hasn't had any Division I responses asking her to complete questionnaires, despite having sent out 5 emails to those coaches since last year. 

These are my questions:

1. As June 15th is quickly approaching, I am wondering what the recruits should be expecting from the coaches by that date. I heard from someone that coaches would actually extend an offer on that date. This sounds odd to me because if theoretically the coaches haven't communicated directly to the recruit before June 15th, how would they know that the recruit is a "good fit" to the team (not just skill wise, but also personality-wise, etc)? Shouldn't there be an official visit prior to an offer? 

2. My daughter's club team does not travel much for competition. For the coming club season, should she change to a club that does travel to out of region for tournaments in order to increase exposure? We are on the west coast and the furthest that the local teams usually travel to are Washington and Oregon. They don't attend the big tournaments in Las Vegas etc. Do Division I coaches generally travel to the smaller tournaments in Washington or Oregon for recruiting purposes? 

3. My daughter also plays up this year in club because she enjoys playing with tougher competition and faster pace. She tends to improve more when she's older girls. She did well and was the starting setter and she was mature enough to socialize with girls who are one year older than she was. However I have read that for recruiting purposes, the player should play at their own age because the coaches may overlook the player if they are not in the right age group at the tournament. Should she continue to play up next year or should she go back to her own age group?

4. Do you have any recommendations in terms of coaches that do personal online coaching assessment? I think it would be beneficial if I can get a coach (who ideally has a setter background) to watch a game tape or two of my daughter and then critique her play and decision making.

Thanks!

Setter Mom

Thank you for the compliments on collegevolleyballcoach.com and I am glad to hear that it has been a good recruiting resource for your family!

Allow me to jump right into your questions:

1. After June 15th of Sophomore to Junior Summer, college coaches are allowed to communicate with Prospective Student Athletes (PSA) via email, text and telephone calls.  In a very real sense, July 15th of the Sophomore summer is when direct communication between college coaches and recruits can begin.  

Leading up to this date, college coaches will find ways to communicate with athletes via club coaches, high school coaches, camps/clinics (even though no recruiting is supposed to occur at camps/clinics).  Families can still engage with the Colleges/Universities outside of the athletics department as to gain information via admissions, financial aid, student life, etc.  

With the NCAA Division I recruiting pressure for obtaining the elite athletes, college coaches don't want to be late to the scholarship offer party. They will extend that scholarship to the 6'3" Outsider Hitter, who passes nails and has a great armswing, because they have been watching them play since 8th grade and they can see if the PSA has a good attitude, is hard working, is respectful to the coaches and supportive of her teammates.

But, these early scholarship offers and the resulting commitments, can often times lead to not the best fit between athlete, coach and college.  The result of this not best fit will be transferring.  The combination of early commitments, college coach staffing changes and DI Transfer Portal has lead to an increase in the number of college volleyball players transferring each year.

2. To gain maximum recruiting exposure, PSA's should be playing in the National Qualifiers and especially out of region National Qualifiers if they are open to playing outside of their current geographic footprint.  

Because of budget and time limitations, most college programs will stay within their greater area to recruit, except for National Qualifiers (and/or the really big MLK and President's Day weekend tournaments) because they can get more recruiting bang for their buck.  The sheer size of the tournament, the concentration of talented athletes and the use of technology, allows colleges coaches to effectively evaluate hundreds of PSA's at a large tournament and maximize their recruiting dollar; this is why the National Qualifiers and huge Holiday weekend tournaments draw hundreds of college volleyball programs.

In general, local tournaments are only attended by local college coaches.  Again, it is a matter of time and money for out of region college coaches, and with the COVID 19 impacts, college volleyball programs will see significant reductions to their recruiting budgets.

If your daughter's goal is to be on a college volleyball team, and she is open to more than just schools close near Idaho, then she needs to be on a club volleyball team which plays in a National Qualifier and/or Holiday mega tournaments, especially those outside of the northwest United States.

3.  Don't think about playing up in age in terms of recruiting, but rather in skill development.  A one year jump in age group is easily manageable for recruiting by making sure her graduation information is correctly listed on the team roster, and in your recruiting outreach she makes clear she is a 17's playing on an 18's team.  If by playing up, she can readily increase her setting skills, then playing up is the better choice because college coaches recruit on talent. The better your talent the better your collegiate opportunities.

4.  I am unaware of coaches that do online assessments; plus, the setting position is the most difficult to evaluate via video, as there are just too many nuances which must be seen in person.  The most honest assessment is response to recruiting outreach.  If she has contacted 10 mid-major DI programs with video, and none respond, then she is not a mid-major DI athlete.  Her club coaches should be telling her what she needs to improve upon, and by her watching elite level club and/or collegiate setters, she can see where she needs to get better.

Overall, with her height, graduation year and grade point average, she will be in a good position to have the luxury of many collegiate choices.  The key to greater opportunity is greater exposure via playing in large tournaments outside of your region!

Good luck!

Coach

College Volleyball Rosters

Hey Coach,

I wanted to ask how to go about asking a college coach about their transfers/players that quit their team. 

