There are a lot of college recruiting services out there. It seems like everywhere you turn, there's someone saying they can get you onto a college team.

Here are the four questions you should ask of the college recruiting services you are considering. You can find the answers to all these questions on college recruiting services' websites:

1. Is the service's focus on "fit?" Is the college recruiting service interested in finding you any old place to play? Or is focused on helping you make the team a college that is the right fit for you academically, athletically, and socially?

2. Do they claim to do the work for you? To make a college team you have to take an active role in the recruiting process. You can't just hire someone to do it for you. You have to actively market yourself to college coaches.

3. What is their track record? What are their success stories like? Have they gotten positive reviews from credible outlets like newspapers, etc?

4. Do they make good use of technology? More and more college coaches are using the web to recruit. Do the college recruiting services you're considering take advantage of cutting-edge web technology?

Red Flags

As you evaluate different college recruiting services, you should keep an eye out for the following:

- Claims that "we do it for you." Some services justify high prices by saying they do the work for you. Here's the thing: college coaches want to hear from athletes, not recruiting services. The best college recruiting services give you good guidance on what steps you should take yourself.

- The "trusted source" for college coaches. Some services claim to be the "trusted recruiting source for thousands of colleges." Most college coaches don't use recruiting services to find athletes. Instead, coaches focus on athletes who contact the coaches directly, which is why college recruiting services that focus on teaching you how to promote yourself have more success.

A couple weeks back, we released our big study "What College Coaches Think About Recruiting." One of the most encouraging things we found is that college coaches are very concerned about players finding the right "fit" -- colleges that offer the right balance of athletics and academics.

It's great that coaches want this for athletes, but it's also in the college coach's best interest. In this episode of our radio show, we discuss why, for their own sake, college coaches want you to find the right school -- even if, in the end, it's not theirs.

Whether or not you manage to talk to the coach immediately after the game, make sure to contact him the following week. Send him a thank you email for making the effort to see you play.

Offer some analysis of the game and indicate that you are eager to move forward with recruiting and your application. Ask briefly for his impressions of your play.

Your follow-up email should be short and informal. Yet it should move your dialogue with the coach towards the critical issue of where you stand.

You've been in regular contact now with the coach for months. He's reviewed your cover letter, CaptainU profile, and video, and seen you play in person. Now you need to start figuring out if he truly foresees a role for you on his team. In other words, will he offer you a spot on his team's pre-season roster?

A college coach may hang around after the game to speak with you. If you see him from afar and he hasn't found you, walk over and introduce yourself.

Don't be intimidated or throw yourself at his feet and beg for a spot on his team. Just have a normal conversation. Offer your opinion on how the game went, ask for his, thank him for coming, and promise to be in touch.

If you go to a college camp during the summer, those college coaches are often willing to serve as references. Recommendations from other college coaches can really strengthen your campaign.

The world of college coaching is small and highly networked. Everyone knows everyone else within at least one degree of separation. This can really work in your favor if you get college coaches to say good things about you to their friends and colleagues.

How much sway do college coaches have? Can they get you admitted to a college? We run down the myths and realities of college admissions and college sports in our weekly radio show.

Have a question that you want discussed over the air? Send it to info@CaptainU.com

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