Three questions to start your recruiting year right
Take inventory before you jump to tactics
Much to my wife’s irritation, I always want to solve the problem immediately. Move fast, break things, ask for forgiveness later.
Most of my writing reflects this. Jump straight to the actionable stuff. Here’s what to do. Here’s how to do it.
I’m launching three new toolkits in 2026, all dedicated to solving problems in the college recruiting process. Build your list. Stand out to coaches. Make the decision.
All tactics. All tools. All designed to help you execute faster.
Because that’s what people want. Including me. When I’m trying to solve a problem, I want the template, the checklist, the exact steps to take.
But sometimes it serves us to take a wider view first.
Not instead of tactics. But before them.
Here’s why.
Take inventory before you build tactics
Every January, families jump into recruiting with renewed energy.
New year, fresh start. Time to email coaches, plan showcases, plan visits.
But asking for directions before deciding where you want to go doesn’t work. The tactics only matter once you’re clear on three things.
And most families have never actually sat down and gotten clear on them.
So this week, instead of diving into tactics, let’s use these three questions - taken from renowned coach developer Cody Royle - to take inventory of where you actually are in recruiting and where you’re trying to go.
Question 1: What are you hoping to achieve?
Not the answer you think you should give. The real one.
Are you hoping to play Division I? Any division where you can get playing time? A specific school you’ve dreamed about since you were 10?
Are you looking for development? Playing time? Team culture? All three?
Does it matter if you’re a starter or do you just want to be on the roster?
This question forces you to define success on your terms, not what everyone else talks about.
Take inventory:
What have you been telling coaches you want?
Is that actually what you want, or what sounds impressive?
If you committed tomorrow, what would make you genuinely excited?
Write down your actual answer. Not the polished version. The honest one.
Question 2: Who do you want to be during this process?
How you show up in recruiting isn’t just about getting recruited. It’s about who you’re becoming as you navigate pressure, rejection, uncertainty, and competition.
Do you want to be proactive or reactive?
Do you want to show up authentically, or perform whatever you think coaches want to see?
Do you want to be stressed and scrambling or strategic and intentional?
I’ve watched families turn recruiting into a miserable experience because they never defined this. Stressed parent, overwhelmed player, constant panic.
Take inventory:
How have you been showing up so far?
Are you reacting to whatever happens or creating what you want?
When you think about recruiting right now, what do you feel? (If the answer is “dread,” something needs to change.)
You can be successful and feel good about how you’re doing this. But only if you decide who you want to be first.
Question 3: What’s in the way right now?
This is the question that actually gets you unstuck.
What’s blocking you from making progress?
Is it technical skill gaps? Communication skills? An incomplete school list? Time management? Fear of rejection?
Most families answer “everything.” But that’s not useful.
There’s usually one thing blocking everything else. Find it.
Take inventory:
If you could fix one thing about your recruiting right now, what would unlock the most progress?
What have you been avoiding because it’s hard or uncomfortable?
What keeps coming up as a problem in conversations with your family?
You can’t fix everything at once. But you can fix the one thing that’s currently blocking everything else.
Write it down. Be specific.
Why January matters for this
The recruits who succeed aren’t always the most talented.
They’re the ones who get clear on what they want, who they are, and what’s blocking them. Then they execute on tactics.
The ones who struggle? They skip these questions and jump straight to tactics.
They email 50 schools without knowing what they’re looking for.
They attend every showcase without a clear goal.
They react to whatever happens instead of creating what they want.
And then they wonder why the tactics aren’t working.
January is when you have the clarity to take inventory before the chaos of spring clinics and summer tournaments hits.
In a few short months, you’ll be too deep in execution to step back and ask these questions. Do it now.
Your assignment this week
Sit down - actually schedule 30 minutes on your calendar - and answer these three questions.
Write them out. Don’t just think about them in the car between practice and homework.
What are you hoping to achieve in recruiting?
Who do you want to be during this process?
What’s in the way right now?
Everything else in your recruiting plan for 2026 flows from this clarity.
Without it, you’re just hoping to get lucky. With it, you’re building toward something specific.
This is how you start your recruiting year right.