Updated May 18, 2023* Any time you get the opportunity to visit a campus you should take it. Back before we had these new rules, freshmen and sophomores could make unofficial visits to campus anytime and interact with college coaches while they were there. These were considered unofficial visits. Official visits were mostly reserved for athletes that had already committed. They would make an official visit with the other members of their recruiting class on the same weeke

The words we use and how we talk about recruiting or playing in college does matter. I think it's worth it to dive into some of the...

The Quiet Period ends today. But what changed from yesterday? As far as the athlete that is trying to get recruited, nothing has changed.

"We haven't heard from her in awhile, so we figured she wasn't interested." I have heard statements like this from college coaches on a regular basis. I even said it at times as a college coach. Communication is key. Consistent communication is just far and above better.

You are busy. Everyone gets that. I get that. College coaches get that. But what you have to remember is that someone is emailing college coaches. Conversations are happening. If you're "too busy" then you're going to miss out on potential opportunities.

"Why doesn't Suzie have a volleyball only Instagram account?" This is a question I have never had a college coach ask me.

"Court-Time" = How long a college coach hangs out at your court any given day of the tournaments; also, how many matches do they come to.

...to send some emails! With a long weekend and no school, now is a great time to get started on those emails. Time is valuable, I totally understand that. It's hard to get time away from school, volleyball matches/practice and homecoming events. But with a long weekend for most athletes and potentially even some colleges taking a day off, now is a great time to connect with some college coaches, or at least spend some time researching schools and focusing on your list.

I have been knocking around this idea for awhile now. With the changes in the recruiting landscape over the last few years that include the new recruiting rules and the addition of the transfer portal, interest is still as important as ever. Maybe even more so. But what is interest? (For more on a similar topic, take a look at "Good Response, Bad Response" )

I talked a few weeks on my podcast (Link below) about what families can do when they are just getting started. The "When should we start?" question is one I get a lot. The truth is there is always something that you can do and in many ways the earlier you start the better.

You've certainly heard the phrase, "Don't put all of your eggs in one basket." This rule applies to college recruiting as well.

While I don't think emails from athletes need to be 100% business, it's critical to understand that an email is not a text message. You want your email to communicate your personality, (this is why it's important for parents to NOT write them) but you also want to be respectful and make sure you are making a good first impression through your email communication.

I think that in general ANY response from a college coach is good. It doesn't necessarily mean that they are "interested" or even...

I do a lot of "myth-busting" when it comes to recruiting. There is a lot of misinformation out there and it comes in all shapes and sizes. Often times it comes from sources you might not expect. I already shared a few weeks ago about a parent that got some really bad advice from a very large online recruiting service, you can read about that one HERE. A second example is just the notion that recruiting in the sport of volleyball is the same as football or baseball. This