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August 30, 2007
College Athlete Recruiters Seek to Persuade via Text Message
College coaches, using a loophole in NCAA regulations, have turned text messaging into a vital tool of the recruiting process. Players have come to expect the messages so much that if a recruiter is not sending them, he's not doing a good job.
The NCAA limits college coaches to one phone call per week to a recruit during his senior season. Text messages, however, are not considered phone calls and are not restricted.
Given the close relationship many high school athletes have to with their cell phones, text messages have, according to a Washington Post article "turned recruiting into a 24-hour-a-day process and have allowed coaches to shower a prospect with unlimited persuasion -- away from the presence of a recruit's parent or high school coach -- right up until signing day."
For the full article including pros and cons of this new recruiting tool, see the Washington Post article
We at the lab would be interested in hearing from coaches or high school athletes about what makes a text message persuasive. Any thoughts would be more than welcome.
--- Adam Tolnay
Posted by Dan at August 30, 2007 11:42 PM