My name is Ryan Somers, and I am one of the senior recruiting coordinators at NCSA. I have been helping families through one of the most exciting processes that their student-athlete will ever experience since 2013. I was a two-sport athlete at Lyndon State College in the early 2000s. In 2014, I completed a Master’s program at Northwestern University in Sports Administration while working in their Athletic Department. After competing in college, I went on to work at The University of Vermont and was a media relations manager in the athletic department working with several different programs. I was a color and play-by-play commentator for the Northeast Sports Network for college basketball and soccer and did some work with Hockey East, ESPNU, NESN and Comcast Sports Network.
I have worn many hats at NCSA, including speaking at live events and digital events with our monthly online recruiting workshops. One of the most rewarding experiences that I have had to date at NCSA was being asked to travel to New Zealand in the fall of 2016 to speak at a large sports convention in which many coaches, athletic directors and families were in attendance.
The reason I dedicate my life to helping families through the recruiting process is because my recruiting process was choppy at best. I thought it was my coaches’ job to get me recruited. I thought just by playing on the right teams, someone would notice me. What I have learned in my years here about that approach is that you are leaving your entire future to chance. You are hoping that the right school notices you on the right day and that the person you are looking to do this all for you will connect you with the handful of contacts that they have. You have to take ownership of it and have proper guidance. It’s not about just ending up at a school; it’s about finding the right schools and having options.
To pick your best fit school where you are going to be successful in all future endeavors, make the professional contacts that you want for life and be happy academically, geographically, socially and athletically, you MUST have a game plan for this process. The timing is different for each student for when they should get involved and it is a very exciting part of my day once I can hear in a student athlete, or parents voice that they are ready to commit to the process so that competing in college some day is no longer just an idea, but an attainable goal.