A school I am interested in has one senior and no juniors this year, although they had many players on past rosters that should be juniors and seniors now. Understandably, this is somewhat of a red flag to me and I want to know what happened before I get too interested in the program, but I don't know how to politely ask the coach. It’s possible that some got injured or things came up, but it’s just information I want to know. 

How should I bring this up with the coach?

Thanks,

Current Athlete

College volleyball roster turnover is a valid concern for recruits but it can be difficult to get clear answer.  From my experience as a head coach, the most common reasons for gaps in the player roster are:

1. Residual effect from a coaching change - When a new coach is hired, there is usually some type of  immediate player attrition either by the coach cutting a player or a player leaving the team of their own accord.  This won't show up immediately in the roster and may take a year or so to become clear to the outside.

2. Playing time - We are seeing more transfers, and thus different class sizes, because of players not being satisfied with their playing time.  Because of the ease of transferring, the collegiate volleyball grass is always greener on another team! 

3. Injuries - These season changing injuries (results in redshirt year) or career ending injuries can occur over the course a few years which will result in a Junior or Senior class being thin or empty

4.  Academics - Players become ineligible and have to redshirt, or they leave the program and/or school.

5.  Craziness - Some coaches or players are just a bit crazy and the stress of collegiate athletics will only magnify this craziness.  Crazy coaches tend to have high player turnover and crazy players tend to leave (either by choice or by being cut) a program.

6.  Player Life - College is a transformative time in any young person's life.  As a result, players may realize that their current athletic life, is not the best path for them.  Academic preferences, romantic relationships, family, travel desires, life in the community; all of these examples are not a negative or positive reflection upon the volleyball program or coach - sometimes life is best lived outside of collegiate athletics.

With the average volleyball class being from 2 to 5 players, all it takes is a few of the above examples over the course of a couple of years to result in an empty or 1 person roster class.

Recruit families should be the most concerned about #5, because you can't fix crazy and to manage crazy is not worth the current and residual stress.

The best way to ask the coach is to ask the coach - "We noticed that there are no Juniors and only 1 senior listed on the roster.  Could you update us how that came to be?".........and then, listen to the answer.  The college coach should be able to illustrate exactly, without judgment or blame, how the current player roster came to be.  Make sure you have a parent or another person listening to the coach explanation, as a second set of ears will be able to pick up nuances which you may not hear.

Good luck!

The Coach

Playing Position and College Volleyball Recruiting Timetable

At the many club tournaments and recruiting combines which I attend and speak at each year, I always get questions about when certain playing positions are recruited.  This question tends to come from a Libero family, as they have seen other players get recruited and make commitments, while waiting for the same recruiting attention themselves.

In general, and please understand that each year a college team may not recruit each position, college volleyball programs will recruit the positions in this order - Outside Hitter, Middle Blocker, Right Side/Opposite Hitter, Setter and Libero/Defensive Specialist.

The Outside Hitter, an attacker that can serve receive, play defense and attack from the left or right side antenna is the most important position on the court.  It is no coincidence that Stanford won 3 of the last 4 NCAA DI Women's Volleyball Championships and their primary Outside Hitter was considered the best in the country in her position for all of those years.  Beyond DI Women's Volleyball, it is rare for any team at any level to achieve great seasons without having an elite level Outside Hitter on their roster.  

From my college coaching experience, my best seasons were when we had a good outside hitter and my least succesful seasons coincided when we did not have a good primary Outside Hitter available.

Because a talented Outside Hitter is so critical to the success of a program and literally means job security and advancement, this position will always be recruited first.

The Middle Blocker used to be more important back in the day of sideout scoring and monochromatic volleyballs, but the nature of rally scoring has diminished their importance just a bit.  They a remain key to program success and college coaches will be keen to secure a tall, talented Middle Blocker to anchor their team's blocking ability.  

The Right Side/Opposite position takes home the Bronze Medal, but it was a down to the wire finish with the Setter position.  The RS/OP traditionally has been the home of the left handed outside hitter and/or the fall back position for those Middle Blockers who were not quiet elite in their position or the taller Outside Hitter who struggled with passing/defense.   With the increased importance of the Outside Hitter (who predominantly attacks at the left antenna), the need for the defense to have a tall, effective blocker at their own right side antenna also increased in importance.  Also, an effective RS/OP attack will relieve pressure on the Outside Hitters and Middle Blockers.

Setters, and this is difficult for me to say having played the position at a high level, have diminished in importance in college volleyball rally scoring.  Teams can be successful with an average setter, if they have very good Outsides and Middles, but rarely does a team reach elite success with a very good Setter, when they only have average attackers.  College coaches understand this scenario, and they also understand there are many good setters which they can recruit after the OH's and MB's.  

Liberos are Last.  With the hundreds of Recruiting Education Talks that I provide, I have to express this rough saying to many families.  A talented Libero is important to the success of a team, as they are in theory the best passer on the team and serve receive is the critical touch in any rally.  The reason Liberos are last is simply Supply versus Demand.  There are many, many good Liberos in club volleyball and a few great Liberos, but college coaches do not recruit this position every year.

With the Libero being the catch all position for the shorter player with good ball control (shorter/less powerful OH's, short Setters or players who just have always played backrow because they have always been not tall), there is an abundance of talent within this very specific position.  College coaches know that they can focus their recruiting on the other positions initially because they can always find a good Libero later in the process, just because of the sheer numbers recruits vying for backrow positions in college volleyball.

