Episode #77: Adam Galla on Recruiting

⚽Inside the Mind of a College Coach: How Adam Galla Evaluates Recruits ⚽

In this Significant Recruiting bonus episode, Coach Matt Rogers sits down with Adam Galla, Head Men’s Soccer Coach at Central Methodist University, for a candid look at what really matters in the recruiting process.

Coach Galla shares how he identifies the athletes who fit his program—not just in terms of skill, but character, mindset, and academic commitment. From what stands out in an email to how families can maximize college visits, this episode is packed with practical advice for athletes and parents navigating today’s recruiting landscape.

Plus, Coach Rogers introduces the upcoming Softball Recruit’s Journal, launching in June—a game-changing guide filled with email and call templates, college visit strategies, and decision-making tools to help families take control of their recruiting journey.

🎧 Listen now and start building your path to college athletics with clarity and confidence.
 🔗 Visit coachmattrogers.com for free resources and updates.

#SignificantRecruiting #CollegeRecruiting #NAIASoccer #CoachAdamGalla #AthleteDevelopment #CollegeVisitTips #SoftballRecruitJournal #CoachMattRogers

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Welcome to this significant recruiting bonus episode. I'm your host, coach Matt Rogers. Today I'm joined by Coach Adam Gala, head, men's soccer coach at Central Methodist University. Coach Gala has a proven track record of building competitive high character programs, and in this episode he gives us a behind the scenes look at how he evaluates recruits, what impresses him early in the process, and what families should be focused on from the start. Now, before we dive in. Don't forget to check out coach matt rogers.com for a full library of free resources to help families take ownership of the recruiting journey. And coming this week, the Softball Recruits Journal. It's my new book. It's the Ultimate Tour Guide to Your College recruitment. Inside you're gonna find templates and scripts for emailing and calling coaches. I'm gonna give you step-by-step directions for setting up college visits the right way, and I'm gonna help you make decisions by giving you the tools to help you choose the right school that fits your student athlete the best. I hope you'll check it out. I really think you're gonna get a lot out of it. Alright, let's get into it. Here's my recruiting episode with Coach Adam Gala. Coach, thanks so much for being on I'm so thrilled to talk recruiting with you because there's so many parents that really are lost. They just don't know what to do. They know their kid has a big dream. They know their kid has talent, and they don't know what college coaches are looking for and they don't understand the process. So I want to get into that with you if you're okay with it. Yeah. Yeah. Obviously it's a huge process. And I think having the resources to point you in the right direction and really help you throughout that process is vitally important. Yeah. So fire away here. Alright let's start with the big banger. What qualities do you look for in a recruit beyond the talent, especially at a place like CMU? Yeah I think for. For us and I would highly advise this for everyone out there you wanna be in the right fit for the overall community. So what does it look like when you're in the classroom? What does it look like when you're in the dining hall? What does it look like on the weekend? What does it look like after the game or before the game? I think that aspect is really important at the end of. Here's the reality. The reality is you're gonna spend two to three hours with me, which is awesome. But you're gonna spend the other 21 with everyone else and everywhere else on campus. So if you're not happy in those other places it's gonna be hap you're gonna have a difficult time transitioning that happiness on the field or court or whatever sport you may play. So I, I think finding the right fit for you as an individual is so vitally important. And there's just so many factors that go into it. Big school, small school academic, your GPA, te test score to the major that you offer to the campus activity boards, intramural, you, every, there's every, view these things as every little box. And the more boxes you can check off the better. You'll never truly know. Until day one of campus when you show up there. But the more research you can do on your own, the more information you can gather and the more you can feel like this is the right fit from a community side of things, you have the better chance of success you'll have. And the better experience you'll have as well. What does that look like for you when you know you've got a kid that fits those things, that fits your culture is gonna be able to come in and acclimate? Is, are there things that when you think about your present roster now that you, this is your three with your kids, when you look at those kids and you just know these are c cm youth kids? I know we brought the right kids here. Yeah. I. It. Part of it is, like I said before, you never truly know until you're here, even through Australia recruiting process because I'm