The Recruiting Roadmap: How to Get Recruited for College Sports, a Month-by-Month Plan

The college recruiting timeline, grade by grade

9th grade (freshman year): build the base

• Meet the school counselor and map out NCAA-approved core courses.
• Tell the high school or club coach your athlete hopes to play in college, and ask for an honest read on level.
• Start a simple film folder. Save clips from every season.

10th grade (sophomore year): get on coaches' radar

• Build a target list of 15 to 20 programs across every level.
• Make a first highlight video with the best clips first.
• Send short introduction emails and fill out recruiting questionnaires. Send updates every couple of months, after new film or grades.
• In most NCAA Division I sports, coaches can begin recruiting emails and calls on June 15 after sophomore year. Some sports use September 1 of junior year, so check your sport.

11th grade (junior year): the key recruiting year

• Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center if D1 or D2 is possible, and with PlayNAIA if NAIA schools are on the list.
• Update film, take the SAT or ACT if your target schools want it, and go to camps where your list's coaches will be.
• Take unofficial visits when you can, and have your athlete practice coach phone calls.

12th grade (senior year): visits, offers and signing

• Stay in regular touch with the coaches who are showing real interest.
• Make official visits, submit applications and compare offers on total cost, not just the athletic money.
• Unsigned this fall? It is not too late. Junior college and many D2, D3 and NAIA rosters fill late.

Month by month: what The Recruiting Roadmap adds

The year-by-year list above is the skeleton. The Recruiting Roadmap breaks each school year into monthly steps, so you always know the next thing to do, plus the exact wording for coach emails and calls.

Who this is for

Parents of high school athletes in any sport who want a calm, doable plan without paying thousands for a recruiting service. It is written for families, especially those at smaller schools where no one is handing out a recruiting playbook.

More free help: how to get recruited from a small school, college coach email templates, NAIA vs JUCO vs NCAA D2 and is it too late to get recruited senior year.

Are recruiting camps worth it? ID camp vs showcase

A camp is worth the money when coaches from schools on your athlete's realistic list will be there, and your athlete has emailed them first. A college's own ID camp (or prospect camp) is run by one coaching staff, so your athlete gets a longer look from a school they actually want. A showcase brings coaches from many programs, which is good for wide exposure, but each coach may only watch for a few minutes.

• Pick an ID camp when a specific school is a real fit academically, athletically and financially.
• Pick a showcase when your athlete is still building a list and the event names which colleges will attend.
• A camp invitation by email is not the same as recruiting interest. Many are sent to every athlete in a database.
• Have your athlete email the coaches on your list a week or so before any event with their schedule and number.