The Recruiting Funnel

Or how recruiting is like a dating app.

Recruiting can be a numbers game and I’m not just talking about your 100 backstroke time or your SAT score.  Sure there are those, but the other numbers to keep in mind are the number of other recruits a team is pursuing, the number of recruits interested in a school and the number of hours in a day.

Coaches begin the recruiting process much like recruits.  They start by building a list, narrowing it down before making a final choice. The names that they use may be different but generally speaking they can be separated into the following groups:

Each team’s recruiting funnel might have a different shape, but they almost always aim for 6-8 commits.

Prospects

These are swimmers that a coach feels have the potential to help a team. They might not yet have the times needed to compete or might not have the grades to get in. The key is, they …