Only 7% of high school athletes go on to play a college sport in the United States.
Whether it is Division 1, 2, or 3, the level of play is high, and it takes a great deal of dedication to get there. Aspiring college athletes must start working towards their goals at a young age.
Researching colleges is the first step. It is important to have an idea of the location, size, and division you want in a college to narrow down your options. In short, the college recruiting process can be tedious and rewarding.
In order for an athlete to receive an offer from a college, they must be seen by college coaches. Therefore, athletes need to email college coaches.
“I started researching colleges freshman year. You have to send so many emails to a lot of schools. You have to put details about you, what position you play, and you have to write it in a specific format,” said Izzy Sawyer (12), who is committed to playing Division 1 soccer at the University of Washington.
Emails are extremely important. Athletes must email college coaches to invite them to one of their sporting events, such as a tournament, game, or showcase. The emails also need to be eye-catching. According to the Next College Student Athlete (NCSA), “coaches receive a ton of emails from recruits – sometimes hundreds or even thousands.”
Once you become a Junior, college coaches can start emailing you.
“[Coaches] can’t talk to you until August 1 of your Junior year,” said Nelson.
In addition to emailing coaches, highlight videos are a must. Creating a highlight video allows players to be seen by coaches who are not always able to make it to their games.
“Good film is number one,” said Weston Port (12), who is committed to playing Division 1 football at UCLA.
Before sending film to a college coach, you want to make sure it showcases your skills. Therefore, it ultimately comes down to an athlete’s performance under pressure.
“When they come to your games, you have to play really well and do everything right, under a lot of pressure with college coaches on the sideline,” said Sawyers.
Athletes that work hard on and off the field are much more likely to get recruited. A great athlete with an excellent GPA is more likely to receive offers than a star athlete with a poor GPA.
“In my freshman year, the first thing I did was go to an Ivy camp at our school. Then I started sending emails to colleges,” said Drew Nelson, who is committed to playing Division 1 baseball at Brown University.
Once an athlete starts receiving offers from colleges, they must start thinking about where they see themselves living for the next four years. Factors such as the team, campus, coaches, academics, culture, location, environment, and division play a part in this big decision.
“It was hard choosing in the moment when I got my offers and being like, ‘Oh shoot, this is where I am going to be going to college,’ and having to weigh the pros and cons,” said Sawyers.
When an athlete decides where they want to commit, they will verbally commit to a college over the phone or in person with the head coach.
When signing day comes in November, athletes can finally sign the National Letter of Intent (NLI), making the commitment official.
“I chose Washington because I love the school, and I really liked Seattle. Their athletic facilities, the coaches, and all the girls were super nice,” said Sawyers.
“UCLA, for me, there are a lot of good people over there in that program, which was a huge draw for me,” said Port.
“I took into account academics, the baseball level, and the coaches, and Brown has the best combination of the three of those,” said Nelson.
Throughout the process, it can be difficult for athletes to remain confident in themselves.
“You get so wrapped up in your self-worth about it because if things aren’t going well for you, you’re like, ‘Oh, this school is not reaching out to me, this school is not reaching out to me.’ You have to take a step back and realize that it is not a reflection of who you are as a person. You have to value the things that are most important, and that is not always sports because, eventually, you have to hang up the cleats and go into other areas of your life. Don’t let it affect you and how you treat others,” said Port.
Overall, the college recruiting process is a long journey that takes grit, hard work, and determination.
