Behind The Scenes: Making The 2025 Iowa Rankings

When the first official rankings of any class come out, I like to explain the process behind the rankings.  The Iowa Class of 2025 has been ranked, but please take this as a grain of salt.  I make the rankings, but it is not a lone wolf type project.  I do consult with other coaches across the state, I take into account the intangibles of players, and there are still players I need to know more about.  The rankings for athletes heading into their 16s season is merely a starting point and a database.  Above all the rankings are used as a tool.

How can the rankings be used as a tool? Players can claim their profile in our Prospect Index.  Athletes will now have control of their own information that can be accessed by college coaches.  This is a huge help for our Prep Dig scouts as we are trying to keep up to date with where athletes are playing club, but now athletes can make the switch on their own in regards to high school, club, height change, position change, and if they have committed.  In addition, any article that has been written about the athlete will be tagged to the profile.

Do coaches use our rankings?  As a tool.  I have never heard of a coach who has given an offer or taken away an offer based on a Prep Dig ranking (if that is the case, that might be a red flag).  Many times coaches will look at our rankings to see where athletes are playing club, who is committed, and who is available.  This is a quick and easy snapshot for coaches to see where athletes are at in their recruiting process.

How do I rank players? I have been doing this for five years and it never gets any easier.  This is also a process I am continuing to evaluate myself.  I will talk with college coaches about how they evaluate athletes, I will ask club coaches why this player would have been picked or not picked for certain lists.  We have scouts across the country who have asked me how I rank these athletes and what information can they use to rank athletes in their region.

The simple answer I come to is this: “What athlete has the biggest impact at the highest level of competition”

When it comes to a club tournament, I always start watching at the “Open” courts where the top level of competition is playing.  I do try and work my way to all courts, I have a list of players (just like a college coach) of who I want to see, but I also take notes on new athletes as well.  For the 16s level, I feel like this is the area where I see the most improvement and growth among athletes.  There is a big difference between athletes at the 16s level vs. 15s. That will be my plan again this club season is to start at the 16s, 17s, and some 18s, and will start watching more 15s as we approach the qualifier season and nationals.

Are there players I miss? Absolutely.

There is a lot of volleyball to be played in 2023 and this is a good starting point for everyone.

The ranking does not define the athlete by any means.  It's a tool.  We highly suggest claiming the profile and provide any updated information in our Prospect Database.  This will help us report accurately on the athlete.

Good luck heading into the 2023 club season!