Hi, although I’ve heard about colleges recruiting athletes what does that actually look like? and moreover could you get scouted when your not doing a typical high school sport
e.g., you do a niche sport that your school doesn’t offer
Any help is appreciated ^^
High level, in the US it depends on a combination of the sport and the level of the college’s program within that sport. Broadly, it all involves getting the attention of a team coach, the team coach deciding they want you on the team, and the college in some way having a policy of giving special consideration to the names they get from their coaches.
So obviously the first question is always does the college even have a team in this sport? And the second is do they have an admissions policy like that for that sport?
But beyond that, all the details can vary.
Thank you so much ^^
Is this a sport that some colleges recruit for? What year in HS are you?
If a recruited sport, you should be reaching out to coaches directly with an introductory email saying you are interested in their program and school. Subject line should be compelling and address your sport and academic highlights. For most sports you should also have a short highlight video.
There are posters here with a great deal of recruiting experience across a wide range of sports, divisions, and levels, so ask away.
As to the niche sport question, it depends on the sport again, but in some there are very active non-school systems for developing youth players and potentially getting them recruited. So, for example, you might be on a high-level club team which attends tournaments where college coaches recruit. Individual sports can also have tournaments like that. And there are also things like showcases and such which college recruiters can attend.
As a general observation, this can be pretty costly for families, both out of pocket and in terms of the opportunity cost of parental time. So that is one of the reasons why niche sport recruiting tends to skew to wealthier families.
It varies by sport but generally coaches are aware of the appropriate development pathways for elite athletes in their sport. If that’s a club or tournament rather than a HS setting, that’s where coaches will look. Most athletes need to be proactive and contact coaches in order to get a sense of all their options.
This is key. While it’s possible that you could be approached by a college coach at a tournament, the expectation is that you will reach out first with stats, accomplishments, and where you will be competing that they can see and meet you. If you are visiting a college, you can request a meeting with them.
This point can’t be emphasized enough. There is an assumption that coaches will ring your phone off the hook out of the blue that isn’t true for most sports and most schools. My son was a pretty good recruit in a sport that is easy to quantify. Of the 12 schools he had a meaningful discussion with, he made first contact with 9 of them. Don’t let the recruiters pick the school for your student athlete.
I know that in my region, SoCal, there is a LOT of athletic talent.
The university coaches have to weigh their budgets and get the most bang for their buck.
One of my “ranked” daughters was being considered by a midwestern college to “increase” visibility of that college’s sport.
She, in no way, wanted to go to school in a midwestern state, and, added that she hadn’t planned on playing in college, so she politely declined.
I was always under the impression that if your gifted child could get paying customers in the seats, then, you might be a good recruit because the school need s to recoup the investment in you. (Football, baseball, swim, etc.)
There’s lots of collective wisdom on CC about athletic recruiting, especially at D3 schools, so reading through earlier threads is useful.
A few big picture thoughts –
Consider whether the goal is to use athletic recruiting to get admitted to a highly rejective school, like a Williams, Amherst etc.. or whether the student wants to continue competing somewhere and is not focused on schools where admission is unpredictable.
Consider finances – if you are a full pay family but need merit-based aid to afford it, there are D3 schools which give merit aid but they may be more, or less, competitive for recruiting in your sport. If your student needs merit money (as D3 doesn’t do athletic scholarships), then you need to figure out how competitive for recruiting purposes a school might be, plus the profile required for merit money. For ex., Messiah and Ohio Wesleyan Men’s Soccer programs are historically strong programs with easier overall acceptance rates – it is much harder to get a roster spot as a recruit at those schools than to be admitted. So a student might be a sure thing for admission and merit money, but a long shot for a roster spot. That requires building a wide list of initial schools, balancing recruitment, admission, and merit money.
Generally, for D3 recruits, ED applications are expected in exchange for an offer of a roster spot because the student’s ED commitment is how the coach knows they can stop recruiting for that need, though there are always exceptions. Some highly rejective schools may not have enough “spots” to offer through ED so may encourage students to apply RD.
Also, learn to decipher “coach speak” – “we’d love you to apply,” “we think you have terrific potential,” “we think you’re a great fit” are not offers of a roster spot. You want to hear the words, “you have a roster spot on the team” and understand what is required of the applicant. It’s also helpful to know what getting a roster spot means at that school – some schools make cuts before the season even begins so recruits are competing to keep their spot while other schools may guarantee a roster spot for a year or two. Know what the expectations are.
Also, don’t fall in love with a coach – as they move and might be gone before the student starts college.
Editing to add – I thought I was replying to the D3 recruiting thread, not this general recruitment thread, that’s why some of this might sound too specific for the OP.
Well said. This is the one I think many parents (and kids) miss.