AI Answer
Recruiting is a crucial process for college athletes, as it involves coaches showing interest in potential players and offering them opportunities to join their teams. In the context you provided, the focus seems to be on demonstrating respect, showcasing leadership qualities, and maintaining the right mentality throughout the recruiting process. Academics also played an important role in your decision to choose Michigan for your college athletic career. It's clear that COVID-19 presented unique challenges during your recruitment, but you remained focused on believing in yourself and trusting your abilities. Throughout the process, it's apparent that coaches look for qualities such as leadership, work ethic, and a strong mentality in players. The experience you shared about a freshman teammate being offered a scholarship to UCF before even playing a game shows how coaches can recognize potential talent early on. Overall, the recruiting process for you involved unexpected circumstances, academic considerations, and a transition from being recruited as a long snapper to ultimately playing offensive line for the University of Michigan.

James Kavouklis | Michigan Football

I think there's something that they're gonna look at and that's gonna , it's definitely gonna build a negative opinion that they would have about you off the field . I think when it comes to recruiting , something important is just showing respect and that you care to coaches first impressions mean everything . That's something everybody's heard throughout their life .

James Kavouklis | Michigan Football

We want you to come on and do both . So that was kind of my recruiting process with Michigan . So on the field , I think the biggest things coaches are looking for is your leadership , your , your mentality and just how hard of a worker you are .

James Kavouklis | Michigan Football

Overall matters a lot . When it comes to the recruitment process , I chose Michigan because academics meant a lot to me . So when I was deciding I was between Michigan Cornell and Rutgers , I kind of sat there and I was like , ok , well , if Cornell and me , Michigan have the best academics and Rutgers isn't and they're good , but it's not on the same level .

James Kavouklis | Michigan Football

He's just a freshman and that's just something that you gotta overcome and try not to compare yourself to others . Just always know that I gotta make sure I have the right mentality when it comes to the recruiting process and , and just making sure that I believed in myself and I trusted my abilities . So my recruiting process wasn't what the normal one was just because we had COVID going on and , and had to deal with that .

James Kavouklis | Michigan Football

Just always know that I gotta make sure I have the right mentality when it comes to the recruiting process and , and just making sure that I believed in myself and I trusted my abilities . So my recruiting process wasn't what the normal one was just because we had COVID going on and , and had to deal with that . I remember specifically with , uh Michigan , even though I'm an offensive lineman here , I was originally recruited as a long snapper .