How do College Track and Field Coaches Recruit Athletes?
The College Track and Field Recruiting Journey, Step by Step
Typically, college coaches have steps that they follow throughout the recruiting process. These steps are the following:
Contact with recruits, initiated by either the athlete or the coaching staff. Often done by the athlete filling out a questionnaire, sending a e-mail, or the coach sending a message, letter, or camp invite.
Creating a target list of potential recruits (prospective student-athletes). At this stage a coach begins actively recruiting the athlete.
Prospect evaluations. Coaches may take months or years to evaluate an athlete by watching them compete in various ways.
Giving out verbal commitment offers and scholarship dollars. Coaches will formally express that they want the athlete to join their team, many coaches will ask athletes to visit before making a final decision.
Signing Athletes. Recruits officially sign paperwork, and send in deposits to the school of their choice. If a scholarship is being offered athletes sign a “letter of intent” which locks them in with the school of their choice.
Step 1: Contact with recruits, initiated by either the athlete or the coaching staff. Often done by the athlete filling out a questionnaire, sending a e-mail, or the coach sending a message, letter, or camp invite.
A coach cannot recruit you if they don’t know you exist. Sometimes coaches will see an athlete compete at a state championship track meet or other event and determine they are interested. But much of the time this is not the case. Initial contact gets the recruiting journey going with a specific school. Initial contact can occur with either of the following:
Student Led
Completing a Recruiting Questionnaire for the college team
Send an email or message to the coaching staff
Coach Led
Interest letter or campus brochure from the college
Camp Invitation
Recruiting Questionnaires are essentially interest forms on a track and field team’s website that allows the recruit to put their information in for the coach to contact them back. Some coaches may ask a large number of athletes to fill them out to get a gauge on who is interested. Many coaches may not respond to a questionnaire alone so I recommend filling them out for a group of schools to see which coaches express interest. Remember that coaches will look to have at least 10 times as many athletes they are considering for the spots they will have available, and narrow the list down from there.
You should always take contact from a coach seriously and represent yourself professionally whether it is a questionnaire, interest letter, campus brochure, or a direct e-mail. Avoid generic responses and never CC a Coach on a message you have sent to others.
Even if you are not interested in a school, the coach of that program may later become the coach at one you are. Never blow off a coach in an unprofessional manner because it can hurt your options in the future.
If a coach is giving you any type of response, even if it is generic in nature but mentions their team/program and your name, then you are essentially on their target list. Once you make the target list you are being evaluated by the coaching staff to determine whether they will one day offer you a spot on their team.
Step 2: Creating a target list of potential recruits (prospective student-athletes). At this stage a coach begins actively recruiting the athlete.
Coaches have to over recruit to account for the fact that most athletes they approach will not come to their school. Most athletes are considering 5 to 10 schools at first before narrowing down their list. So a good recruiter will need to have at least 10 times as many athletes on their target list than the number of spots they are recruiting for. Each coach has specific criteria they are looking for regarding physical characteristics, high school and club performance, academics, and other demographics. Any athlete who fits what they are looking for will likely become a “targeted” recruit. Coaches identify targets with the following
Online Questionnaires hosted don their school website
Recruit Ranking websites like “SCArecruiting.com” both locally and nationally.
Internet recruiting services where athletes create their own profiles.
Direct e-mails and messages from recruits
Recommendations from high school or club coaches
State Championship meets, Club Championship meets, USATF regional or national events, and invitational track meets hosted by companies like New Balance, Brooks, Hoka, etc. All of these competitions bring many talented recruits into one place to be evaluated.
Hundreds to thousands of recruits may be evaluated at each college program, although only a percentage of them will make it onto the target list for further consideration. Getting targeted by a school is a big accomplishment and you should be proud of yourself for getting that far! But the journey is still just beginning.
Coach Rob’s Note: Recognize that you will likely have to reach out to many schools in order to get the best option for you in recruiting. But knowing your recruiting level will provide the best chance for you to identify schools that are likely to have interest in you.
Step 3: Prospect evaluations. Coaches may take months or years to evaluate an athlete by watching them compete in various ways.
Once you are on the target list, every interaction that you have with a coach will be evaluated. You should assume that every competition you have they will be following, even if they do not attend to watch you in person. College coaches are always looking for reasons to offer a recruit a spot on their team, but they are also looking for reasons not to. You are competing with other recruits for offers so know that not only your performance on the track will be evaluated. Your social media presence, ability to represent yourself in phone calls and e-mails, and behavior on college visits are all points for consideration. Coaches want to build relationships with recruits, but the relationship must remain professional. Most of the time a college coach will be considering several athletes who on paper are very similar but can only offer a spot to one of them, so every detail matters.
