What role should parents play in the recruiting process?
A. Parents are absolutely critical to the recruiting process for a number of reasons. They are experienced in organizing a project, are experienced in talking with and negotiating with other people, they can remain more objective in looking at the programs and offers, in many cases, than the student athlete because they aren’t as easily swayed by the coach’s recruiting efforts and, finally, because the parents are going to be more experienced in comparing costs and offers of support. If that isn’t enough reason to be involved, parents should also be heavily involved to give moral support to their student athlete. Being recruited, choosing the right school and program and accepting an offer from a coach and college is a big, sometimes overwhelming process and teenage student athletes need their parents for help, guidance and support.