Each playing position per graduation year will have a different recruitment timing. Talented Outside Hitters may need to be focused earlier than anticipated; Middles, Right Side/Opposites and Setters have a bit more time.  Liberos will have to be the most patient to succeed in college volleyball recruiting.

Information on College Program's Recruiting Needs

Where can I find a list of schools and their recruiting needs by position and year? I thought Rich Kern used to have that listing but I can't find it anymore. 

Thanks for your help.

G.W.

My best answer would have been Rich Kern, but I have not been on his website for a while.  

The challenge with getting a listing of recruiting needs by graduation year and position, is today's college volleyball recruiting environment is fluid.  Back in the day, when I was young and beautiful, there was a certain predictable pattern with recruiting; graduating a setter and outside hitter in Spring 2020, meant that a college program needed to recruit a setter and outside hitter in Fall 2020.

But, like my youth but not my beauty, that is no longer the case. Recruiting fluidity is significantly influenced by:

• There are more head coaching job changes occurring than before.
• Unfulfilled recruiting process expectations.
• Ease of transferring.
• Stuff happens.

Job Changes - When a head coaching job change occurs, there will be roster changes.  Each head coach brings their own coaching philosophy and this coaching philosophy can only be implemented by the players.  The Old School (You're my boy Blue!) player philosophy was that the new head coach would keep all the current players and if they did not fit the new system, they would be practice players but would stay until they graduate.  Now, it is commonplace that players which do not fit the new system are 'encouraged' to transfer.  

Also, it is my impression that the number of job changes seem to be increasing each year; from new hires only staying a couple of years, to power conference job changes, to last minute retirements from long term coaches. I don't think families realize the actual salaries of head volleyball coaches - Sure, the power conference coaches are doing ok, but there are 1700+ other head coaches who are not putting gold coins into their retirement accounts.  Power conference or not, each college volleyball head coach has to manage a roster of 15+ teenagers, intrusive parents and cumbersome athletic administrators - I know way too many college coaches, which just reach the point that the salary does not justify all the negativity which they have to manage.

Recruiting Expectations - The most important job of a college volleyball coach is recruiting.  It is not training, it is not mentoring, it is not encouraging academic excellence (that is the promotional and recruiting propaganda we use).  If we recruit well, we keep our job and cash a check, if we recruit really well, we can get a raise or get a better job, if we recruit poorly, we get fired.  No matter how good of a coach I am, I can't make a 5'7" outside hitter a 6'2" outside hitter; I can't make a bad passer a great passer; I can't fix a bad armswing - College coaches refine talent, we don't create talent.

With this reality in mind, understand college coaches are doing everything they can to get a talented player to commit (short of cash payments, which is reserved for other NCSA sports).  This can easily create unrealistic expectations from a recruit/family about playing time, travel roster, playing position, athletic time commitments, academic support, quality of the coaching staff, support of the coaching staff, etc.

But, it is not all the college coaches fault's; families can all to often come in with rose colored glasses and hear/see what they want to see versus what is the reality.  From playing time, to academic courses, to type of campus, to team culture; these are all areas where I have seen families not be realistic during the recruiting process and the reality of college volleyball and school can be a shock to the system once they are a freshman.

When expectations on either side of the street are not met, then the result is to make a change of programs/schools.

Ease of Transferring - With the NCAA Division I transfer portal and the newer mindset of administrators and college coaches outside of DI, transferring does not have the stigma or even negativity of the past.  When you factor in the digital age of video and communications, college transfers are now just another recruiting category.  If a player is unhappy about not starting and doesn't want to make the effort to become a starter, they just transfer to another school.  If a coach is not happy with the talent level of a player and does not want to make the effort to train them to be better, they just have them transfer.  The college players and the college coaches are not going to advertise their transfer desires/objectives outside of the program, so potential recruits can't see what a program may really need.

Stuff Happens - As simplistic as it may sound, stuff happens.  A player flunks out, the volleyball budget gets cut and head coach as to eliminate off campus recruiting, a player gets homesick and leaves mid semester, an assistant coach up and quits who ran the recruiting for the program, a world pandemic occurs which forces the NCAA to grant an extra year of eligibility to spring athletes, etc.  Every example above will change the recruiting needs and ability of a volleyball program.

Generally speaking, there is no predictable pattern for recruiting years and positions.  College coaches recruit for every position each year, scholarship and non-scholarship, because that is today's college volleyball environment.  Families must take this same mindset and pursue their recruiting objectives under the belief that each college program is recruiting each position every year!

Volleyball Recruiting Timeline...

Hi, Matt,

I met you at the AVCA combine in Grand Rapids last June and wrote you one other time.  My daughter, Olivia Barr, is a 6’ 2” sophomore/2020 MH (may be used as RH this fall) from this area.  We took your advice of reaching out to 100 colleges with her highlight video, and we have gotten dozens of responses from schools big and small, so thank you.

