Changes in recruiting as the pandemic continues.
NASHVILLE, TN – At this very moment you might be thinking, “what now?”With so much uncertainty surrounding college athletics recruiting departments are having to adapt to the ever-changing landscape.
Those who move swiftly will reap major rewards, win more recruiting battles, and ultimately, more games. We surveyed our clients, from Power 5 schools to FCS programs, to see how they have changed their communication strategy this summer and how they see the recruiting process evolving moving forward.
Q: How did the mandatory dead period instituted by the NCAA impact your team’s strategy?
“We had to adjust to more calls and more graphics. We sent the same amount of letters, made a texting plan for our coaches, and sent more DM’s than we ever have.”–Danny Payne, Director of Scouting Analytics at Army-West Point
Q: How do you and your team adapt to the now ever-changing environment surrounding college athletics? (i.e.: changes in schedule, fans in stands or not, etc.) Have you been communicating any of those changes to recruits?
“I am telling them that we will still be recruiting them, we are excited to evaluate them this season, and that this won’t affect their status with us. I believe it is important to shoot recruits straight, therefore I am telling them weekly about the NCAA dead period, possible schedule changes for us, and campus tourdates through the campus, not athletics.”-Chad Savage, Wide Receivers coach at University of San Diego
Q: Do you think recruiting will be forever changed by the pandemic or will things return back to normal?
“Forever changed. Recruiting is an Adapt or Die business. And everyone’s had to adapt – coaches, recruits, parents, football staffs. Products like Zoom have allowed us to build relationships with families and introduce them to our university, program, and culture before they step foot on campus. There’s no reason to believe it won’t continue as an integral part of the communication process.”-Spencer Harris, Director of Player Personnel at the University of Southern California
For more on what coaches and recruiting departments had to say about recruiting in the post-coronavirus world follow Stacked Sports on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn as we release additional data, analysis, and insight directly from inside the recruiting offices of some of the top athletic programs in the country.
Stacked Sports is the industry leader in social media analytics and messaging software for college recruiting departments across the country. RecruitSuite, the company’s original communication solution software, has seen users start over 150,000 external conversations with recruits, their parents, and coaches in 2020.
Learn more about Stacked Sports and their communication solutions at www.stackedsports.com.