gonna see you play a couple times. I'm gonna see you on campus a couple times, I'm gonna have a phone call with you a couple times. And while all that's nice, it gives me a good, snapshot of the type of person and the type of player you are, but you'll never truly know until you're in that environment. And I think so I always. I'm hesitant in terms of, I try to take everything with a grain of salt. But in the recruiting process if I do feel like there's, 'cause there are some kids that I think check a lot. We check a lot of their boxes when I ask them questions and it's just like every single one is, yeah man, like we're a great fit for 'em. I just try to. Consistently emphasize the fact that I feel like we are I feel like we're a great fit for you and here's why. You fit our style of play. You fit our academic, you fit all of these things. When you asked this, when I asked you this question about, what you want most outta your experience, and these were the three things you said, like we do those three things. Not well, but really well. And so just having that conversation with them. But I always end every conversation with this, and everyone will tell you this, from my assistant coaches to my current players, to my recruits, to everyone. At the end of the day, you have to make the best decision for you and your family. And I will always support that. And I think the reason being is I don't want. Anyone telling me what's best for my life for my wife and my kids. They can always gimme advice and those type of things. But at the end of the day, that's my decision, right? And so there are times where you get somebody that checks all the boxes and they don't commit, and it's really frustrating. But there's also that flip side coin where there are guys that check every box and, they do come and it's great. And there are guys who maybe you don't feel check all the boxes and they get here and then it becomes great. Yeah. It's a simple conversation you might've had and all of a sudden, yeah, that light bulb kind of switches and Oh yeah, okay. May, maybe this is better than what I thought. Or maybe it is different than what I thought. I think how, once they're here, I think a big one for me is. I see the interaction that they have between them and that community. Whether that's the team, whether that's the professors, whether that's in the cafeteria, whether that's with, intramurals. We're a smaller campus for us, so I'm walking around. I literally live right down the street from campus. I can walk to work if I want to love it. So I constantly see guys and so when I see the interactions they have with the community. Again, whether that's our team or somebody on the men's basket or whatever that may be that's when I know they're the right fit and that we're the place for them and that we made the right decision in recruiting them and they made the right decision in coming to us. I was just about to ask you about the boxes, and my question was gonna be, are there boxes that you need checked that maybe would surprise a parent? Is that one of them? Of how the kid relates to the community or is, or you can go a different direction, but is there a box that might surprise mom and dad that, hey, this is important to us? I don't think it's mom and dad. I think it's more I. The student athlete. Okay. Because I think for the most part, mom and dad's kind of, for the most part, they get it. Not always but they recognize that they're dropping their son or daughter off at the university, and that you're wiping your hands a little bit. And so now it's up to, these people here on our campus to make sure that they take care of, their son or daughter in terms of academics and whatever they need, be successful, right? The student athlete just thinks athlete side, and so they just wanna focus on the two hours that they have at practice and games and how. They fail to take that step back and recognize, what are you gonna do with the other 21 hours of the day? Yeah. 'Cause that is a lot of time, and not just that day, but you're talking seven days a week for, six months here, six months there type thing. So I think it's more of a surprise for them than it is the parent. I'll say, I think the one thing that does surprise people a little bit when I say. You need to make the best decision for you and your family, and I'll support that. I genuinely mean that. I think that can come off, come across as like maybe like a used car salesman type line. But I legitimately mean it. I was fortunate enough to play the game at a good level and I just love my experience as a whole and I. Another thing that is maybe surprising a little bit when we talk about the recruiting process and that I tell guys, I even tell my current guys this sometimes this is something they don't wanna hear, but it's true. A as you get older the wins and losses blend and fade a little bit. Yeah. There's always some that you'll always remember. But. The thing you never forget is the overall experience that you had and the character of the people that you were around with during that time. That's something that sticks out as clear as that, I can close my eyes today and tell you the 10 amazing moments I had with my