What Are College Coaches REALLY Looking For?
An except from our recen
t article in SportStars Magazine
I recently had the great pleasure of interviewing several of the Bay Area’s top college women’s soccer coaches and recruiters. One of the questions that I ask each of the coaches was, “What qualities do you look for in your college recruits?”
Take a moment to think…What would top their list? Not surprisingly (for me anyway) was mental toughness. Here are the top 3 qualities they mentioned.
1. Resilient to Adversity
Stuff happens in life and in sports. Coaches want to know that their recruits can work through challenges and bounce back when adversity strikes. The irony here is that adversity is required for resiliency to develop. What does that mean for you?
Value challenges and adversity when it shows up in your life. It’s valuable…It may even get you a college education.
2. Determination
It’s a long, hard road to make it to college athletics. Once you get there, it’s a whole lot harder. While the drop out rate of student athletes is below that of “regular” students (PAC-12 schools graduate 91% of their female soccer players vs. 66% of the general student population), too many athletes find out the hard way they didn’t have enough self-determination to hang in there.
3. Commitment
One coach said the following: “Everybody wants to play competitive soccer, but not everybody wants the responsibility.” Being a college athlete can be an awesome experience, but it is different than that of the average college student and it carries tremendous responsibility. Being compelled to be your best every day is required for success.
Does your future college athlete have mental toughness for college athletics?
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