Multisport athletes rank high among recruiters

Editor's note: Nancy Justis is a former competitive swimmer and college sports information director. She is a partner with Justis Creative Communications. 

The reasons to participate in more than one sport continue to pile up.

It's true specialization may work for some athletes and for some sports. The primary reason athletes concentrate on one sport is they think it will help them play at the next level, whatever that may be — high school, college or professional.

The fact is many college coaches these days — maybe even most college coaches — actually recruit athletes who have played a number of sports.

Mark Farley, longtime University of Northern Iowa head football coach, always has said he recruits 'athletes,' not just position players. In fact, his NCAA signees list often has 'athlete' after a recruit's name, rather than the position that person might play.

'I totally have belief in multisport athletes,' he said. 'There's a noticeable difference when these athletes get to college. A young person hones his skills early and may become great at one sport. However, when they get to college the continued growth of their athletic and mental skills may be slower.'

Farley said multisport athletes 'take a quantum leap in growth when they get to college.

'Everyone talks about how good the Texas football players are who may have concentrated on just football,' he said. 'I look at the Iowa athletes we recruit who have been multisport athletes. In comparing the two, the skill equalizes in just one year because of the Iowa kids' backgrounds. They are fresher, they have more energy, they are not burned out.'

Farley acknowledged the decision to play more than one sport is the choice of the individual.

'But no one knows what they will look like in the future when they are 8 or 16 years old,' he said. 'You look at a 6-5 kid who plays nothing but basketball because he's a good guard. However, he might be a late bloomer. Mother Nature might give him a growth spurt and in college I could make him a tight end.'

Farley said another advantage to playing multiple sports is athletes learn movement in all parts of the body.

'Basketball, you have the speed, vision and side-to-side movement,' he said. 'Baseball you have more leverage. Football is more collision but you still learn other skills.

'It's advantageous to bring this body recognition to all sports.'

A recent 'The Recruiting Coaches' column posted in CoachUp Nation states learning from two different coaches (at least) who have different coaching styles allows you to 'ultimately understand yourself better. It allows you to compare and contrast what you do and don't respond to well. Developing this internally will undoubtedly set you up for success in your career.'

The column notes other reasons to compete in more than one sport, which could be beneficial in other parts of your life — managing daily practices, travel schedules, film sessions and training treatments on top of academics leaves little time for anything else year-round.

Sacrifices need to be made and can lead to appreciating free time even more.

'This skill translates directly to your ability to manage your work life balance in the real world. The work-hard, play-hard mentality translates to being productive and efficient with your future employment.'

Relationships are important in all phases of daily life. CoachUp notes when you play multiple sports, teammates 'knew what each other was going through and we were each others' support network both on and off the field ... these bonds continue to grow well beyond your playing years ... You are more apt to develop a sense of selflessness, teamwork and community amongst your co-workers because of your athletic experiences.'

Farley said some coaches may not want their athletes to play multiple sports and some sports might be unique in this restriction.

'Wrestling might be one of those sports,' he said. 'They lose weight. I might want to make that athlete a defensive lineman. So that is difficult to match up.

'AAU can make it difficult to play more than one sport. The team may want you to go to this camp, and then to this camp or this tournament. Camps are becoming recruiting based.'

Let us know what you think. Send comments to njustis@cfu.net