For high school senior athletes, the recruiting process is finally over! National Signing Day is today, and many athletes will be signing and going on to play college athletics. Congrats to everyone who worked hard to get to this point!
As for high school athletes who are juniors or younger, the recruiting process may still be a little new. Athletes usually start visiting colleges during their junior year of high school, but oftentimes college coaches reach out much sooner than that. All in all, the college recruiting process is a fun opportunity for aspiring college athletes.
At Warren Academy, we offer a variety of sports performance programs that are designed to help improve athletic performance and skill development. We have helped many athletes make it to the next level by pushing them to give their best during our programs. Below, we provide some tips for younger high school athletes as they begin their college recruiting journey.
Start the process early
To get seen and noticed by the most colleges possible, it’s vital that athletes start their recruitment process earlier than later! It’s never too early to start creating highlight reels or reaching out to coaches. In most sports, college coaches are able to reach out to athletes starting June 15th after their sophomore year of high school, and it seems like athletes are committing to colleges earlier and earlier every year. Waiting until your junior year to start your recruiting process will limit the number of coaches you’ll talk to, as well as the time you have to make a good decision. This is why it’s so important to start early if you truly want to play sports in college.
Keep your social media clean
In today’s world, one of the easiest ways to get to know someone without talking or meeting them is by looking at their social media accounts; and this is true with college coaches. Most high school athletes are active on social media, and coaches utilize this to learn more about their prospects. This is also an outlet where coaches can reach out to athletes, which makes it good to have. However, it’s vital that athletes are keeping their social media clean by not posting vulgar or inappropriate content. This does not make you look good to coaches and can be a deciding factor when it comes to scholarships and offers.
Keep your options open
When going through your recruiting process, it’s also important that you keep your options open. Not every athlete will get recruited to a Division 1 school, and that’s okay. If college athletics is your dream, there are many divisions across the NCAA, NAIA, and Junior college in which athletes can be recruited and receive scholarships to come play. Although NCAA Division 1 gets the most attention via news and television, it’s far from the only option! Going into your recruiting process with a more broad mindset and understanding will help ensure you choose a school that is the best fit for you.
Academics are important
Lastly, your athleticism and skill in your sport are far from the only thing college coaches will evaluate. One of the biggest things coaches will look at are your grades and how many activities you participated in during high school. College coaches are going to recruit players who are STUDENT-athletes, as the education aspect will always come first during high school and college. Keeping up with your schoolwork, getting good grades, and showing that you care about your academics just as much as your sport shows college coaches that you are scholarship worthy.
Another tip on how to make yourself stand out academically to college coaches is by asking questions about their school, the majors they offer, and how their school will help you grow in whichever career you wish. Asking these questions will also help you determine which schools offer the programs you like, and which school will help you excel in school.
The recruiting process is something that young athletes grow up dreaming about. If you are fortunate enough to be in a position where college athletics is in your future, be sure to use these tips and give yourself the best opportunity at finding the perfect school.
At Warren Academy, we train athletes of all ages. If you are interested in learning more about our youth athlete training programs, visit our website today!