Coaches will rank the recruits they are serious about and often times prioritize their recruiting efforts on those they have at the top of their list. The goal is always to move up the target list, and never down. This part of the recruiting process is essentially a very long job interview.
Coach Rob’s Note: Even after you are actively being recruited, continue to initiate contact with schools. So long as the coach is receptive and reciprocating communication, it is worth it to reach out about any new performances, highlight film, awards, or other developments in your career. Planning an unofficial visit is another great way to show a coach you are serious about their school. Coaches like to offer athletes whom they believe will come to their school, so the more engaged you are, the more confident they will feel extending an offer.
Step 4: Giving out verbal commitment offers and scholarship dollars. Coaches will formally express that they want the athlete to join their team, many coaches will ask athletes to visit before making a final decision.
Every aspect of the recruiting journey is building towards commitment day. Coaches will attempt to determine which kids to offer by funneling them through the prior stages. However, the rules for making an offer vary from program to program, and division to division. Typically coaches will offer the athletes at the top of their list a spot on the team first, and work their way down hoping to get athletes to commit. However, the greatest confusion comes with how long an offer is good for, and can someone take the offer away. There is no consensus amongst coaches unfortunately. Some may offer an athlete and give them a set time limit to let them know they are interested. Others will offer many athletes and accept whoever commits first. If scholarship dollars are up for grabs the risk of delaying acceptance of an offer can result in someone else claiming that money. Many coaches also prefer to wait until a senior year official visit to formally offer an athlete, so any time you take a visit you should be prepared to have that conversation with a coach.
Coaches can make an offer in a few different ways. Most offers are made verbally, and at the most competitive levels of college track and field, these offers can be given almost at any time in high school, working within the legal loopholes of NCAA eligibility. A verbal offer is non-binding and essentially is a gentleman’s agreement between an athlete and coach. The earlier they are given, the less a commitment at that stage often means. Athletes consistently back out of verbal offers that were “accepted” when they were done early on in their high school career. It is worth noting that no offer is official until you sign a National Letter of Intent which can only be done during senior year of high school.
Coach Rob’s Note: When you are fielding offers from schools you will also have serious discussions about scholarship and financial aid. Contrary to popular belief about 2 percent of all college athletes are on “full-ride” athletic scholarships. Even in Division 1 track and field, most athletic scholarships do not cover the full cost of attendance. The cost of attendance even after receiving an athletic scholarship may vary from school to school and you should determine with your family, how much you are able to pay.
Step 5: Signing Athletes. Recruits officially sign paperwork, and send in deposits to the school of their choice. If a scholarship is being offered athletes sign a “letter of intent” which locks them in with the school of their choice.
Once a recruit has chosen to accept an offer to compete for a school, they must satisfy any remaining eligibility requirements. Even after committing, and signing an official letter of intent, it is of the utmost importance that recruits finish their school year in good academic standing. Most coaches will not even proceed with a recruit if there are significant concerns about the athlete’s eligibility. But it is ultimately the responsibility of you as the recruit to take all the required courses for eligibility.
If you are deemed academically ineligible for your freshman year, many schools may revoke their offer entirely, and you will likely have to attend a junior college and graduate with an associate’s degree in order to then be eligible to compete at a four year school.
How do we define recruiting?
Recruiting is the process where college coaches search to find athletes to compete for their teams. The criteria that a coach uses to recruit athletes varies from program to program and there is no one size fits all approach. An athlete’s personal bests, events, academics, and even ability to pay for their education may be factored in to a track and field coach’s recruiting strategy. Coach’s define the culture of their program and essentially look for athletes who can fit into that culture.
How does the college recruiting process start?
The majority of track and field coaches will begin their recruiting efforts by looking at a very large number of athletes and selecting which ones might be a strong fit for their program. The bigger name the program, the more athletes they will likely have to choose from. Coach’s use a series of methods to evaluate the athletic, academic, and personal characteristics of an athlete. Their goal is to narrow down the larger list to a smaller one of the best athletes for their team, and to try to convince as many of them as possible to actually join. By identifying which schools are likely to see you as a good fit (working with Coach Rob), you can give yourself the best possible chance to have schools offer you a roster spot.
When should I start the recruiting process?
