Navigating the College Recruiting Timeline: A Comprehensive Guide for Student-Athletes

Every student-athlete's college recruiting process is a unique journey. While some student-athletes begin the recruiting process as freshmen, others may start later. Understanding when college coaches are most active and what steps you can take at each stage is crucial. This article provides a detailed timeline and essential information to help you navigate the college recruiting process effectively, regardless of when you start.

Recruiting Seniors: Opportunities Still Exist

If you are a senior and haven't yet been recruited, it's important to know there are still opportunities available, but fewer roster spots may be open. You should never assume that finding a program as an unrecruited senior is impossible. While it may take some hard work, there is a program for everyone!

Every program is different when it comes to when they finalize their recruiting classes. Some higher-tier programs may fill their recruiting classes earlier than others. However, it’s important to note that anything can happen. Student-athletes can drop from a recruiting class or may be ineligible to play.

Never take yourself out of running with a school if you think they may be a good fit. Coaches could add high school student-athletes to their roster as late as the spring of their Senior Year. It's possible to be added to a roster even after National Signing Day has passed. If you do not get officially recruited, there may be an opportunity to walk-on. Keep in mind that walking on to a team may require additional steps, such as tryouts.

Steps to Take As An Unrecruited Senior

If you are a senior and have not found a program yet, it’s time to get to work! There are a few important things that you need to do to get the ball rolling with your recruiting process.

Read also: UCF Application Strategies

Re-Evaluate Your Target List

If you have not found success with any of the programs on your current list, it’s time to start researching for other schools that could be a better fit. We recommend contacting your athletic advocates to see if they know of any programs looking for your position or grad year. You can also use the SportsRecruits Roster Needs Tool in several sports, to see if coaches are looking for your position or grad year.

Message College Coaches

Communication will be essential as you continue to search for a program looking for your position and class year. Most of the time, college coaches will be transparent if they do not think you are a good fit or if they have already filled up their recruiting class. I hope all has been well at (COLLEGE NAME)! As a reminder, you can find my most up-to-date highlight reels and my full athletic and academic profile via the link below. I look forward to connecting soon!

Understanding Recruiting Periods

More specifically, recruiting calendars dictate when a potential coach is allowed to initiate contact depending on your sport, age, division level and the type of communication.

Dead Period: During a dead period college coaches are not allowed to have any face-to-face contact with recruits.
Quiet Period: During a quiet period, a college coach may only have face-to-face contact with recruits (or their parents/guardians) on the college’s campus.
Contact Period: During a contact period a college coach may have face-to-face contact with recruits (or their parents/guardians) with almost no restrictions.
Evaluation Period: period of time when a college coach is not allowed to have any off campus face-to-face contact with recruits. However, they are allowed to watch recruits compete and visit their high schools.

When a coach is allowed to make contact depends on a student-athlete’s sport, age, division level and the type of communication.

Forms of Communication

Recruiting can occur in many ways and families need to know how coaches might reach out to potential student-athletes.

Read also: College SAT Deadlines

Non-recruiting materials: Non-recruiting materials are brochures for camps, questionnaires, NCAA materials and non-athletic recruiting publications.
Telephone calls: Any real-time exchange of someone’s voice including voice calls, FaceTime, videoconferencing and video chat.
Electronic transmissions: All forms of transmitting text and images electronically.
Unofficial visits: Any visit to a college campus paid for by the student-athlete or their guardians.
Official visits: Any visit to a college campus by a college-bound student-athlete and/or their parents/guardians paid for by the college is an official visit.

Division-Specific Recruiting Rules

The NCAA recruiting rules for DII schools are slightly relaxed compared to DI. The rules are the same across all sports including a July 15 start-date after a student-athlete’s sophomore year. Coaches can begin sending recruits printed recruiting materials and call athletes, as well as conduct off-campus communications with recruits and their families. Additionally, DII does not have any rules on the number of evaluations per student athlete.

College coaches cannot contact you on competition or practice days until your event is finished, and you are dismissed by the proper authority (like your high school coach or athletic director).

