When should I start the recruiting process?

We all have too much to do. Both parents and the athletes are under a ton of pressure to perform every day. As parents we need to perform at our jobs, for our kids, for our spouse, in our homes, in our communities. For our student athletes there is a lot of pressure too. Managing grades, social pressures, puberty, parental expectations, coaches expectations and struggling to turn into men and women faster than they ever should makes the life of a student-athlete that much tougher. Add to all of that, the question: When do we start “selling” ourselves to coaches? When do we start the recruiting process?

Before we discuss when you should start the recruiting process let’s understand the reality of the Recruiters situation. Unless a coach is at an elite D-I school looking for football or basketball stars they simply don’t have a lot of money to chase down players for the other sports. Don’t misunderstand, the sport is important and so is the student athlete, but the current investment profile and ROI for a school is such that they budget more dollars to recruit athletes that will help the school generate more money!

I used SU as an example in prior posts and I will do it again here. Look at the Men’s Lacrosse roster over the last several years. It is an elite program and much of it consists of players from the local area. Partly due to a deep pool of great lacrosse clubs and players but also because of proximity. Many of the others are a half-day drive away. Why? Because SU hosts showcase events, but also because the kids that want to play there can travel to the events that the coaches can attend. It doesn’t mean Desco won’t come see you. But it is more likely going to be you getting in front of him if Lacrosse is your sport.

So, when should you start? If you are reading this, it’s very likely that you should start now. Or more likely that you should have started 2 or 3 years ago. You should start as a Freshman. Or at least start thinking about it and planning as freshman. But a couple reality checks for you. We have kids getting pulled from Middle school to practice with Varsity because the coach sees something promising. So when you start, is likely not too early, because at the worst you just learn the process earlier and have the kinks worked out when timing becomes more critical.

Reality check #1. Coaches will not find your athlete just because they are good. In rare cases they will, but for the most part, if you are not marketing yourself and getting in front of the schools you hope to play for then they will not likely "find" you. Start the process with an understanding where you are likely to fit in. D-I, D-II, D-III. Maybe you are D-III right now and maybe you progress to D-II or D-I over the next year or 2. Or maybe you are a likely D-1 candidate but want a more diverse College experience and you would rather play D-II or D-III. Just be honest with yourself and focus on the regions you wish to play in and who you want to play for. You will need to participate in regional and or national events. (understand, many regional events will have national recruiting opportunities) Let coaches know you will be there and follow up afterward. Be aware of the NCAA guidelines for coaches contacting you and for contacting coaches so you know what to expect. Because schools don’t have the money to find you, you will need to stay in front of them.

Reality check #2: The process is likely to take more than a couple years. Contacting coaches, playing at showcase events, emailing and developing your skills. Starting as a Junior or Senior puts a lot more pressure on you as a player or parent. Trying to be noticed is much more difficult later in your High School career.

Reality check #3: Starting early makes the rest easier. You learn as you go and you grow as you learn. It is much easier to update contacts made than to make new contacts.

Get started early in the recruiting process. If you decide you don’t want to play at a particular level or you simply decide not to play in college you can always stop the process. It is much easier to shut the process down than it is to start it up. Be proactive and get started now. Compile your game film and get the highlight video created. See our prior posts on what to consider in that video. It is likely the most important tool you have in attracting attention.