How to Get Recruited for Wrestling
Despite all the college programs out there and all the services created to help kids get recruited I still see a lot of great athletes not getting noticed. As a college coach, I feel like I am in a unique position to talk about my process and the ways that certain kids get recruited and certain great kids fall through the cracks.
The first step is to know your goals.
Before the process starts you need to realize what you are trying to do:
Show interest
Put the best foot forward
Find the place that fits your needs
Get the best deal
Get your name out there
You cannot be recruited if a coach doesn’t know you.
1. Winning
Obviously, winning does wonders. Win a state title, win Fargo, win Super 32, and college coaches will come begging. But winning is by no means everything. There are a lot of kids who will have success in college that don't have that success in High School.
STORYTIME: I wrestled for Cornell College of Iowa. Before my time there we had an athlete named Kyle Kehrli. Kyle was not a great high school recruit. He never even qualified for state in 1A Iowa. He came in his Freshman year and only won about 3 matches. Coach Duroe notoriously said, "If Kyle ever starts for me, I'm going to quit" but over the next two years Kyle put in ridiculous amounts of work staying at Cornell to train over the summer and made huge jumps. Despite winning about 10 matches his sophomore year he ended up being a 2x AA at Cornell.
MORAL: You don't have to be a stud your whole life to have college success.
2. Go to (specific) big tournaments (NHSCAs, Super 32, IHPO)
As a smaller college coach, I recruit a lot of kids. To recruit a lot of kids, I need a lot of contacts. In my experience, the best way to contact a kid is via text. The issue becomes that I don't have that many phone numbers and finding them can be very difficult.
There is something that helps me a lot. Databases. Big tournaments like the ones listed above sell a database of their entries. This includes all sorts of information including their number. These spreadsheets are GOLD and I know that we are not the only program that uses them.
If your name is on this list, I don't care who you are or what your achievements are, your chances of getting recruited by a school go up exponentially.
Sidenote, every tournament should make and sell these spreadsheets. Coaches will pay a lot of money for leads like these.
3. Social media accessibility
Okay, let's say I don't have your number because you didn't attend one of the tournaments listed above. Another way I will find kids is the old fashioned way: brackets.
If I see you on a state tournament bracket and don't have your number I will immediately look to find you on social media. Kids these days don't really use Facebook so I will go to the two big ones. Twitter and Instagram.
Instagram is best because unlike Twitter, by default you can send a message if you follow them. This means a good tip is to change your Twitter settings to allow messages from anyone.
Here's the hang-up though, despite knowing that probably 90% of HS kids have Instagram, I can't always find your handle because instead of Paul Smith you put P-swaggy🤑
as your name. If I can't find you I can't contact you. I will go to lengths to find you in other ways but not every coach will.
The lesson: Make sure your name on your social media is your name on the state series brackets on both your Twitter and Instagram. I've missed a "Chris" because I was searching for a "Christopher."
Another thing: don’t be an idiot on social media. You’re an adult now and what you say and retweet and like has repercussions. I have eliminated many recruits from contention because of their social media presence.
4. Email/text/call coaches, fill out questionnaires
Interest goes a long way. I would rather have an athlete who isn't as good and wants to come to Campbellsville rather than a kid who is a little better and thinks he's too good for NAIA.
If you want to go to a school, contact the coach. Call them, text them, send them an email but always also fill out the questionnaire as we want all that information.
Here are some notes on how to contact coaches. First, lead with the good stuff you know they like.
Here's the order of priority: Athletic accomplishments, then academics, then leadership roles.
Now if you choose to write an email, it's not a bad idea but let me give you a big tip, be original! Coaches can smell mass messages just as well as you can. Being original shows interest which leads to the outcomes you want.
Lastly, if the coach asks for wrestling video of you or you offer it yourself, don't give them a highlight of you hitting super ducks on puds. Send me a full match or two against decent opponents. I will understand who you are as a wrestler much better that way. Trust me, you can't hide it anyway- we will figure it out.
Be Prepared for Contacts
It's a good idea to think about it happening even before it happens. Here are some tips.
1. Know what you want
One of the first questions I will ask a prospect is "What are your priorities?" So many athletes have no idea. Even if they've been on multiple visits many still don't know what they are looking for. There are so many different things you could want or just not care about when it comes to a college.
Here's a small list to consider:
Academic Prestige
Finances
Your Major
The social aspect (is the team close)
Facilities
Experiences (do they travel the country or stay put)
Location (distance from home, the weather, the region)
Coaches relationship (Do you have a bond with a coach)
Good team or bad team
There are positives for both such as Good teams are good for being pushed, good partners, and winning. Bad teams are good for weight options, gaining experience through starting, extra attention for being good or hard-working.
2. Know your information
Have your GPA and test scores on hand, know your meaningful accomplishments, know what you want your major to be (or if you don't know it's okay- no need to lie)
3. Deal breakers
This is key. Know your firm deal breakers. If you know you're a Midwestern momma's boy and don't want to live 1000 miles away, when a Cali coach contacts you, let them know right away it's not going to work. No coach wants to waste their time. They aren't going to be that upset you don't want their school, they have many other kids to contact.