The recruiting process begins in two different ways. There is the process from the coach’s perspective, and for you as an athlete. Coaches are beginning their journey to find talented athletes as early as when athlete’s enter high school to begin scouting the most talented prospects. However, coaches cannot legitimately contact recruits directly until the end of an athlete’s sophomore year in most cases. For you as a recruit, the process should begin with learning how to navigate the recruiting landscape as early as the end of middle school if you are serious about competing in college track and field. Then preparing yourself to begin talking to coaches as soon as you have begun doing the things they want to see from their recruits. Getting ranked on the SCA National Recruit list you can assess how you stack up to your peers in recruiting. You can then use that information to determine if you are ready, and when is the right time for you to reach out to almost any school in the country. A recruit can always reach out to coaches via email with stats, video, and even academic information early in the process even though a coach may not be allowed to respond until they are older.
Coach Rob’s Note: If you wait to start learning about the recruiting process until the second half of your high school career, you run the risk of not having enough time to catch up. More and more people are getting help to get a leg up on the competition and unless you can prove you are one of the most talented recruits in the nation, waiting too long will often leave you missing out on opportunities. Work with me directly and see how easy it can be to get the offers you deserve! GET COLLEGE OFFERS
What coaches look for when they recruit?
In general, college coaches are looking for a mixture of things when they recruit. The emphasis a coach puts on one component over another is specific to their goals and helps them determine who they believe is a good fit for their team. In short they look for the following:
Athletic Talent: Normally the first thing that a coach will notice about a recruit is how good they are. In order for a team to be successful, they have to win, and the more talented the athletes are, the more that is likely to happen. Since competition levels vary, what personal bests a coach expect to see tends to vary across the different levels of college track and field.
Academic Performance: Is equally as important as athletic talent. If athletes are not able to handle the academics at a college, they will likely become ineligible to compete. The more competitive a school is academically, the more a coach is likely to focus on this component. Strong academics also give coaches more reasons to consider an athlete. In essence, the less talented you are in the classroom, the more talented you will need to be in your sport to convince coaches that you will be worth the investment of supporting you on campus.
Professionalism and Integrity: Although this can be hard to gauge, coaches are looking for athletes who can interact in a professional manner that is becoming of the young adult they will be on campus. If a recruit does not display integrity throughout the recruiting process, it is an indicator that they will struggle with the coach’s authority on campus. Coaches will observe how you interact with them, your current coaches, your teammates, and family in order to get a better picture of what your true character is.
Demographics: Aspects like your location or financial aid status often play a factor in who a coach will try to recruit. Coaches are generally open to recruiting nationally and internationally, but if they do not have the budget to offer you a scholarship, or to travel for recruitment over long distances, they will tend to stay more local. Private colleges tend to care less about location and more on the affordability of the education. Likewise public colleges are often more affordable for recruits in their state. If you are like most recruits and not being considered for a “full ride” track and field scholarship, then your location and financial aid status will almost undoubtedly impact which coaches are most likely to recruit you.
The timeline for track and field recruiting
There is a different structure of recruiting across all the sports in college, but there are general trends across the entire NCAA. The NCAA has its own recruiting calendar which coaches are required to follow. Knowing the calendar can help you know when to capitalize on specific opportunities the attention of coaches.
In general use the following timeline as a guide to ensure that you get the most out of your college recruiting.
Freshman year: Educate yourself on college track and field, and what it takes to be recruited at different levels. Study to learn what types of accomplishments, events, PRs, and other criteria coaches are looking for so you can prepare to show them you have what it takes to succeed.
Sophomore year: Begin documenting what you have accomplished in your athletic career, and what goals you have yet to reach. Gather as much as you can regarding highlight video as well as your statistics, and prepare to send it to coaches when your school year has concluded.
Junior year: This is the prime time to contact college coaches, and position yourself to be recruited. This can be done in one of many ways, including, emails, recruiting questionnaires, direct messages, and other points of contact.
Senior year: Narrow down the list of schools who have expressed serious interest in you to those you can really see yourself attending. You should be receiving offers if you haven’t already, and you should continue to contact other schools that you may not have spoken too. When you get an offer that is too good to pass up it is time to commit!
Freshman Year College Recruiting Timeline
Freshman year is the best time to start your recruiting journey, because you can actually make necessary changes to help you get where you want to go. The emphasis is less on reaching out to schools, and more on preparing yourself to attract attention by the types of schools you would want to attend. It is important you visit college track and field team websites to learn about programs you are interested in. You should also study the different division levels, and even watch college track and field when you can to learn more about it.
Coach Rob’s Note: If you are not already getting regional or national attention for your performances, it is best to focus on developing your skill and contributing to high school and club teams rather than contacting schools directly at this stage.
