Texting overload is No. 1 gripe among top prospects
MORE: Five-stars shine at adidas West Coast Invitational
TORRANCE, Calif. - To all college coaches: Stop texting so much.
That was the message conveyed from top prospects Sunday at the adidas West Coast Invitational about the arduous recruiting process that starts off as fun and exciting and can quickly turn into a headache.
One reason that is the case, according to these top recruits who spoke on the condition of anonymity, was because a lot of college coaches, and assistants, and everybody on the staff, are constantly hitting up their phone
Some messages are fine. No one likes non-stop texts, even from college coaches.
“Just all the texts,” one five-star recruit said. “The whole staff is texting you and trying to call you and talk to you every day, especially if you have things to do at home and school, just personal-life stuff. You hop off the phone with one school and you hop on the phone with another school. Man, I have my own life, too.”
Another top recruit said when asked what bothered him about the recruiting process: “The amount of coaches that text you. Some coaches will have all their assistants text you and you’re like, ‘Why is the D-line coach texting me when we have no relationship and no input on if I’m going to commit to the school or not?’”
And another: “A bunch of coaches text and call. Sometimes, coaches will call you without even informing you. They might catch me in a bad spot or a workout. I’m just doing something and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I can’t talk right now.’'"
Then there are the coaches who want to text or call first thing in the morning to get a perceived advantage over others. That might backfire, too
“Coaches who call at 6 a.m., asking me where I am,” one four-star recruit said. “It’s like, I’m sleeping."
Not all high-profile recruits despise the incessant text messages and phone calls, though. It’s a delicate balance. College coaches have to play to make sure elite recruits feel loved by them and not put on the back burner, while also not being constantly annoying. For each prospect, a different approach might be necessary.
“The text part is pretty bad, but I just want to be recruited so I’ll let the school recruit me,” a four-star recruit said. “Whoever wants me they can text my phone or call. I just want to go in and be an asset to a program where I can play and be seen.”
Another said: “Sometimes it gets frustrating just getting hit up every day by the random schools and even the coaches I am super interested in, because they all view themselves as the only school. When you have 40 scholarship offers, it gets kind of frustrating. I have to enjoy it because it’s something I prayed for since I was a young guy. I’m now in the midst of it all and I’m excited.”
And college coaches aren’t the only ones to blame for the stress that comes with the recruiting process. One prospect who made a de-commitment already said things get difficult when everybody involved in his life voices their usually uninformed opinions about what’s best for his life.
“It’s a lot of stress,” the recruit said. “Everybody is in my ear trying to tell me what’s best for me. It’s overwhelming. Phone calls all the time, messages everywhere you go.
“People just trying to say what’s best for you and trying to figure out my life. I have a mentor who’s a father figure in my life. He helps me out with all my trips. He tells me to block out everybody. Everybody is just trying to get in to tell me what’s best for me and they don’t even know me like that.”