My question now is how to help her “build her resume” and move up the food chain of recruiting interest.  How important is it that we get her name on some watch lists (Max Preps, VolleyPrep, AVCA Phenom, PrepDig, etc.)?  Aren’t these often highly dependent on your coach?   (Some more actively nominate kids than others.)  And can’t the talent on these lists be significantly skewed by the level of play in which girls come from?  I’ve seen some underclassmen on these lists who likely wouldn’t even make the varsity at our high school.  Meanwhile, my kid can’t get recognized b/c she plays in a large school with a strong program and won’t even play varsity til her junior year!  So she obviously couldn’t have won any postseason awards as a sophomore at a much smaller high school might have, and, in some cases, that’s the criteria to get on the watch list!  Do college coaches care what watch lists you are or are not on?  Do they know it may not reflect your actual potential?

One more thing…  While I know this was a critical year for her recruiting-wise, Olivia insisted she not play club this season in order to spend more time with her mom who has advanced stage cancer.   This sounds like a great priority, but how much do you think it will hurt her chances at landing a good scholarship.  We’re trying to make a camp plan for this summer to increase her exposure.  Do you have any recommendations as to the type of camps to try and get her to?

Thanks,

MB

Let me break out your questions for answers:

- Glad to hear that your reach out was succesful - Families have to understand that recruiting is competitive because of the sheer volume of talented players; only by reaching out can families put themselves into the best position.

- Watch lists do not matter to a college coach.  We are focused on the talent we see on video and/or in person.  A player could be the #5 Super Duper MB on Elite Prep Rocky Mountain Watch List and it makes no impression.

-  Don't focus on building her resume but rather building her skill sets.  Her ability will determine her opportunity.  Her being able to effectively transition from a block against the opponent's outside hitter into a slide attack with minimal footsteps and speed, is significantly more important that being on a some watchlist.

-  She still has plenty of time on the recruiting clock. An argument can be made that later in the recruiting process (Junior and Senior year), slightly tall players for their positions (scary that 6'2" MB would be considered slight tall, but it is true) can have even better opportunities.  The recruiting timeline has become fluid; there are so many late scholarship openings because of job changes, injuries, transfers, etc.  Of course, the sophomore year is important but I have just seen too many late opportunities that I always tell families to stay patient and keep working the recruiting process.

-  Of course, spending time with family is critical, especially now more than ever for your family.  In support of this general concept of family first, club families quickly realize that collegiate volleyball is so much more than club and look back upon their club days wondering why they stressed out about being all things everywhere for club volleyball.  

-  College Camps for recruiting is a very poor use of your time and money.  In effect, you are paying hundreds of dollars so one program can see you.  Also, camps are Disneyland, they are not real - Camps are not college volleyball.  Better to use that money on more video, more specialized skill development, yoga, massages, a recruiting service, etc.

I think you are in a good position - Stay focused on skill development and communicating with programs, while reaching out to new programs with video!  Your patience will be rewarded, I promise!

Coach

College Volleyball Recruiting - Outside Hitter or Defensive Specialist?

Hello Coach! 

I wanted to ask a question regarding recruiting profiles and the position that the player lists.  My daughter is a 5'6" OH, six-rotation player.  She has a 9'2" approach jump and leads her team in digs, serve receive and is only two behind the top spot in kills. She makes very few attacking, dig or serve receive errors.  I'm wondering if I should list her as an outside hitter on her recruiting profile, since she plays that position or should I list her primary position as a DS and list the OH as a secondary, even though her primary is OH.

I want to improve her opportunity of being recruited.  I was not sure if it's better to list her as an athletic OH that can attack, play great defense, pass nails and can be converted to a DS or better just to list as DS?  

Thanks for your great book!  It's been a pleasure to read. 

Take care, 

J.W.

Thank You for the compliment on Inside College Volleyball.

In the promotion of your daughter to college coaches, she needs to decide what she wants in her college volleyball experience and gear your recruiting efforts towards her desires.

If she is solely focused on trying to play for a NCAA Division I program, then she would need to market herself as a DS/Libero.  If she likes to hit and be a six rotation OH, then she should look outside of DI for that opportunity.

Please note, that the Libero/DS position is arguably the most competition roster position in DI, and the majority of the players arrive to campus with zero athletic scholarship support. Conversely, a talented all around OH, even one that is shorter at 5'6", will have more overall roster and scholarship opportunities outside of the glitter of DI.

My quick answer, is list her as an athletic, talented, all around six rotation OH, and if a DI coach sees the opportunity to transition her into a DS/Libero, then they will make that known.

Coach

College Volleyball Summer Recruiting

College volleyball recruiting is a year round endeavor for coaches but there are slow times in the recruiting calendar and we are entering one of these 'slow' times.

Currently, college volleyball coaches are coming back from vacations (I know this because I used vacation time in late May and early June, and I see all the Facebook posts from my coaching friends in such exotic locations as Pensacola, Florida), going to USA Volleyball Nationals or the AAU Championships if the budget allows, along with preparing for the 863 camps they will run in July and finally making those last minute preparations for the fall season (which is time consuming because of all the details which must be checked, double checked, signed, copied, approved and submitted).  

The National Championships (USA Volleyball and AAU's) are more see and be seen, rather than the active recruiting of the winter spring club season with the National Qualifiers and Super Regionals.  The Championships are where college coaches check in with their committed/signed athletes, take a 2nd or 3rd look at players in their databases, and generally walk around like human sign boards so their school can be recognized by that needle in a haystack great kid from Twin Falls, Idaho.