Sophomore Year College Recruiting Timeline
At this point recruiting should start to become more of a focal point for any student-athlete. Comprising an athletic resume on a free online website can be a great benefit. If you have already received recognition at the varsity level for your skills, this a good time to begin reaching out to schools. But otherwise you should still wait until junior year.
Contacting schools directly via the appropriate channels is a major component of getting recruited, but it is important to know which schools you should reach out to. If you don’t take this part seriously you will likely get rejected by many coaches and it can be very disheartening to any recruit.
Junior Year College Recruiting Timeline
This is easily the most important year for most recruits in their journey. By this point you should understand the recruiting landscape and the focus should be on finding a list of college coaches that are seriously interested in building a relationship with you towards offering you a spot on their team. You should have more open dialogue with coaches if you are having phone conversations about where you might fit into their future team.
Coach Rob’s Note: If you are not getting recruited by schools you are interested in, do not give up at this stage, but it is important that you self assess well what coaches are looking for. By the end of junior year much of your athletic resume is complete and if coaches do not believe you have the qualities they hope to recruit at that time, they will likely not become interested going forward. The goal should be to enter Senior year with a list of schools who are serious about recruiting you.
Senior Year College Recruiting Timeline
This point in the recruiting journey is about making a decision on the best school for you. Though it is not unheard of for a school to begin showing interest during senior year, it is not the case for most. You should be planning official and unofficial visits to schools that are interested in you and asking questions to determine if this is the school for you. If you assess your level correctly, and position yourself properly by contacting schools, you should be able to have a few offers to choose from as the year goes on.
Coach Rob’s Note: I don’t recommend committing to a school you have never visited because the reality may not match what you envisioned during your recruiting contact with a coach. Always ask yourself if the school is a place you can see yourself being happy.
If you are just starting your process during senior year it is also worth noting that many schools at all levels will have most of their recruiting board filled with other prospects. You can still get recruited but you will need to work harder than you would otherwise. You will also have to act quickly to communicate to the right coaches that you are still available to be recruited.
When should I start engaging with schools to get recruited?
The answer is always as soon as you have done enough to reasonably determine a coach may view you as an asset to their team. If you are not scoring points for a varsity level track team at your high school until junior year, you will naturally end up waiting much longer to begin your recruiting journey than someone who is a league champion as a freshman. Studying the SCA National recruiting list is the best way to save a lot of time and energy on figuring out what coaches are looking for, and begin to assess your own level. If a school seems to match the level you have been competing at, and is of interest to you otherwise, it is worth it to begin reaching out directly, especially during your sophomore year.
When to start contacting schools (and when to wait)
There’s no one size fits all approach to recruiting but there are general principles that should guide you through when to reach out to schools directly. Below are some of the reasons why you should, or should not, reach out.
When to start during Freshman year:
It may be beneficial to begin reaching out to schools if you fit in one of the following categories.
Compete at a high level on a traveling team, or varsity program with competition film to share with coaches.
Ranked, awarded as a top recruit by SCA, or have won regional or national level championships at the high school level.
Coach Rob’s Note: Schools at this stage can only send generalized information to a recruit but you can begin contacting schools directly which will let them know that you are reciprocating interest.
When to wait during Freshman year
If you are not in the two categories listed above, it is often best to wait longer for contacting schools. Many athletes will develop later on in high school and coaches know this, so not being the first to contact during your freshman year should not hurt you in the long run.
When to start during Sophomore year
If you were a varsity athlete during your freshman year, or by sophomore year are a consistent point scorer it can be a good time to reach out to coaches. The top programs in the country are rapidly working to find the best talent, but most coaches are still welcoming new recruits to their target list.
When to wait during Sophomore year
Though it is ideal to start getting serious about contacting schools at this stage, you may still be developing in your events, perhaps not a major contributor at the varsity level, or even improving academically. Your initial contact with a coach is your first impression. Don’t reel pressure to rush it, because doing so may make a coach lose interest who otherwise would take you seriously if you contacted them in the future.
When to start during Junior year
By Junior year it is pretty important that you are actively working on your recruiting process. Direct contact between coaches and athletes is allowed and you should look to take full advantage of it. You should take a serious look at which schools you like, and which ones are interested in recruiting you. Be sure to contact them, while also doing your best to showcase your talents as much as possible both in high school competitions and club or USATF meets. Coaches are actively evaluating talent at this stage with hopes of getting commitments from their top recruits, so you should do your best to impress and move up the target list.
This is also the best time to plan out unofficial visits to get a better sense of which schools you can really see yourself attending, and always reach out to the coaches before you do.
