Subscribe to the NCSA BlogAthletic Recruiting Advice from One of the Best
May 22nd, 2009 - byESPN Rise sat down with some of the best athletes in the country to talk about the state of high school sports. Jelani Jenkins the #11 Prospect in the Takkle/Sports Illustrated Top 200 Rankings powered by NCSA gave some great advice to future recruits.
ESPN RISE: What do you think is the biggest challenge facing high school sports?
Jenkins: I think a lot of high schools should learn how to deal with the recruiting process. I know at that age, kids aren’t really mature. The way my father taught me was to only say the positives about things. A lot of kids, they don’t exactly think about what they say before they say it. I know that’s a problem because a lot of people in the media are trying to make money. If you say something wrong, they’re going to make it the next front-page article. In terms of recruiting, they should have a recruiting specialist on how to deal with recruiting sites. A lot of kids are too trusting.
ESPN RISE: What is one change you’d like to see made to recruiting?
Jenkins: I think that there should be a lot more programs to help with the recruiting process. They could use different programs at different camps. A lot of people pick teams for their uniforms or somebody who had a good year, like a trendy school, rather than look at the big picture like the academics or how they can help you get to the NFL.
Fantastic advice Jelani. That is exactly why NCSA works with student athletes to help guide them through the College recruiting process. Our joint mission is to travel to high schools and events across the country to educate coaches, athletic directors and families on how the recruiting process works. Our College Recruiting Simplified Seminars explain the 5 Things every Recruit Need to Know and the 5 Things every Recruit Needs to do. There is a lot of misinformation out there. NCSA hopes to close this education gap for all student-athletes.
