Attending a college camp qualifies as a form of college visit. This event can be the means to secure a quality evaluation, both of you from the coach and of the coach from you. It also gives you a chance to be on a college campus for a day, giving you the opportunity to get a better feel for the college environment. And we know it’s not hard to get an invitation to attend a college camp. So, what do you do when a college coach invites you to their ”College Prospect Camp” while informing you (insinuating) that many of their players are recruited out of their camp?
We do believe there is a strategic recruiting advantage to be gained in attending selective college camps. However, we don’t believe in chasing college camps. Are you a legitimate prospect or just another camp registration? How do you really know? Wouldn’t you like to know before you spend the time and money on the camp?
It’s this simple. First of all, consider why you are interested in the camp. Most people hope and wish for a recruiting benefit from the camp. Most people attend college camps to get “exposure”, a most often misunderstood term. We can assure you of this- if you just sign up and show up, then you may have fun for the day but your interest in a recruiting benefit will be lost.
College camps are best attended when they fit in the college recruiting plan as an instrumental piece to the puzzle. But it requires advance planning and plenty of communications between you and the coach before the camp date. It requires the coach to fully understand your intent for attending the camp. And it requires you to ask for a private talk with the coach immediately following the camp to discuss their evaluation of your sports opportunity. Anything other than that is “chasing” and contributing towards team fundraising.
Call us to discuss how college camps can strategically fit into your recruiting puzzle.