When to wait during Junior year
You should wait to contact a school if you don’t yet have the academic, or athletic performance a coach is likely looking for. However, it is still best to begin reaching out to other schools, that are more attainable while you build yourself up. Though some coaches may gain interest in the fall of Senior year, the goal is to be on target lists, having conversations leading into that time period. If none of the schools at a particular level are reaching out by the end of junior year, you should consider that you may have much better results focusing on other types of colleges.
When to start during Senior year:
In almost every case recruits should be actively engaging with schools by this point. If you have had no discussions with any schools entering senior year, you should be open to the possibility that you may have more success with NAIA and Division 3 schools which often have more open space on their target list by this point. You should still e-mail coaches and fill out questionnaires, but you may need to attempt to call and leave a message to further stand out to coaches.
When to wait during Senior year
There is really no good reason to wait during senior year. However if you are unsure whether you want to compete in college you may end up foregoing conversations with coaches. Time is of the essence and if you do want to get on a college team, as your senior year progresses, you need to consider the possibility you may be looking for a walk-on spot at a school rather than a scholarship or formal offer.
It is never best to simply attend a school and try to walk-on once you are there. That rarely works out for most track and field programs. Many teams have roster size limitations so if you wait to reach out, someone else may claim the spot that could have gone to you. When it comes to senior year, every month counts. Rosters are mostly full by this point and putting off recruiting means fewer opportunities available.
How do NCAA recruiting rules affect the timeline?
The NCAA is not the only governing body for sports, but their rules set the standard for how recruiting progresses. The regulations that the NCAA has imposed on college coaches for recruiting have produced a calendar of dates and specific moments when they can conduct certain types of recruiting activities. Though most people will find the calendar rather intuitive, there are specific terms you should be aware of, these are the following:
Evaluation period: When college coaches are permitted to watch athletes compete in person but cannot have any direct contact with them or their parents. You should focus on making and submitting highlight film for coaches, attending championship level meets where coaches may watch you compete. You can visit college campuses, but still cannot talk to the coaches directly.
Contact Period: as the name suggests, this is when you can communicate directly with coaches using e-mails, text messages, phone calls, and other direct forms of contact. You should prioritize emailing, having phone conversations, and even texting coaches as regularly as they reciprocate to build a relationship that will help make them want to offer you. Social media contact is continuing to increase as well and should be done, but always in a professional manner.
High level recruits or those at the top of a target list may receive a recruiting visit from a coach during this time. Coaches may also ask you to come visit the campus either officially or unofficially. Any time a coach asks to meet with you in person it is a strong signal that they are close to offering you if they have not done so already.
Dead Period: This is when in person contact is suspended between coaches and athletes, or their parents. But it is still allowed for communication over media like telephone or e-mail.
Quiet Period: When in person communication can happen on the college coach’s campus but not away from it. All other forms of media communication are allowed.
When does recruiting end for a college coach?
There is no one size fits all answer to this because coaches essentially stop recruiting for an incoming grade class whenever they have filled their roster spots. Throughout most of college track and field, coaches begin actively targeting athletes in their junior year when they are contributing seriously at the varsity level. And they may conclude that process as late as April or May when some students are making their final decisions on where to go.
However, at the highest levels of college track and field, especially in many Division 1 schools, coaches start the process much earlier as top talent has already been identified. This also means those schools will typically finish getting commitments and signing athletes earlier. The schools at the lower level often are looking for athletes that were passed over by the highest ones so they have to recruit later in order to know which athletes they can pursue. Junior College programs are most likely by far to recruit late, because most of their recruits will be more serious about those options only after they are aware that their 4 year college eligibility will not work out.
If you are serious about getting recruited you can almost always find the right school to attend, but the longer you wait to start the process, the harder it will be to find a program that wants you, and that you want to attend.
How Coach Rob helps you get the offers you deserve in college athletic recruiting
As a recruiting expert I have learned what works what works (and what doesn’t) when it comes to getting the right college track and field offers. It’s about knowing which college coaches want to recruit you and positioning yourself to be recruited. I created SCA to solve both problems. Work directly with me to know which schools are most likely to want you, and how to get their attention. Then get access to all of my expert secrets to make sure that you never go unnoticed again and get all the college track and field offers that you deserve.
If you’re ready to discover the simple secrets and strategies that will help you get more offers by doing way less, book a meeting to let me coach you to success!
Coach Rob is a recruiting expert and the Founder of SCA Recruiting. He is also the author of the book Winning the Ship: How to Win the College Athlete Recruitment Game. Available now on Amazon.
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