The sports recruiting process can feel like it is never ending. With coaches putting in so many hours to recruit the right athletes for their team, you too will have to invest your time and effort to find the right school for you.

The life of a high school athlete is very rigorous. With sports and academics to juggle it can be overwhelming to think about college sports recruiting with college itself four years away. But the recruiting process is fast and furious, and the race begins for every recruit by the time you start high school.

As a high school sophomore you are well on your way as a high school recruit. Whether you are already a varsity level starter, or still hoping to earn a varsity roster spot, your recruiting journey is well underway. Sophomore year can be overwhelming to think about college sports recruiting with college still 3 years away. But the recruiting process is a marathon and the race is already in full swing.

There is no way around it that junior year is arguably the most important time in any recruits high school career. By junior year almost every recruit who will play in college is competing at the varsity level and college coaches will be keeping track of how athletes perform. With college applications around the corner, junior year is about getting and keeping the attention of a college coach so that when the fall begins they are 100 percent of certain they want you on their team.

Senior year is the moment you’ve been waiting for. College decisions are on the horizon and the pressure will be on to make the right choice. Most of what will get you recruited will have already happened through junior year to impress coaches, and it is all about having the right conversations, and then making the right choice.

As a recruit the college process will seem to have started months or even years before you actually apply. But you will still have to go through the traditional application process. Though there may seem like a lot to do, planning ahead will help you navigate this fast and furious process, and not only get accepted, but get whatever you need to make that school the right school for you.

There are over 1300 divisionally affiliated colleges throughout the NCAA and NAIA. Fewer than 2% of scholarships for athletics are “full-ride scholarships” for athletics alone. So getting the best offer for you, is really about knowing the landscape, and what it takes in order to get them.

Once you start your recruiting journey, finding the right school will come down to building relationships. However, relationships always require a great deal of work.

If you are a senior and you do not have college offers do not panic. It is not too late for you to get college offers. The process does require work but if you are serious you can certainly find a program that will be interested in you.

Getting an athletic scholarship is something to be proud of. But athletic scholarship money may not always be for as much money as you may need. It is possible to negotiate additional scholarship dollars but doing so will require to know the recruiting game.

Committing to college to play sports is a very big deal, but it is not the same thing as a college signing. When you sign a letter of intent, you are a claiming a scholarship offer for the upcoming year.

It is great to have multiple college offers to choose from. However, finding the right one is much more challenging. Every coach will want you to believe their school has everything you need for success. But only you know what is best for your future.

The secret to getting recruited for college basketball starts with knowing the process.

The secret to getting recruited for college football starts with knowing the process.

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The secret to getting recruited for college volleyball starts with knowing the process.

The secret to getting recruited for college soccer starts with knowing the process.

The secret to getting recruited for college softball starts with knowing the process.

The secret to getting recruited for college baseball starts with knowing the process.

The secret to getting recruited for college lacrosse starts with knowing the process.