This quadrangle of vacation, championships, camps and season preparation, conspire to drive VolleyFamilies to distraction because the recruiting tempo and communication have changed.  Parents and players, especially rising Juniors and Seniors, get panicked because they are coming off a very active recruiting period (the winter/spring club volleyball season) and now........recruiting has gone into slow motion.

Online and in person (yes, I have old school face to face conversations with families while I am at events for NCSA Next College Student Athlete), I encourage families to stay focused and patient, rather than PANIC (at the Disco).  During the spring, many VolleyFamilies were engaged in active communication (either email/text/voice) with college coaches and then, these conversations slowly died.  All too often, the parents/players feel that they will not get recruited next season and must take whatever offer they can at this moment.

As I have written in the past and spoke of with VolleyFamilies, college coaches are playing possum right now - We have purposely slowed down the recruiting because we need to focus on other areas, and we don't want to get busy with recruiting until later in the fall.  

Once we have got through the camp season, through the arrival of our team, and into our collegiate season, then we will once again engage in active recruiting.  We go 'quiet' in recruiting because we want time to determine exactly what we need in recruits for the next two seasons - We won't know what we need until the end of the current collegiate season.

College coaches, in all divisions/classifications, have learned that today's collegiate volleyball life is fluid.  Gone are the days where a coach can bank on having a job for 8 years and needing 3 athletes per year. Because of this, we employ a two part recruiting mentality - 1) the for sure needs; 2) the post season needs.  #1 is fairly easy; we are graduating 3 Middle Blocker's in 2020, so we will for sure need a MB or two in 2020.

#2 is a learned response - Stuff happens after the collegiate season which affects our immediate recruiting needs:

- We get fired.

- We get a new job; new coaches bring in new recruits because the days of the Athletic Director saying graduate all the current players and slowly build up your team are gone; everyone wants to win now and the victims are often the current players.

- We get threatened with termination; Athletic Director says we need to win next year or we are gone which results in coaches doing everything they can to bring in day one impact players (international, transfers, etc).

- Player quits; this is more and more common because players are committing in kindergarten and when they actually arrive to campus, they don't like the coaches, players, dorms, food, team mates, academics or campus.

- Coach cuts player(s); developing talent has given way to recruiting talent.  It is easier to cut and recruit, than train and develop.

- Player suffers career injury; this happens less than in the past because of the big strides in sports medicine. But it does happen, so college coaches suddenly need a passing Outside Hitter that they didn't need a week ago.

VolleyFamilies cannot control the recruiting process but they can manage the process.  Effective management is understanding the protocols and timing of today's recruiting process.

My suggestions:

1)  Accept that this is a slow time, and focus more on volleyball and vacation and camps and recovery and rehabilitation, instead of recruiting.

2)  After Nationals, or if you are not at Nationals, allow your body and mind to recover and recharge.  Small injuries should be rehabilitated and you should enjoy a solid block of non volleyball time.

3)  Focus on skill development; your ability will determine your opportunity.  Either in camps or clinics or private lessons, if you have listened to your coaches, you should know exactly which skill sets you should be improving.

4) Keep in contact with those programs you are currently engaging with (even if they have gone quiet) but understand that this is a slow time for all.

5)  Review your recruiting efforts to this point - Have you been writing Top 25 schools and none have replied?  Then you are shooting to high.  Have you written the bottom 25 schools and all have offered you a scholarship?  Then you should consider reaching out to a higher ranking of schools.  Have your academic goals changed?  Are you more or less open to various regions of the country? Etc, etc, etc...

6)  Enjoy your high school season.  This is something which I think gets lost in the club volleyball and college recruiting culture.  I understand that some high school teams are great while others can be a near waste of 2 hours.  Beyond golden (like Greenwood) or garbage, you are still representing something which is larger than yourself and will reside in the record books.  

7)  As late October rolls around, reengage actively with your current schools and reach out to as many schools which fit your recruiting comfort zone.  Remember that the collegiate seasons' start to wind down in late October and finish in mid-November - this is when the collegiate recruiting craziness starts up full tilt and you want to be front side of this madness.

In closing; stay recruiting patient now and focus inside to set the table for a successful winter recruiting.

Coach

USA College Volleyball Recruiting for the Canadian Athlete

Dear College Volleyball Coach,

Thank you all of the awesome information on your website, I am learning so much. Which I need to do because I’m writing from Canada and I’m completely new to the US recruiting process. I’m wondering if you would be able to give some advice on volleyball recruiting to your neighbour to the north? Here are my questions:

1) We have send a video to a number of Div 1 colleges. My daughter has received a handful of emails back saying that they are “adding her to their recruiting list”. What does this mean? I number of them have also made the comment that they can’t talk to her until “Sept 1st of her Junior year”. We are in Canada, so we don’t use those terms, but I know that means grade 11 (she is currently in grade 10). Is this a hopeful sign or do many colleges just send this as a form letter?

2) She was invited to call one of the schools (which she did). What does a coach want to hear from a potential player on these calls? Does this indicate a strong interest from the school or is this pretty standard?

3) Approximately how many “recruits” are placed on recruitment lists?