teammates, and it had nothing to do, whether it was win or loss or nothing to do on the actual field to play. Yeah. There's some games that stick out for sure. But I think, having that experience is something that has shaped me as a person and I wanna make sure that I provide that same experience to my players as well. But I, to do that, they have to want to be a part of it. Yeah, I love it. What advice would you give a high school soccer player who wants to stand out emailing or talking with you for the first time? What advice would you give him? I'll go one step back prior to the email, so I think it's, man, it's very overwhelming this whole process, right? Yes. It's a lot to think of. And I think something that really helped me, and I think something that really helped out student athletes. I hear I don't know what I wanna major in, or I don't know this, or I don't know that. And okay, there's gonna be things that you don't know but there are things that you do know. I knew that I didn't wanna sit in a desk and be a nine to five. I couldn't do that. There's no way. I would drive myself crazy. Me too. I had to be moving, I had to be doing something I could eliminate this major, that, major that. So I think it starts. If you're just emailing random coaches for the hope of getting it that, that's probably not the best way to go about it. And sometimes it can be as simple as how far away from home do. Okay, it's four hours. All right, we'll draw, adopt, circle the map and start there. And so if you can start with that in the email, some something in regards to, what draws you to that program, whether it's the academics, the location something within that I think is really important. Two we realize that you're gonna be emailing more than one coach, but please make sure that when you do that, just have this mass email. Try to make it as personable as you can. The more personable it is, the more it's gonna stand out. I get, I would say 30, 35, 40 emails a day, and, but, 20 of those are just mass generated emails. I can tell in the first. Two sentences. It's not that I don't look at them, but I just don't look at them quite as they don't jump out. What you said. They don't grab my attention. So the more personal information you can provide, the better. And just the more information that you can provide in that email, the better as well. This kind of goes back to the check box, right? If you are 2.0. Unfortunately, man, hey, I can't get you accepted here. If you wanna come here, that's fine, but you might have to go to junior college first, raise your grades. And take that route. I'm looking in that email in terms of the check boxes that I, I think, Hey this person could be a really good fit for us. So the more information you can provide, the better and the more personal information you can provide in terms of why you reached out, the better as well. And they can always buy this book, significant recruiting and it walks it through all those specifics too, coach. So thank you for pinpointing those. I appreciate it. Yeah, for sure. That's great. What recruiting mistakes do you see most often? And you've just talked about a couple of those that could be avoided with just better education and preparation. And that could be the athlete or the parents. Yeah, I, I think. For us in particular, soccer. And I know I mentioned it briefly previously as well, but we are not football or basketball. The scholarship money that's in there at the division one level is incredible. But we are not at that at that point in time yet. Yeah. And so I think a big misconception is that there's this massive amounts of scholarship money out there on the men's soccer side where they know one person, indirectly who got a really good scholarship. And so the. My, my son and our daughter should get that too. There's not money in men's soccer like there is in other sports. I think coming into it with this mentality, you're gonna get a ton of money from soccer. I'm not saying it never happens, it's just incredibly rare. It's so come in with an open mind in terms of that I think is important. I think that, the other thing that's important as well is don't rely on anybody else to be your agent or whatever you wanna call that. Thank you. I think I, I think the best piece of advice that I've ever heard and I use it to this day is and if you could take one thing outta this whole thing, please take this. You are your own best advocate. Period. No ifs, no ass. You not your high school coach, not your club coach. You can use them. They're great resources to have, but you individually are your own best advocate. Start with how far away from home you wanna go. Start with what you wanna major in. Start what your GPA is. Do you wanna go to two year school, four year school? Start to narrow things down that way, and then reach out to coaches. And see where things go. Be open and honest about the conversations that you have. If there's something in. Present that ask the hard questions. I, I really enjoy when I bring student athletes up to campus and they ask me hard questions. I want that because then I know that they're an active participant in their recruiting experience. That goes back to being