The recruiting timeline is a subject of great confusion. Rumors spread like wildfire, people make uninformed decisions, and it often results in frustration and disappointment. The rumor mill spawns myths like, “If it’s the spring of your junior year and you haven’t been contacted by any coaches, you have no chance of playing sports in college.” That’s just wrong. If you are a second-semester junior, you should definitely get moving. And even if you’re a first-semester senior, there’s still time to make an effective recruiting pitch and land yourself on a great college team. Some doors will have closed by now, but with a CaptainU recruiting profile we’ll help you find opportunities that are still out there.

When is the best time to start the process?

For most players, the best time to start the recruiting process is during sophomore or junior year. If you get started with CaptainU when you’re a sophomore, you simplify the process by giving yourself more time to learn about college teams, communicate with the coaches, and visit campuses. If you start when you’re a junior, you have to be focused and make sure to get in the spotlight quickly. Once you start communicating with college coaches, you need to have regular contact with them until you decide which college you will attend. This actually isn’t that difficult. It just requires a little work each month. A great time to start recruiting in earnest is when you’re not in the middle of a season. You can devote some of the time you normally spend at practice to the recruiting process.

What if I want to start the process sooner?

We see lots of athletes who start writing coaches while they’re still freshmen. If this is your style, go for it. To win the recruiting game, though, you have to keep up the pace over the course of the next few years. If as a freshman you write a coach and then proceed to fall off the face of the earth until your senior year, you haven’t done yourself any good. If you do start the process as a freshman, in addition to maintaining regular contact with your candidate coaches, you should send an updated recruiting profile every year. The bottom line for freshmen: start the process only when you’re ready to spend a little time each month on recruiting. To get in the spotlight, you have to communicate with college coaches regularly—not just when the spirit moves you.

What is the timeline for premier players?

The recruiting timeline is accelerated for the top prospects in the country—those who have regional and national team experience, or are the key players on high-profile club teams. Top players usually get a lot of attention from college coaches. If this is the case for you, don’t make the coach do all the work. Show the coach—who’s clearly enthusiastic about you—that you’re just as excited about playing for him.

Elite Girls: Start Spring of Sophomore Year

In recent years, the top handful of Division I women’s programs have accelerated recruiting by a year. Recruiting is sometimes finished as early as the fall of a recruiting class’s junior year in high school—which is to say that by the spring, coaches of some elite women’s teams are looking almost exclusively at sophomores. Admissions departments do an “early read” of a recruit’s credentials and report to the coach whether the player will likely be accepted. If everyone agrees that it’s a good fit, the coach will ask for a verbal commitment from the athlete.

Elite Boys: Start Summer Before Junior Year

The timeline is also accelerated for elite college men’s teams—though not to the extent of women’s recruiting. One possible explanation is that boys physically develop later in high school. A sophomore boy who’s the biggest, baddest player on his team will not necessarily be the big dog in two years. No less, the top few Division I men’s programs solidify their recruiting classes relatively early—often when athletes are still juniors.

I’m already a senior. Is it too late for me?

All is not lost for those who decide to pursue college sports during their senior year of high school. At CaptainU, our athlete development staff works with high school seniors all the time to help them find a good fit. Some opportunities may have already passed, but there still is hope. The most important thing is to move quickly yet carefully.

Did you enjoy the article ‘This is the Best Time to Start Your College Recruiting Process’? If so, check out Starting The College Recruitment Process, or more of our articles HERE.

Article Originally Posted on STACK.com

 

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