4) The analytics on her Youtube page show me the most coaches have not viewed the video. Is there any way to compel a coach to watch the tape? If they don’t, should we just remove them from our list of target schools? Or do coaches just take their time because they are inundated with emails?

5) There are target schools who seemed to have watched the entire video,  but we haven’t heard from them. Are there cases where a coach is interested in a player, and have a certain player “on their radar” but don’t contact them to let them know?

6) My daughter is a setter. I checked out a few of the public videos a noted that most of the setters do not show themselves blocking. This is a huge strength for her, but would it be considered “unimportant” for a setters video? (Seems like it would be important, so I’m surprised I’m not seeing it more).

7) Are Canadians at a disadvantage when competing for spots with their American counterparts?

8) How does a Canadian get noticed even though they are not playing in US tournaments?

Okay, that’s just a few things I have rattling around in my brain. I would greatly appreciate any advice and feedback you are willing to give. I will continue to make my way through your archives. :)

Thanks,
Canadian Volleyball Mom

​Always happy to he​lp a neighbor and please see the answers below!

 

Here are my questions:

​​

1) We have send a video to a number of Div 1 colleges. My daughter has received a handful of emails back saying that they are “adding her to their recruiting list”. What does this mean? I number of them have also made the comment that they can’t talk to her until “Sept 1st of her Junior year”. We are in Canada, so we don’t use those terms, but I know that means grade 11 (she is currently in grade 10). Is this a hopeful sign or do many colleges just send this as a form letter?

​Each category of college volleyball will have their own recruiting rules - NCAA Division I, Division II, Division II, NAIA and Junior Colleges.

NCAA Division I schools are only allowed to send a letter/questionnaire ​before September 1st of a player's Junior Year (grade 11), but they can also send camp brochures at any time (and unfortunately, some collegiate programs will use the possibility of recruitment to drive camp enrollments).

Generally speaking, college coaches have a template email that they will send to any high school age player who reaches out to them.  It can be hard for a family to determine if the college is sincerely interested or just following recruiting protocols.  If you had included video, and the college program also contacted your club or high school coach to chat, then they would be extremely interested.  Most players, outside of the tall, elite athletes, will not be able to determine exactly the interest of the collegiate programs until the club season of their Junior year.  

Once college programs are allowed to communicate via email/text, then families will be able to determine interest levels - Is the college program sending you regular updates?  Asking about your season? Inviting you to campus for a visit?  Or, do you rarely hear from them, even after you update them?

2) She was invited to call one of the schools (which she did). What does a coach want to hear from a potential player on these calls? Does this indicate a strong interest from the school or is this pretty standard?

​This is a good sign - Because of the sheer volume of talented recruits, college coaches are only going to invite players to call whom they are very interested in.  Believe it or not, having conversations with multiple 16 year volleyball players is not high our our enjoyment list as college coaches!

​

3) Approximately how many “recruits” are placed on recruitment lists?

​Depends on the category and budgets of each collegiate program, but it easily numbers into the hundreds.  Finding talent is easy - It is filtering talent to secure the best possible player for the program which is the challenge.​

4) The analytics on her Youtube page show me the most coaches have not viewed the video. Is there any way to compel a coach to watch the tape? If they don’t, should we just remove them from our list of target schools? Or do coaches just take their time because they are inundated with emails?

​For college volleyball programs, the later spring is the absolute busiest time of the year; even more busy than the fall season.  In the spring, college coaches are traveling to watch recruits, they are training their indoor team full time (same hours of training as the regular season), they are traveling with the team to play in spring matches, they are probably engaged in community outreach and fund raising activities, they are hosting recruits on campus, and, if they also are responsible for a beach volleyball program, then there is that entire program's time commitment.  

All of this piles up to make quick communication sometimes very slow.  Not hearing back from a collegiate coach quickly would not concern me, but the low view rates of the YouTube video would.  This is a broad statement, but college coaches will view every video they get and in a timely manner (remember that college coaches are competing for that perfect fit, and being late in recruiting a player because the coach waited a couple of weeks to view a video is not going to happen); they may only watch 30 seconds or they may watch it 5 times in a row, but college coaches watch video like it is Netflix.  Maybe, the coaches are truly too busy to watch?​

At this juncture, I would not remove any school from your list just because of the nature of spring volleyball combined with your graduation year.  As you move through your Junior year, and back and forth communication occurs (or doesn't occur), then you can start to remove programs from consideration.

5) There are target schools who seemed to have watched the entire video,  but we haven’t heard from them. Are there cases where a coach is interested in a player, and have a certain player “on their radar” but don’t contact them to let them know?

​Absolutely!  Often times, college coaches know they will have a certain number of scholarships but not know exactly how they wish to use they scholarships (in DI).  So, they will build up their recruiting database, and then drop athletes as they work through the Junior year of club volleyball.  Each collegiate coach has their own protocol for recruiting.

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6) My daughter is a setter. I checked out a few of the public videos a noted that most of the setters do not show themselves blocking. This is a huge strength for her, but would it be considered “unimportant” for a setters video? (Seems like it would be important, so I’m surprised I’m not seeing it more).