your own best advocate. If you think that I'm going to show up at, francis Howell North High School in St. Louis at Saturday at 11:00 AM behind on field number two to watch you score. A, a GSO man, you got a better chance of winning the lottery. Like you gotta tell me that, right? You are your own best advocate. In regards, regards to this recruiting process. Don't pawn it off on mom or dad. Don't pawn it off on your club coach. They're there to help you. They are there to be your resources and please use them, but at the end of the day, it starts with you. So that's number one. And I'll say, sorry, one more thing. I could talk about this for hours. But, another way to look at it as well, you might have this, Hey, this is your number one school. I I wanna go play at slu. That might be great, but maybe s slew doesn't want you. Then what's the next step? And I think this idea that you get married to one thing is can be frustrating. Here's what I say, it only takes one person to say yes. It's just like getting married. It takes one person to say, yes, I can. As 20 goes out, they all say no, but one says yes, that's how this works. And so you can fight that process all you want. Or I didn't know this or that, but I would say be open-minded and recognize that. Ask those hard questions. You might not get the answers you want, and that's okay. It can be frustrating, but it only takes one school to say yes. And keep that in the back of your head during that time. Love it coach. That's great advice. And it hits the nail right on the head. Last question, 'cause this is such a big deal and I get asked this so much. You've got high school, you've got club, how much do you care about where they're playing, who they're playing for as much as you care about what kind of kid and what kind of player they are? They can show it on film. Does it matter if they're playing Club one a 18 U at the highest or does it matter to you at all? The I'm a firm believer that there are great players everywhere, and everywhere. I don't care if you're a big school, small school, big community, small community, big country, small country, big states. Everywhere. And while I don't care as much about that, I will say the one benefit you have to playing at a bigger school and playing for maybe a bigger club is you're just a little bit more used to like that competition day in, day out. 'Cause that's what's gonna have to happen when you get to this level. You're gonna have to compete for your spot literally every day. And so there are times where maybe you get somebody from a small high school or a small club that's just handed the captaincy. They're handed the story lineup and it's an adjustment for them coming in. But that isn't the end all, be all at the end of the day, I'm looking for great players and great people. So if you're a great player and a great person, I don't care if you're from a town of. 5 million or 500. You're a good player. I'm gonna take you. But I do think there is a slight maybe a shorter transition period for those players who did play at a big high school or did play at a bigger club, just because they're used to that kind of competitive environment. But I think at the end of the day, talent trumps all. So if you're a good, if you're a good player and you're a good person, man, you're gonna figure it out. Love it, coach. Coach, thank you so much. You gave me such a great time today, and I know how valuable your time is with your program and your family. But the messaging you're providing and the advice and the direction and the empathy that you do it with, I. It warms my heart and I'm so thankful I've got to know you and I'm, yeah. I'm so thankful if you're up to work, to call you a friend. Yeah, no, for sure. No, I really appreciate you reaching out, man. I think this is a great service that you're providing people. It, it is a long, hard process whether you're a young coach or you're a student athlete, looking to play at the collegiate level, the more information you can give yourself, the better. And I really enjoyed our conversation here today. Thank so much, coach. Good luck and we be cheering for the Eagles. Appreciate. That's a wrap on today's bonus episode with Coach Adam Gala. From identifying coachable athletes to outlining how recruits can make an impression, coach Gala gave us real practical insight into how college coaches think and what families can do to rise above the noise. And you all know the noise I'm talking about. If you're serious about navigating this process with confidence, head over to coach matt rogers.com to access free tools and more recruiting episodes. And don't forget the softball recruits Journal launches this June For all you families that have a softball player in your house that wants to play in college, it's more than just a planner. It's more than just a journal. It's your personal tour guide to college recruiting. It's packed with templates for communicating with coaches. Tips for making impactful college visits and guidance on how to make the right decision when it counts. Thanks for tuning in. Subscribe today so you never miss a future episode. And remember, in recruiting, don't just chase offers. Pursue significance.