Also, make sure they are indeed deal breakers. You may think you need to be located in a city but you may be wrong. It's good to check out other things. I thought I wanted a big school but ended up in a 1 stoplight town and it couldn't have been a better decision for me.
Once Contacted
1. Respond!
Responding relatively quickly (within 12 hours) to every message shows that you have an interest. When a coach asks you a question answer it thoughtfully- don't be short or generic. Coaches as questions for a reason. But no need to go overboard, too much interest or communication can be detrimental too.
2. Be Honest and be yourself
The more honest you are the more it will point a school up or down on your list. You want one or the other to happen. If you're goofy and your coach wants goofy, perfect! Match made in heaven. If you're goofy and your coach doesn't want that then good! See you later, you would have been unhappy there.
Remember, you're looking for the right fit. The more you withhold the more likely it is that you get placed in the wrong spot. I think most athletes would be surprised about what qualities coaches like in athletes. Withholding information about yourself or just feeding coaches the answers you think they want to hear is a one-way ticket to ending up at the wrong school.
3. Get your stuff done
If a coach asks you do to something, do it! It shows responsibility and is the first sign that they can trust you. The more a coach likes you and trusts you bigger the scholarship has a chance to get. If you're worried about the answers that may come out of answering a question or filling an application out, it is natural. But you mine as well do it now. The answer will come out and it's better not to waste anyone's time.
4. If you're not interested, say so!
If you don't want to go somewhere and you want a coach to screw off you need to tell them. A good recruiter will follow up and follow up until they know they don't have a chance. But once they know, they won't waste their time.
Now save this message somewhere and copy-paste when applicable:
Coach, thank you for your interest. I don't think your school is right for me and I don't want you to waste your time. Take care.
5. Have your coach vouch for you.
Coaches trust coaches. When you've spoken to the coach recruiting you and told them everything they need to know, ask your coach to reach out and say some good things about you. It's a good move as coaches know more about you than you realize and their opinions hold a lot of weight.
6. Know when to get parents involved
I want to speak to a parent at some point but I don't want them to lead the conversation as it is generally not a good sign. There are, of course, exceptions but look, as discussed earlier in this post, recruiting is largely about interest. I want an athlete who wants to be at Campbellsville. If their parent is the only one talking it takes away from the athlete's ability to show interest.
Also, on top of that, if a parent is all over me now, it worries me when/if something goes poorly during the athletes' career. the parent going to jump all over my case. I don't need more headaches than I already have.
Once You're On Campus
This is where the games really begin. Your moves here will determine the knowledge you get and in turn, influence your decision.
1. Ask the right questions
Clearly, it's important to ask the right questions but many athletes don't. In turn, coaches have their opportunity to manipulate the message and show what they want to show. As a prospect, you want the whole picture, not the golden one that the coach wants to show. The best way to get to the bottom of the situation is by asking the right questions.
Questions like these:
-What is the cost of the school? Am I being expected to take out loans?
-Who are the coaches? Are all the coaches in the room every day?
-Are there any other costs not included in wrestling such as headgear and shoes? Do you give the athletes gear? Do you pay for all travel?
-Am I expected to redshirt?
-If I get a career-ending injury will you uphold my scholarship?
-What is the laundry situation for workout gear?
-What do the breaks look like? When am I allowed to visit home?
-What do the facilities look like? Wrestling room, weight room, is there weight room access all the time?
Lastly, think about what they aren't showing you. What have you seen in other visits that are being conspicuously hidden? This is usually a downside to the school that they want to not show.
2. Know your worth
If you're on campus, they want you to sign. Make sure you understand that and know that you can leverage your worth. You can tell them who has offered you and (casually) tell them how much to increase your worth. Also know that when a school knows they are competing with their in-state rival, they will want you more.
3. Don't stress too much
Success can be had anywhere. You don't have to be at your tier 1 favorite school. You don't have to be at Penn State, St. Cloud State, Wartburg, or Grandview to win a National Title.
If things don't work out at one school look at another that is similar in the ways you like. You will find someone who wants you and somewhere where you can have success. The reality is that you are in control. No matter the place it's you who is the captain of your ship and in control of your success. Don't forget it.
When you get offered
There is one massive tip for this. That tip is to make your offer a discussion. Many kids say no and walk away from the table when if they said, “Coach this can’t work for my family but a few thousand more may make the difference.” The coach may or may not be able to oblige but they will think about it.
Understand that for all intensive purposes, coaches are trying to make a sale. It’s a business deal. There is room for negotiation. Once a coach has gotten this far with you they really want to sign. Use that to your advantage.
When making your decision
Weigh everything you have learned. It is hard for me to give too much advice as each situation is so different. The one thing I can say is that if two schools are even I would advise picking the coach that has had the most interest in you. If he cares about you during the recruiting process, he is likely to care about you during your career.