A deep dive into the college athletics recruiting process
By MIKALA SLOTNICK — sports@theaggie.org
The professional athletes you see on television have all been recruited in one way or another. Many began playing in elementary school and continued to do so through high school, continuing their sport all the way to college and eventually going on to play for the big leagues. Though there are some exceptions to the rule, such as Los Angeles Angels baseball player Mike Trout, who was recruited out of high school in the 2009 MLB draft, most athletes start their careers playing in college.
For student-athletes interested in playing on a team in college, the specific division of the university they choose to attend is an important factor to consider. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which is the largest college sports association, has over 1,100 member schools and three different divisions. Each division has a different set of requirements, with Division 1 (D1) being the most popular and the most challenging to get into.
Universities such as UC Davis, Stanford and Texas A&M University are all colleges that are part of the Next College Student Athlete (NCSA) College Recruiting, the largest college recruitment organization in the United States. Other sports associations include the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), which is commonly used for smaller, private schools, and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) for students interested in two-year colleges.
Recruiters gather information about student-athletes using websites such as Rivals, 247Sports.com and NCSAsports.org. College coaches recruit for university-level sports using several methods, including looking through highlight videos and statistics, attending games, showcases and tournaments and contacting the student athlete via email or phone call.
Before any type of communication occurs, athletes should do their research about the university and the coach, according to Coaches Insider. This can be done by athletes attending their chosen sports athletic events at the university, reading the coach’s bio or even connecting with other players who are already on the team.
If an athlete chooses to contact a recruiter or a coach, the NCSA says that “email is the best way to introduce yourself to college coaches.” Social media platforms may also play a role in capturing the attention of potential recruiters. The most popular social media platforms for this purpose are Instagram, TikTok and X. Instagram and TikTok allow potential recruits to upload highlight reels that capture their most successful plays on the court or field, while X is mainly used by coaches to engage and promote their college team.
When a player sets up their social media platform, athletes may consider including their location, high school/community college/club team, class year, GPA, a highlight video and their NCSA profile, according to the NCSA website. It is also recommended that you dress in the uniform for the sport that you play and include your real name. An important rule of thumb, according to NCSA, is to give credit to the people who helped you, such as teammates or coaches. It’s also recommended to talk about your athletic and academic achievements and showcase parts of your personality outside of the sport.
Though engaging recruiters via social media is often an effective strategy, it can also be a disadvantage to those who go against community guidelines or the school’s code of conduct by posting vulgar or discriminatory material, political opinions or engaging in any form of online bullying or harassment.
Once a student-athlete is on the recruiter’s radar, the recruiter typically creates a list of prospective athletes. The recruiters often send out questionnaires, camp invites or recruiting letters. A recruiting questionnaire is a form that prospective student-athletes fill out to share information about themselves with a college program, which can either be mailed or emailed to the student athlete. Filling out this form puts the student’s measurable statistics — such as height, weight, sports played and any connection to the school — into the university’s database.
Examples of recruiting questionnaires are the University of Oklahoma softball questionnaire and the Texas Christian University volleyball form. However, it is important to note that when a university sends a student-athlete a questionnaire, it does not mean that they are being recruited; it only signifies that they are on the university’s radar.
After the initial questionnaire, recruiters will conduct an evaluation that assesses a candidate’s physical ability, coachability and academic achievements. It is in this evaluation that the recruiter will decide whether to extend an offer to play for the team. In most cases, a recruitment offer comes with an athletic scholarship, which helps most student-athletes pay for college tuition. These scholarships range from covering only a portion of tuition to covering room and board expenses. The offer becomes official when the student athlete signs their contract and commits to the university’s athletic program.
While there is always potential to be a Mike Trout, a student-athlete can also be a Jalen Hurts or Aaron Judge, who were recruited from high school to college through these processes. Given the different parts of the recruitment process, student-athletes have a variety of potential paths to playing a collegiate-level sport.
Written by: Mikala Slotnick— sports@theaggie.org
