Update on What College Coaches Are Seeking in Athletic Recruiting

College coaches can be more selective than ever in their recruiting due to the elevated talent pool available to them as a result of changes in the recruiting landscape. Certainly talent, physical characteristics and potential are important to them but they’re digging deeper into other attributes when deciding between prospects. In my discussions with college coaches, I hear a range of intangible traits but find most in concert with two of the most demanding coaches, Kelvin Sampson of Houston and former Alabama coach Nick Saban, both Hall of Famers. 

These standards are high but you should embrace the challenge and push to achieve them to elevate your recruiting.  

Kelvin Sampson will be emphatic in stating that he never has a bad day in his personal performance as a coach and expects the same from his players in practice and games. He values toughness and resilience, stressnig the difference between just playing hard and truly competing.

Nick Saban also valued mental toughness, along with character and adaptability. By mental toughness,  Saban sought players who possessed the fortitude to respond to instruction from a demanding coaching staff and the football smarts to understand complex schemes. In terms of Character and Work Ethic, he valued players with a strong character and a willingness to work hard, believing these traits were essential for success. Regarding adaptability, Saban looked for players who could learn and adapt to his system, recognizing the importance of being able to adjust to the demands of his coaching style.

Coaches are more thorough than ever before. They find out what's important to each recruit. What about their character? Are they a student in the classroom? Are they a student of the game? Do they love their sport or just like to wear the uniform? Are they good teammates? Recruiting has become more like the pros because it is now so intensive.

Winning character, fortitude to respond to instruction from an extraordinarily demanding coaching staff and the smarts necessary to understand the complex schemes and concepts weigh heavily on successful coaches’ minds during the recruiting process. Determining a player’s mindset and willingness to learn and level of drive to improve on a daily basis gives a coach and their staff the best chance to help them reach their full potential on the college level.

An example of this insight was one of Saban’s key metrics for measuring mental toughness - how a player reacts after a bad play. Does he sulk to the point of letting it affect him on the next play or beyond? Or can he regain his focus and move on to the next play?
​
Go to school, get your education and play football. That’s was Nick Saban’s manuscript for success. Hard work and mental toughness are the ingredients necessary to conquer the trials and tribulations along the way. Saban and his staff were well aware that physical prowess alone would not prepare you to play college football at Alabama. This is where the intangibles and that elusive "it factor" comes into play.
​
What are your priorities and are you willing to make the commitment necessary to separate yourself as a recruit?