Junior Drew Schiefer hopes to be part of the 7 percent of athletes that make it to the collegiate level. According to scholarshipstats.com, the number is low due to the elevated level of college competition.
Schiefer plans to break this barrier and has played varsity football since he was a freshman.
“It’s been an interesting process, coming in as a freshman, I had no idea what it would be like,” Schiefer said. “After my first offer, I had a lot of people looking at me. It had been something new, something I hadn’t had any experience with.”
Schiefer has not committed to a college yet, but has received six offers to play football so far.
“My one main goal is to get my college paid for, not having to worry about student debt and things like that,” Schiefer said.
“Getting a good education is one of the goals. I don’t necessarily know what I want to do, but I know I want to go to a school that will provide me with a good education and a good degree.”
Like Schiefer, Junior Karen Dutro hopes to continue playing her sport in college, and she announced her commitment to Butler University for volleyball this past September.
“My only goal was to find a university where I would love the academics and a team with girls and coaches that I bonded with and could see myself improving with in every aspect of life,” Dutro said.
After playing volleyball for seven years, and three years of meeting coaches, sending emails and going to camps, Dutro is committed to a college.
“My recruiting process was stressful and overwhelming but also fun and very rewarding,” Dutro said. “It’s scary not being able to talk to coaches and then having the floodgates open on June 15, but I had a lot of support from my family and friends which made it a lot easier and more enjoyable.”
Junior Morgan Jarvis is also trying to get recruited to continue her athletic career in college.
“My personal recruiting process has been hard,” Jarvis said. “It’s difficult to perform well in a game when you have a bunch of college coaches sitting up in the stands.”
Jarvis has played softball since she was five years old.
“I have set a goal to email each coach that I’m interested in,” Jarvis said. “I also have to remind myself that it’s okay if they don’t respond and it’s a part of the process.”
For a coach to remember an athlete, they have to persistently talk to them.
“I sent an unbelievable amount of emails,” Dutro said. “After every tournament, I would post my highlights on YouTube and then begin writing emails to send college coaches my highlights and update them on how school is going and how my team is doing.”
Junior Caleb Ferguson grew up around basketball. His dad has been coaching for 30 years and he has played since he was in first grade.
“Some steps I have taken to reach out to college coaches are sending them film, going to their prospect camps, and communicating with them over email and text,” Ferguson said.
Depending on the sport, different coaches prefer different means of communication.
“There’s a lot of communication through Twitter or X, some text messaging, looking at programs, telling coaches, ‘hey, I’m interested’,” Schiefer said.
Senior Hadassah Hurt recently signed to play basketball at Indiana University Columbus.
“My goals that I set for myself in terms of college recruiting was just to make sure I knew I would enjoy the environment and go somewhere that would make basketball still enjoyable,” Hurt said.
Hurt chose IUC because of the staff and environment.
“Some advice I would give to other athletes who are wanting to be recruited by colleges is to always play with a good attitude,” Hurt said. “Colleges don’t just recruit you for your skills, they also look at how you act on the court, body language, positivity, being a team player, and sportsmanship. All of those are key factors when you’re an athlete.”
The values of coaches differ based on the sport.
“The qualities that make me stand out to recruiters is my speed,” Jarvis said. “I’m not a power hitter by any means, however, I will be able to outrun a ball hit into the ground.”
Many coaches have told these athletes that their character is the most important aspect of the players.
“I think qualities that make me stand out to college recruiters are my leadership, my willingness to work hard, and my grades,” Ferguson said.
Despite standing at six feet and one inch tall, Dutro is still considered on the shorter side for a collegiate middle hitter.
“My energy on the court is what made me stand out to recruiters,” Dutro said. “Since I am somewhat undersized for a D1 middle, a lot of coaches said my passion and presence while playing is what made me stand out.”
Dutro spends two hours every day working to get better at volleyball, whether it be playing, conditioning or strength training.
“It takes a lot of time, effort, and sacrifices, but don’t let any of that stop you from pursuing your aspirations,” Dutro said. “No matter when you start or what you think you’re capable of, just start researching colleges, putting together highlights, and sending emails because you never know what might happen.”
Although the recruiting process may feel overwhelming to some, Jarvis adds that it’s important not to lose sight of the end goal.
“It’s important to remember why you do your sport,” Jarvis said. “The recruiting process is going to be hard, however it will be worth it in the end. It’s super important not to become discouraged if a coach doesn’t immediately email you back, they are busy managing their own team too!”
Schiefer suffered a back injury that caused him to be unable to play several games in his junior season. Because of the injury, he had less time to demonstrate himself to coaches and less film of his junior season than he expected to send out to coaches.
“Never stop training,” Schiefer said. “Find something you really like doing, and do your full potential. Do everything you can do to make yourself better because once it’s gone, it’s gone, so make the most of it now. Put everything out in film, reach out to coaches, put yourself out there and do everything you can to get yourself noticed.”
