Paige and Hannah Tapp had an elite skillset. But the reason they advanced all the way to the Big Ten and then had strong professional volleyball careers was because of their impeccable character. That helped them stand out.
Jack Studer took care of his business on the football field, and his older brother, Garrett, helped him navigate the recruiting world. The former Dover-Eyota star passed up the bright lights of Wisconsin for an opportunity to play right away at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
Football coaches use Twitter constantly to find talent. Players can spark their entire recruitment with one tweet. But there's also a dark side to social media that Winona's Aaron Witt learned way too much about.
Minnesota high school basketball is a hotbed of talent. AAU programs like Minnesota Lightning are a big reason why. The Lightning have players from 45 different high schools in the southeastern Minnesota region. They're helping their guys get on the map.
Without sufficient grades, players cannot play. And no grades and no playing time means junior college athletes will not get recruited. Enter academic advisors. Enter the behind-the-scenes heroes who help Riverland and RCTC get their players to the next level.
Riverland and RCTC can't offer full-ride scholarships and they have a limited recruiting budget. So, they've attacked the wild world of recruiting differently. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e trying to get sleep at night, I don鈥檛 think jumping into junior college coaching is the profession for you,鈥� Riverland's Derek Hahn said.
