Should you tell coaches about an injury during the recruiting process?

Just asking this question suggests that it’s possible to hide the injury from the college coaches. I suppose it’s possible to hide an injury during the recruiting process if it occurs off-season and the player isn’t actually on crutches or doesn’t have an arm in a sling. But how many sports today actually have an off-season? Even those players being recruited in sports that do have a limited season such as football are likely to be playing other sports. Don’t you think the recruiting coach might wonder why the player is sitting out his secondary sport?

The following are answers from various college recruiting resources to the question “should you tell coaches about an injury during the recruiting process?” All say “yes.” But don’t expect to be rewarded for being virtuous. I think the CSS response sums up the situation the best: “be prepared for any kind of response from the coach.”

One thing to keep in mind is that the transfer portal is making the situation much more fluid. Given that college coaches could lose players at almost any time, you never know when they may come looking for someone after everyone else committed because they didn’t have to rehab. I’m not trying to make things sound hopeful because the portal means that coaches can also decide to drop recruits because they like some prospects from the portal better. All I’m saying is that the timeline that these articles refer to no longer exist. Make of it what you will.

How an Injured Athlete Can Still Manage the College Recruiting Process Successfully by Tom Kovic of Victory Collegiate Consulting

I’m including this article because it doesn’t come right out and say “it’s going to be tough” but rather that it’s complicated because of the demands put on the coaches. There’s nothing about specific athletes but there’s an interesting statement about the benefits of revealing an injury will “uncover grey areas of evaluation that could be a game-changer at the conclusion of the recruiting process.” This seems to me to suggest that the coaches’ response may be telling you something about how he or she will handle things in the future.

Ouch, That Hurts! What to do if You’re Injured During Your College Search by By Catharine Aradi of Fastpitchrecruiting.com

Reading this, it’s apparent that Catharine Aradi assumes that you will tell the coach about the injury during the recruiting process. All the information is about how the impact of the injury will depend on when it happens during the player’s career. Main point-start your video early so you have something to show if you do get injured.

College Volleyball Recruiting while Injured by College Volleyball Coach

This is a question from an injured player who had been recruited at the lower D1/competitive D2 level. The advice “I would focus on JC’s at this juncture, just because you won’t be back to full speed in 2016 to have an effective recruiting opportunity and I would be wary of a 4 year scholarship’ing you, because they could just as easily cut you if they don’t think you have progressed well enough” says more about the likely effects on recruiting than most of the articles.

Dear Coach Taylor – How does an injury affect my recruiting process? by NCSA Athletic Recruiting

Basically says an injury during the recruiting process shouldn’t make a difference, “As long as you have recovered or are recovering, you should not be affected by the injury.” Therefore, “it is not necessary to advertise your injury, but don’t hide it.” Maybe this post is just a determined effort to focus on the positive but I can’t help but think it’s not very helpful. I suspect a lot that isn’t said hinges on how they define “recovering.” Oh yeah, another mention of the importance of video.

College Recruiting Questions & Answers by Your Sports Reel

Argues that honesty is the best policy: “As for the question, there are some people out there who say that you shouldn’t tell your college coaches. That is bad advice. The best thing you can do in the recruiting process is be honest.” No suggestions that it won’t cause problems. The answer is prefaced with “This happens all too frequently and really derails the recruiting process for some people.”

Should you disclose an injury to college coaches during the athletic recruiting process? by Recruiting-101.com

A slightly different take on the issue if your should tell coaches about an injury during the recruiting process. Honesty is still the best policy but because “Chances are that if a coaching staff is going to pull your scholarship offer or no longer recruit you because of a torn up knee, then the same staff may eventually sell you out down the road as well.” Something worth thinking about.

3 Tips for Injured Athletes in the Recruiting Process by College Sports Scholarships

Another recommendation for informing the coach about any injuries although it emphasizes knowing everything about the injury before doing so including the severity and recovery time. Again, no sugar-coating the possibilities, “Most college coaches understand that injuries are a part of being an athlete, but be prepared for any kind of response from the coach, especially if it’s a serious injury.”

Athletes face uncertainty after injuries hurt their recruiting plans by Andrew Ivins, Sun Sentinel

Nothing on whether or not players should disclose an injury but a story on the consequences for three players. These three were lucky and landed on their feet but their experiences are worth noting, “Matt Dillon has been coaching for 33 years, and he can only recall a few occasions when a college honored a scholarship after a major injury.”

Overcoming Injury Disruption During the Recruiting Process by Find My Team

This one is interesting because it distinguishes between injured with an offer and without. Regardless of the case, the advice is to let the coach know. Even with all the expected keep a positive attitude and work hard to rehab advice, the article states that “Most coaches will stick with you if you have already committed or have an offer, but not all of them will. You need to know as soon as possible if the offer is still there.”