What does it actually mean to “make it easy for a college coach” during the recruiting process?

In this episode, Susan breaks down one of the most important principles families often overlook: college coaches are extremely busy, and athletes who make their lives easier stand out immediately. From how you share film to the way you structure your emails and profiles, small details can make a big difference in how coaches evaluate and remember you.

Susan explains why organization, clarity, and follow-through build trust with coaches and how these habits can separate athletes in a crowded recruiting landscape. If your goal is to get on a coach’s radar and stay there, this episode will help you understand how to present yourself in a way that makes coaches want to keep watching.

Chapters

00:00 – The recruiting rule: make it easy for the coach

01:00 – Why coaches protect their time

02:30 – The role trust plays in recruiting decisions

04:00 – What “making it easy” actually looks like

06:00 – Sharing film and making it easy to evaluate

08:00 – Email communication that coaches appreciate

10:30 – Small details that build credibility

13:30 – A look inside the Recruit Ready system

16:00 – Final recruiting takeaway

Join Susan for a monthly recruiting lesson January-June inside the Volleyball Recruiting School! Become a subscriber here. Or register for January's class all about highlight film here!

Click here for a discount on our go-to, and the hands-down best and most affordable Recruiting Tool + Software we recommend every baller has to increase her efficiency in all that she does 👉🏼 PRODUCTIVE RECRUIT

Want to support your baller in getting her process started and have an experienced volleyball recruiting advisor walk her through it? Enroll in RECRUIT READY: LAUNCH 🚀

Need help getting unstuck in the recruiting process? Apply for a RECRUITING INTENSIVE.

Connect with Susan:
Check out the website: www.nxtvb.com
Follow on Instagram: @hey.susank

P.S. If you’re an athlete with big goals, a parent who wants to support the journey, or a coach who cares deeply about your players, this podcast was made for you. Hit subscribe and come grow with us.

You say you want to play volleyball in college.

But what if the real thing stressing you out isn’t the goal… it’s the timeline you attached to it?

In this episode, Susan unpacks one of the biggest hidden pressures in recruiting: the belief that it should have happened by now. For the Class of 2026 and 2027 especially, watching other athletes commit can create a quiet panic — even when you’re doing everything “right.”

Susan breaks down the two biggest sources of recruiting frustration: timelines and expectations. She explains why timing is often just a guess, why attaching your confidence to a date creates unnecessary pressure, and how to shift your focus back to what you can actually control.

She also dives into a deeper question: are your expectations rooted in desire… or fear? Because the difference between those two changes everything.

If recruiting has started to feel heavy, uncertain, or discouraging, this episode will help you reset. You only need one aligned yes. And your time is coming — even if it’s not on the schedule you imagined.

Chapters

00:00 – The ultimate goal: you only need one aligned “yes”

01:30 – Why recruiting feels frustrating (Classes of ’26 & ’27)

02:30 – The Timeline Trap: why timing creates pressure

05:30 – What you can control vs. what you can’t

07:00 – Expectations layered onto the goal

08:30 – Desire vs. fear: where your expectations come from

11:30 – Are you limiting yourself to one specific outcome?

13:30 – Division, location, academics — what really matters?

16:15 – What happens when you drop the timeline

18:30 – The “drops in the bucket” mindset

22:00 – The Celebration Game: building confidence through small wins

23:30 – “Your time is coming — and it’s always on time”

25:00 – Recruiting is more than strategy

27:30 – Final reflection: timelines, expectations, and choosing from desire

Join Susan for a monthly recruiting lesson January-June inside the Volleyball Recruiting School! Become a subscriber here. Or register for January's class all about highlight film here!

Click here for a discount on our go-to, and the hands-down best and most affordable Recruiting Tool + Software we recommend every baller has to increase her efficiency in all that she does 👉🏼 PRODUCTIVE RECRUIT

Want to support your baller in getting her process started and have an experienced volleyball recruiting advisor walk her through it? Enroll in RECRUIT READY: LAUNCH 🚀

Need help getting unstuck in the recruiting process? Apply for a RECRUITING INTENSIVE.

Connect with Susan:
Check out the website: www.nxtvb.com
Follow on Instagram: @hey.susank

P.S. If you’re an athlete with big goals, a parent who wants to support the journey, or a coach who cares deeply about your players, this podcast was made for you. Hit subscribe and come grow with us.

If you’ve heard the phrase “general interest” from a college coach and walked away confused or unsure what it actually means, this episode is for you.

In this bonus episode, Susan breaks down what “general interest” really means in Division I volleyball recruiting, why coaches use this language, and how families should interpret it without jumping to conclusions.

Susan explains the realities of recruiting timelines, NCAA communication rules, and the difference between top-prospect recruiting and the experience most athletes will actually have. She also clarifies what coaches can and can’t say before June 15 — and why silence or vague language doesn’t mean your athlete isn’t being evaluated.

This episode is designed to give you the behind the scenes info with context to help families better understand what really goes on in recruiting.

Chapters

00:00 – Why this conversation matters + the June 15 hype
02:36 – What “general interest” actually means (and how letters are sent)
04:53 – Why not receiving one doesn’t eliminate D1 opportunities
07:14 – How many athletes might receive the same letter
09:29 – Why top programs are more selective with general interest
11:40 – Using this information to make informed recruiting decisions

Join Susan for a monthly recruiting lesson January-June inside the Volleyball Recruiting School! Become a subscriber here. Or register for January's class all about highlight film here!

Click here for a discount on our go-to, and the hands-down best and most affordable Recruiting Tool + Software we recommend every baller has to increase her efficiency in all that she does 👉🏼 PRODUCTIVE RECRUIT

Want to support your baller in getting her process started and have an experienced volleyball recruiting advisor walk her through it? Enroll in RECRUIT READY: LAUNCH 🚀

Need help getting unstuck in the recruiting process? Apply for a RECRUITING INTENSIVE.

Connect with Susan:
Check out the website: www.nxtvb.com
Follow on Instagram: @hey.susank

P.S. If you’re an athlete with big goals, a parent who wants to support the journey, or a coach who cares deeply about your players, this podcast was made for you. Hit subscribe and come grow with us.