College Recruiting 101: How Do I Get Recruited?
Guest Post by Haylie McCleney, Lead Softball Co-Founder
Recently on my TikTok page I posted a video asking for people to comment on any questions they had regarding my time as a D1 college softball player. I should have expected that nearly every other question was "How do I get recruited?"
First of all I would like to say that if you are under the age of 14 and you are worried about recruiting you are focusing on the wrong things. My first piece of advice to anyone that wants to continue to play softball in college is that you prioritize DEVELOPMENT and let the recruiting process take care of itself. Am I saying ignore the recruiting process all together? Absolutely not. I'm saying focus on improving as a player, as a leader, and as a student every day and I really do believe the right fit will find you. If you want to play, THERE IS A SCHOOL OUT THERE FOR YOU. After you focus on your development, I do believe there are a few things you can do to make the recruiting process a bit easier and find the right fit for the next step in your life.
1. Don't be the "Power 5 or Bust" player. Most people don't know this, but I actually seriously considered going to a couple mid majors before I decided on attending Alabama. They made great offers and one was even going to let me play both basketball (my first love) and softball. I visited the campus, loved it, and was intrigued by the smaller class size. Smaller schools and especially smaller schools at the D2, D3, NAIA, and JUCO levels can allow you to compete at a high level, get a great education, and go in and play right away and win right away. Talent is loaded at all divisions of softball, so don't lock yourself into one big school. Keep your options open and don't miss the schools right under your nose.
2. CAMPS, CAMPS, CAMPS. The best way I have consistently found to get coaches to remember your name is to go to their camps as often as you can. Attend a school's camp more than once if you are really interested in attending. Camps let you get familiar with the coaching styles of the university as well as what type of players they have on their team. This is important. If you don't think you are going to be a good fit with the type of player that college recruits, don't force the process. Going to camps also lets you get familiar with the campus and surrounding area, which is important considering not only will you play softball there but you have to actually live in that city for four years. Make sure they have things you like to do there!
3. Would you be happy sitting the bench there? This is my favorite question to ask anyone when they are in the recruiting process. I'm not saying happy/complacent if you were not playing. I'm saying knowing that you did everything you could to be an everyday starter, work hard, and develop; and it STILL didn't work out, would you be happy because your teammates, coaches, friends, and college life are THAT great. This speaks to the culture. Would I have been happy sitting on the bench every day at Alabama? As a competitor, no. But would I have still had the best four years of my life? Absolutely. I met my best friends, loved going to school there, and the connections I made as an athlete at Alabama are second to none. I wouldn't trade it for the world.
The bottom line is that there is a fit for everyone. Make a list of what matters to you, ask yourself these questions, work your tail off every day to be the best version of yourself and I promise the right school will find you.
Get after it this week.
-Halo