Similar to NCAA eligibility rules for DII schools, the recruiting rules for DIII sports are the same for all of their programs. These rules include no limit on phone calls or digital communications, as well as receiving printed recruiting material. DIII coaches may begin off-campus contact after the athlete’s sophomore year and student-athletes can begin taking official visits after January 1st of their junior year.

There are no recruiting calendars for student-athletes looking to play at an NAIA school, meaning coaches can freely contact prospective student-athletes at any time. Students are permitted a maximum of two days of tryouts throughout their entire athletic career. While recruiting a potential student-athlete on campus, a college representative may purchase meals for the student-athlete.

In order to receive an official recruiting visit by a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) college, a prospective student-athlete must have completed their junior year in high school.

Read also: High School College Applications

Preparation is Key!

Preparation before the communicating with a college coach is key! You never know when a prospective coach might come calling. Having your recruiting materials in order and knowing what to expect when speaking with coaches can lead to greater success in the end. Before talking with college coaches, it’s important to prepare and have a plan of the best things to mention (and ask). Be ready when the phone rings! Give the coach your full attention - this could be the only call, or one of many.

The Evolving Recruiting Landscape

The recruiting landscape has experienced a shakeup over the last several years. From the advent of social media recruiting to junior year official visits to early signing periods, student-athletes are getting discovered sooner and committing to college programs well before high school graduation rolls around. According to Zcruit, an NCSA sister company that specializes in sports analytics, 80 to 85 percent of FBS college football roster spots for the 2019 season were filled after the early signing period in mid-December.

When to Start the Recruiting Process

So, when is it too late to get your ducks in a row and throw yourself into the recruiting process? It depends on your goals and aspirations. Is it your dream to play Division I football for a nationally ranked powerhouse? We recommend you get your recruiting process off the ground by freshman or sophomore year. Are you hoping to run track at a top academic Division III school? You could probably start the recruiting journey as a junior without squandering your chance. But as a general rule, the sooner you start the recruiting process, the more opportunities you will have.

Senior Year: Not Too Late!

Is it too late to get recruited senior year? Absolutely not. While your opportunities might be limited and you will most likely have to hustle through the process, roster spots for seniors are still available at every college level. Even if a college program does everything it can to lock up its recruiting class early, coaching changes and de-commitments are commonplace.

Junior College as an Option

Make sure to register for junior college as an NCAA qualifier, which allows you to stay academically eligible for Division I and Division II programs. As an added bonus, junior colleges are often much more affordable than four-year universities.

The Walk-On Option

Even if your dream school doesn’t have any scholarship spots left, you still might have an opportunity to carve out a role on the team as a walk-on. Preferred walk-ons are guaranteed roster spots and can earn playing time and scholarships down the line. In addition, coaches often invite recruited and unrecruited walk-ons to campus to try out for a spot on the team.

Early vs. Late Recruiting Sports

In general, team sports tend to recruit earlier than individual sports. Top D1 programs are locked in a race to discover talented kids and persuade them to join the team. Plus, coaches want to leverage commitments from elite prospects to attract other top recruits. Softball, volleyball and lacrosse are especially known for their early recruiting practices, with coaches and scouts often evaluating athletes as young as seventh or eighth grade. That said, these sports are taking a stand against early recruiting. You should expect the recruiting process to slow down for these sports in the future.

Late bloomers exist in every sport, but they are especially prevalent in individual sports like swimming and track and field. Many college coaches wait to offer scholarships until a prospect achieves a certain time or distance. As their bodies grow and develop, it’s common for runners and swimmers to set personal records land scholarships during their senior year.

Key Senior Year Deadlines

To successfully navigate your recruiting process as a senior, you can’t waste any time or leave room for error. Keep in mind that you don’t have to sign the National Letter of Intent on Early Signing Day-the final signing date for all D1 and D2 sports except football and basketball isn’t until August 1, 2019. And recruiting aside, you still need to turn in your college applications on time and get accepted into the school. At many academically competitive schools, coaches ask recruits to apply for early admissions to make sure they qualify for the college.

Retake Standardized Tests

Even if you get a late jump on the recruiting process, a strong GPA and impressive standardized test scores can give you an edge over comparable student-athletes. Even if you got decent marks as a junior, scoring a few points higher could attract more coaches and help you secure more scholarship money. 55 percent of students who retake the SAT improve their scores, while 57 percent of students who retake the ACT earn better scores.

