Many people have trouble understanding how colleges recruit student-athletes. They want to know how they evaluate potential students and what it takes to have them show interest. Take a look inside the college sports recruiting process.
1. College Coaches Put Together a List of Prospective Athletes
The first step in the recruiting process is for coaches to put together a list of prospective athletes. They must meet specific basic requirements, including height, weight, graduation year, location, position, and academics.
They use recruiting media sites and third-party recruiting services. They also get recommendations from high school and club coaches and see potential recruits at camps. Around 800 athletes make it through this process in schools with small programs, while as many as 8000 make it in large programs.
2. College Coaches Send Recruiting Letters, Questionnaires, and Camp Invites to Prospects
Next, the coaches usually send messages to these potential recruits to find out who is interested in joining their program. They send out recruiting questionnaires, camps invitations, and letters expressing interest.
3. College Coaches Evaluate Recruits
Next, college coaches evaluate recruits. They contact them and call their former coaches for evaluations or recommendations. They watch these recruits in tournaments and camps. After this process, the coaches narrow it down to between 20 and 300 athletes.
4. College Coaches Send Out Scholarship Offers
Different programs have different processes for sending out scholarships. Large programs might have lists of 200 or 300 athletes. They won’t all accept these offers. So coaches start at the top of the list and work through it until all spots are taken. Some coaches make verbal offers with a handshake, but this isn’t binding. Once the student signs a letter of intent, they are officially signed.
5. College Coaches Sign Athletes
Coaches take time to make sure that their top recruits sign with them and check their academic eligibility. They make sure that the athlete is committed, but they may need certain grades in their core courses to maintain academic eligibility.