Your video is your first best vehicle to showcase strengths - If blocking is a strength, then that should absolutely be included.  If a program runs a front to back 6-2 offense (a setter and opposite player are subbing in for each other every 3 rotations), then blocking is not important.  I can't say how may collegiate programs run a 6-2 offense, but from watching DI Volleyball on television, it seems the majority still run the 5-1 offense, where the setter will play front row.

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7) Are Canadians at a disadvantage when competing for spots with their American counterparts?

​No - College coaches recruit talent.  If a player has the talent to make the team better, she will be recruited.  That being said, players from bigger cities are easier to recruit than from the countryside, USA players are easier to recruit than international players and native English speaking international players are easier to recruit than non-native English speaking players.  Because of the common border and language, recruiting Canadian players does not present a barrier (unless the coach really hates the accent or is just too darn lazy to jump through a couple of protocol hoops).​

8) How does a Canadian get noticed even though they are not playing in US tournaments?

​Video, video and more video....and, come south to play in a USA tournament.  There are enough very large northern USA club events (either USA Volleyball or JVA/AAU Volleyball), that Canadian players who wish to be recruited by USA colleges, really need to participate with a club program that will play in at least one club tournament in the USA.

If your height and talent is fantastic, then college coaches will come see you play but your video has to illustrate that your talent merits the travel.  Most college programs don't have the budget or need to travel to Canada to recruit solely from a video, because the same talent can be found at any of the large club events being held every weekend from January 15th to April 30th!

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Okay, that’s just a few things I have rattling around in my brain. I would greatly appreciate any advice and feedback you are willing to give. I will continue to make my way through your archives. :)

​Glad to help and I believe the collegevolleyballcoach.com archives can provide some additional direction!​

College Volleyball Recruiting Family Conversation

Today's college volleyball recruiting climate is more competitive than ever.  This is due to the ever increasing number of high school age players and the corresponding increase in the number of club volleyball programs in the USA.

Finding talent is relatively easy for college volleyball coaches.  We are now in the heart of the club volleyball season, with National Qualifiers and Super Regionals every weekend (thank you to the VolleyMom from Michigan for the wonderful compliments this weekend at the Mid-East Qualifier on the website and Inside College Volleyball). The convention centers are full of players and so many of them are good.  

The toughest part for college coaches is filtering talent; trying to determine which good player is the best fit for the coach's volleyball program and then convincing that player/family to come to their school.

While the volume of quality players has created more competition for volleyball families to attain that roster spot/scholarship for their daughter, parents still have the responsibility to ensure that their child's future school is the best possible fit.

VolleyMoms and VolleyDads, finding this best possible fit must start with making sure you are engaging with the proper schools and this is a result of having quality conversations as a family.  These conversations should start early, 8th grade/Freshman year, and continue until your baby girl starts practice the 1st day of her collegiate career.

What should you be talking about?  Well, your friendly College Volleyball Coach has your topics!  Remember that this is a continuous conversation, not a one and done talk.  Your daughter's and family's preferences and desires will and should change over the course of your Junior High to High school career.

G.A.A.S - May not be the best acronym but it will work for your family!

G - Geography.  

From my experience in college volleyball, both as a player and as a long time head coach, the most important consideration families must make is how far from home is everyone comfortable with attending school.  Is your family very close and your daughter still wishes to be involved in everyday family life?  Then, pick a school very close which allows her to live at home, while being a full time student.  Do you want to live a few hours away, so you can come home easily on breaks?  Do you want to be an average airline flight away, as to spread your wings a bit?  Or, have Mom and Dad had enough of your teenage years and they want you to attend a school on the opposite side of the country?

You must figure out the distance from home you are comfortable with - There is no value in engaging with a coach/program in a region of the country that does not work for the family; that region could be next door or the furthest point away from your house.  

A - Athletically.

In college volleyball you can never play up, you can only play down.  If you have the ability to play at Nebraska or Texas or UCLA (yes, I have to promote my alma mater!), then you can play at any program/conference/division in the USA.  

But, if your volleyball ability is at a mid level NAIA program (which can be a great opportunity), then you will not be able to play NCAA Division I.

Work with your high school coaches, your club coaches, watch college volleyball, get feedback about what your athletic volleyball talent is - If you don't have the talent to play elite DI, then writing the power conference schools is a waste of your time.

A - Academically.

If your player is still in Junior high or a freshman in High school, it may be tough to know exactly what they want to study in college.  But, you should have a general idea if they are a right brain or left brain child - Do they like science?  Are they into acting?  Is math their thing? Are they all over the place with what they like to do away from volleyball?  

For instance, if your Lovely Libero is into blowing stuff up in the back yard, then going to a small liberal arts school focused on humanities is not going to be the best fit.  As you might imagine, this topic could take a bit longer to flesh out.

S - Socially.

The topic that scares parents the most, including the College Volleyball Coach, is the social nature of college.  Socially speaking, what type of collegiate experience is the family desiring?  Does your daughter want the big campus experience with football, concerts, festivals, etc?  Does she want the small school comfort of knowing her classmates and instructors?  Does she want a big school in a big city, a big school in a small city, etc?  As much time as our babies will be on the court or managed by the program, they will still have a campus life that involves itself in the local environment.

