Assuming someone else is handling it
Your high school or club coach and your parents will play a big role in your recruiting, but you will have to put in the time and effort to find the right program and connect with college coaches.
Our recruiting partner
Get recruited to the right college.
To help our student‑athletes navigate the complicated recruiting process, we’ve partnered with NCSA College Recruiting. Over the past 20 years, NCSA has refined the tools student‑athletes need to find their college match. With hands‑on guidance, college matching tools and a network of 35,000+ college coaches, more than 200,000 student‑athletes have committed to their college choice.
Join NCSA (opens in a new tab)Connect with college coaches and find your best college match.
In partnership with
35,000+ college coaches
What NCSA does
Every day, NCSA helps high school athletes
The 750+ former college coaches and athletes at NCSA work with student‑athletes to:
- Gain exposure and get discovered by college coaches
- Make sure they are on track to become NCAA and NAIA eligible
- Contact and communicate with college coaches effectively
- Find the best schools for their athletic and academic goals
The guide below will help athletes and their families understand the recruiting process and put together an effective recruiting game plan.
Before you start
The three most common recruiting pitfalls
Not putting enough emphasis on academics
Talent and athletic ability will catch a college coach’s attention, but below‑average academics will seriously limit your recruiting options.
Not exploring every opportunity
It pays to seriously explore all of your options. Many athletes start with one or two target schools in mind, only to find a college they love that wasn’t even on their radar.
How coaches recruit
College recruiting from a coach’s perspective
Recruiting varies across programs at every division level, but most college coaches follow the same basic steps.
Determine recruiting needs (position, grad year)
Search online recruiting networks to evaluate recruiting profiles
Connect with high school and club coaches to learn about prospects
Evaluate prospects’ video, academic information and social media accounts
Begin to contact athletes, follow profiles, extend camp invites, host camps
Meet with recruits’ families and current coaches
Check NCAA and NAIA eligibility status, extend official visit offers
Make initial verbal offers
Sign players, look for last‑minute recruits or transfers
The rules
Recruiting rules and calendar
The NCAA recruiting rules and calendar set how and when college coaches and recruits can interact, using four different periods: contact, evaluation, dead and quiet.
Contact period
Coaches and athletes are free to communicate by email, text, phone call and direct message, and in person on campus, at tournaments, and at the recruit’s school and home. For most sports, coaches can begin reaching out to athletes on June 15 after sophomore year.
Evaluation period
College coaches may watch an athlete compete in person or visit their school, but they may not communicate with that athlete or their parents off the college campus.
Dead period
All in‑person contact between college coaches and recruits is strictly prohibited. Coaches can’t talk to recruits on campus, at their high school, at sports camps, or even when they run into them while out.
Quiet period
College coaches may not have off‑campus, in‑person contact with recruits or their families. Coaches can’t watch athletes compete in person, visit their high school, or talk to them at home.
Reaching out
Communicating with college coaches
One of the most common misconceptions in recruiting is that it doesn’t start until coaches can contact recruits. Athletes who wait for the official contact date end up playing catch‑up while others are already building relationships with coaches. Start reaching out as early as freshman year.
An introductory email is a great way to get on a coach’s radar. Before you hit send, do your homework on the coach, the school and the program, and be ready to explain why you’re interested and how you could contribute to the team. Include your basic athletic information, your GPA, your contact information, and a link to your NCSA Recruiting Profile.
Phone
A coach’s inbox is often stacked with emails, but coaches receive very few phone calls from recruits. A call is a great way to introduce yourself and make a memorable impression. Before the contact period officially starts, college coaches can’t talk with you over the phone, so be ready to introduce yourself in a voicemail.
Social media
Platforms like Instagram and X give athletes another way to reach out and connect with coaches. Use them only if you’re active and check them regularly, so you don’t miss a message, and be careful that nothing questionable shows up on your profile.
Eligibility
NCAA and NAIA academic eligibility
College coaches look for well‑rounded student‑athletes who are committed to both athletics and academics, and recruits must meet the academic eligibility requirements to compete at the college level. Whether you’re aiming for the NCAA or the NAIA, start freshman year: work with your high school guidance counselor to make sure you’ve met the requirements by graduation.
Your college match
Finding your best fit
As you narrow your options to a list of roughly 5 reach, 20 target and 5 safety schools, answer these questions:
- Education and major: Is there a field of study you are passionate about?
- Geography: Would you like to be close to home or across the country?
- Experience: Do you want to compete all four years? Do you want a balance of sport and social life?
The NCSA Power Rankings list the best college programs in each sport based on factors like size, location, academics and cost. And remember, the goal is a four‑year degree: ask yourself whether you’d be happy at a school even if you could no longer play your sport.
Join NCSA (opens in a new tab)Connect with college coaches and find your best college match.
Your recruiting tools
Tools for getting recruited
NCSA Recruiting Profile
College coaches begin their recruiting online, so the first step to connecting with them is creating a recruiting profile. Every profile should include:
- Name, high school, grad year, position
- Physical stats (height, weight)
- A key sport measurable (40‑yard dash time, for example)
- Your high school transcript with GPA and ACT or SAT scores
- A highlight video, if it applies to your sport
NCSA gives every member a free recruiting profile, and more than 35,000 college coaches search NCSA profiles every year to fill their open roster spots.
Highlight video
A highlight video is a valuable recruiting tool, especially for coaches who can’t easily watch recruits compete in person. A strong one runs 3 to 5 minutes, includes 20 to 30 clips of game footage, and shows the athlete’s contact information at the start and end. Upload it to your NCSA Recruiting Profile and to YouTube so coaches can find it easily.
Recruiting events
Camps, combines, showcases and tournaments
These events let college coaches watch a large number of recruits in one place, and they let top recruits compete against each other. The challenge for every family is deciding which ones to attend. Here’s what each one is for.
College camps
Camps hosted by individual colleges are a great way to get in front of a specific program. Before you invest in one, make sure you have a real chance with that school.
Third‑party camps
These range from pure skill development to events built for recruiting, where top recruits compete against one another. Be clear on what you want out of a camp, and make sure that’s what it provides.
Combines
Coaches in many sports rely more and more on standardized numbers, like the 40‑yard dash in football or the 60‑yard time in baseball. Get your numbers once or twice a year at events coaches trust to verify them.
Showcases
Built for recruiting and popular in many sports, showcases draw several college coaches to watch a group of recruits run drills and compete. Make sure the coaches you’re interested in will be there.
Tournaments
Large tournaments have become the go‑to recruiting events for many college coaches. Once you pick one, contact coaches before it starts to let them know you’ll be there, and always follow up afterward.
Put your recruiting plan in place
Knowing this now will get your recruiting off to a great start. For more help, call NCSA’s team at 1-866-495-5172.
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