Update Your Highlight Video

Already in touch with college coaches? Updating your highlight film is the perfect reason to reconnect and get back on their radar. And if you’re just starting your recruiting process, cast a wide net by reaching out to coaches at multiple levels. Spark the conversation by letting the coaches know you have new video to share.

Track and Field/Cross Country Recruiting Timeline

The recruitment process for student-athletes looking to compete in collegiate track and field and cross country programs can feel overwhelming. It's critical for athletes and parents to understand the rules and timeline so that they can create a plan to make the best decisions possible down the road. Certain rules may vary by division, but many general guidelines are applicable to all schools.

Freshman/Grade 9: Although college may feel distant during your freshman (grade 9 in Canada) year, it's a good time to start learning about the collegiate track and field landscape and setting initial, but flexible, goals for yourself. One of the most important things you can do at this stage to keep all options open is to maintain high grades in the classroom. During your first year of high school, official recruitment conversations with coaches are not allowed with NCAA schools. However, some preliminary steps student-athletes can take at this time include registering for the relevant eligibility center account. Additionally, at age 14, athletes can create a free account with Streamline Athletes, giving easy access to helpful information on a range of collegiate programs.

Sophomore/Grade 10: This year, you'll start laying down more performances on the track, cross country course, or in the field events. Researching programs and understanding recruiting standards at schools you may be interested in can help you get an idea of what level of programs may be a good match for you athletically. If you didn't register for the relevant eligibility center account during your freshman year, now is a good time to do so. Especially if you are looking to start a list of specific schools, upgrading your account to Streamline Athletes Plus is a great option. One-on-one advising sessions are also available, and can be extremely helpful as you begin more targeted research. For NCAA schools, recruiting conversations with coaches can begin on June 15 following this year. However, there is still plenty of time to establish your best marks athletically, so don't panic if you don't hear from your number-one picks at this stage! Your sophomore year is an ideal time to begin adding range to your resume. While many student-athletes choose to focus on a single event as a "specialist," performing at a high level in multiple events is emerging as a key way to stand out among your peers. Many coaches - especially at the Division I level and even more so within the D-I Power conferences - are looking for recruits with the potential to contribute points in more than one discipline.

Junior/Grade 11: Junior year has a reputation for being the most important for college recruitment and preparation, and for good reason. Performances athletically and academically this year are critical, as marks (especially in track and field) set during senior year may be established after a commitment has already been made. In the classroom, this year is the best time to begin preparing for the ACT and/or SAT. Be sure to check the requirements for schools on your list and submit scores to these schools. You should also be registered with the relevant eligibility center by this time. With enough information and an organized plan in place, this doesn't have to be a stressful time. Streamline Athletes services, including the advising sessions, and potentially upgrading to a Pro account, are a great way to alleviate some of the pressure. A little professionalism goes a long way. Visits to college campuses can also start in grade 11. For NCAA Division I schools, the start date for official visits is August 1 prior to the start of junior year. Seeing campus life in person can be extremely helpful in guiding your decision-making process. The number of visits student-athletes are permitted to take is now unlimited; however, visits do take quite a bit of time and energy, so choose judiciously! Home visits, where coaches come to your house to meet with you, may also take place, but aren't as common.

Senior/Grade 12: By your senior year, you should have a solid idea of your options. Communicating with coaches at the schools you're most interested in will help you decide when to plan the remainder of your visits-or they may all take place this year depending on your own timing. Financial questions should be answered this year, and scholarship offers may be made verbally or in writing. In terms of commitments, it's common for student-athletes to choose a school verbally prior to signing a legally binding agreement. The signing period typically begins in November and extends throughout the academic year. Student-athletes also need to decline offers from schools they don't plan to attend. Academically, any SAT/ACT requirements should be completed in the autumn if possible. You'll also need to complete applications for the school(s) you wish to attend. It may be beneficial to start working on these as early as possible, especially if the colleges you're considering have special requirements. This can help take stress off your plate as you narrow down the decision process. For example, the University of California system applications open in August and close at the end of November.

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