By talking through G.A.A.S., you will be able to determine what schools/programs are the best fit for your family and which schools/programs you should be pursuing.  G.A.A.S. is not meant to reduce your potential schools to just a few, but rather to make your list more realistic thus manageable.

Again, this G.A.A.S. conversation is not a one time talk, but rather a continuous dialogue as a family which reflects your preferences and comfort zone through the recruiting process.  

The reality of recruiting is if you don't manage the process, the process will manage you.  Don't get caught up in those players which just had the process happen perfectly without trying, as those are the fortunate few.  Stay focused on educating yourselves about all the opportunities and challenges which encompass the college volleyball recruiting process.  My absolute belief is that those families which put the time into managing the process put their daughter's into the best possible position to enjoy a memorable collegiate career.

Coach

Early College Volleyball Recruiting Question

Hello Coach,

Thank you so much for the blog!  I really enjoy reading all the questions, and it has been very helpful as I get started on my recruiting.

As a freshman, I am just starting to research colleges and send out emails to coaches.  I know the rules say they cannot email back when I am a freshman, but my club coaches say that we are supposed to be doing that regularly now. 

I play on a top team that has been to JO's twice as 13's and 14's.  I run a 5:1 offense, and we generally play in 3-4 out of state tournaments and 4 qualifiers a year.  I am a starting setter on my school's varsity squad, playing six rotations and received many post-season awards.  I have an NCSA profile and have registered for the NCAA Clearinghouse.

From reading your blog, I see that hitters are recruited first.  I have several very good OH's on my team, so my setting is currently doing wonders for their recruiting because they are getting lots of attention already.  :)

Can I assume that these coaches may also notice my playing even though I did not reach out to them in an email before a tournament?  Should I email them after a tournament if I see them watching our court?  

I get the feeling that these emails I send are probably just getting deleted or ignored, but I don't want to NOT send them if it actually helps.  What is the chance that they are actually being read?  How many emails does a coach get in a day/week from girls wanting to play?

Like I said, our club coaches want us emailing and contacting college coaches, but without answers I feel like I'm just creating 'spam.'

My goal is to play D1, and my coaches say that I'll be playing at that level somewhere in the mid D1 range.  Currently I have two D1 coaches that have spent time at my tournaments watching, asked me to text them regular updates (of course they can't respond yet) but we communicate with visits to campus or via emails through my club coach. Either of these would be good options for me.  I have no idea what other options may be out there, so I do want to do what I'm supposed to do to get the right people looking on my court.

Also, as we follow teams online, it is obvious that a college coach employed at a school today is unlikely to be the same volleyball coach at a university through my entire high school and college career.  I am not sure emailing a coach now is going to connect with the coach that will be there when I arrive in 2020, let alone when I graduate college.

Sincerely,

Setter Looking for Answers

Thank you for your email and my complements on how you are managing the recruiting process so well, especially as a freshman.

By your feedback, it seems as if you are playing with a club that is focused on the recruiting process for its players, with pertinent instructions and acting as the communication vehicle.  Your example can answer the question that many families have - "how do freshman get recruited by college volleyball programs?" - college coaches use the club program to communicate and then get the family onto their campus.

Your last paragraph gives validity to my long standing and often written phrase, Freshman Free and Sophomore Slow.  There are so many annual changes to the college volleyball coaching landscape, that the odds of a recruit actually playing their entire college career for a coach are marginal.  Just look at Stanford and Illinois - Stanford wins the NCAA National Championship with 4 freshman on the court and then head coach retires!  I bet in early December zero Illinois players thought they would not have their current head coach come March, but he took the Stanford job.

Unless you are a top flight recruit, and by that I mean tall and physically advanced, I am not supportive of a large scale freshman outreach. Honestly, if you are a top flight recruit, you don't need to reach out because those hyper competitive elite programs will find you.  

Shooting out a couple of emails to your dream schools, fine, but the most important thing a family can be doing as freshman is this; the player needs to focus on improving skill sets and the parents need to focus on educating themselves about the process (rules, timing, trends, communication, academic/geographic/social preferences, etc).

With the current NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball recruiting rules, college coaches can only send you one letter/questionnaire (and a camp brochure) when you write them or they see you at a tournament, as a freshman or sophomore.  Because of this, I suggest freshman just play and see what the email inbox or old school mail box brings your way.  Since you are playing on a club which travels nationally and competes in the Championship, this should give you some valuable feedback about college volleyball recruiting as you head into your sophomore year.

January of your Sophomore year, is when I suggest you start an active outreach to those college programs which best fit your goals (volleyball and academics), with the understanding that there is still a lot of time on the recruiting clock and not to panic.  Don't get caught up in your attackers committing or so and so setter from another club committing; work through the evaluation and communication process, while always improving your skill sets.

I will close with these thoughts (which are the best ever thoughts about college volleyball recruiting you will ever read/hear/experience) - Stay focused on improving your skill sets, don't get caught up in the early recruiting cycle pressure, step away from the active outreach toward college programs for the remainder of the year to just enjoy playing volleyball, and let new email/letters from college programs serve as an evaluation tool as you finish out the club volleyball season and transition into your sophomore year.    As a sophomore, engage in an active outreach to new schools, while continuing communication with current interesting schools, so you can provide yourself the valuable opportunity of choice.

Coach