Is It Too Late To Get Recruited Senior Year?

Even with NCAA rules, it seems that high schoolers are getting recruited and verbally committing to colleges earlier and earlier each year. The pressure to get recruited early is extremely high for high school athletes especially if they see their peers reaching out to coaches early on. If this is the case for you or child, you may find yourself asking, is it too late to get recruited senior year?

The answer is no, it is not too late to get recruited senior year. It may seem that all players get recruited before their last year of high school, but this is not the case and there is certainly opportunity for you to still be recruited as an upperclassmen. Recruitment timelines vary widely depending on what sport and which division the college is in. Thus, it is important to look up the NCAA schedules to understand your sports’ recruiting window during your senior year. This recruiting window is the best time to reach out to coaches.

Now that you know that it is definitely a possibility to get recruited senior year, you can start taking the necessary steps to get your name out there to coaches and reach out to the right programs. Time is of the essence, so it is important to begin these steps as soon as possible if you want to ensure you fill the last remaining spots on a coach’s rosters.

How To Get Recruited Senior Year

While most top programs will have their roster spots filled by the time you are a senior, many other programs are likely to have open spots. Finding these programs and reaching out to the coaches is crucial and you can follow the steps below to increase your chances of being recruited as a senior.

Look At Their Roster: If you are interested in playing at a particular school, look at their current roster to see if they have any spots opening up. If you see that the player that has the same position as you is graduating this year that is a clear indicator that the coach may be looking for someone with your skills. You can also look up the team’s new recruits to see if they already have filled those positions. Keep in mind that decommitments can occur, so even if it appears that their roster is full, it never hurts to reach out to coaches to confirm.

Update Your Highlight Reel: As a senior, you should have plenty of content to include in a highlight reel. So, take the time before you reach out to coaches to update your video with your most recent content. This is the best way for coaches to quickly gage your skills and understand how you play. Sending an updated highlight reel is also a great way to continue communicating with coaches that you may not have talked to in a while.

Call And Visit Coaches: While using email as a primary form of communication is fine, as a senior it is important to be more direct and proactive so you can elicit a response from coaches. Picking up the phone and giving coaches a call or planning a visit to the university whether officially or unofficially will show coaches that you are serious about playing for their program.

Keep Track Of Application Deadlines: While it is important to look at the signing period for your specific sport, what usually comes before that is the college’s application deadline. Make sure that you apply for the schools you are interested in before reaching out to coaches so that they can see both your academic accomplishments as well as athletic and determine if you are a possible fit for their school.

The key to the recruitment process is to not lose hope. While some of your top choices may have already given out of all of their scholarship spots, it is important to open up your options and look at other programs you may have not initially been interested in. There is also always the possibility of walking-on, which you should discuss with coaches if you are interested in that option.

How To Know If A College Has A Spot For You

To know if there is a possibility that a school will have a spot for you to be recruited, it is important to do some preliminary research. With a quick google search you can easily see a team’s list of recruits, but you may not be sure about any updates of team members quitting or new scholarship spots opening up. That is why it is crucial to maintain communication with coaches.

The Coach Is The Source Of Truth: Until a coach tells you that there is not an open spot left on their team, continue your relationship with them by sending email updates, phone calls, or asking to meet in person by visiting the college. Always ensure that your lines of communication are purposive and direct so that the coach does not feel like you are spamming them with emails.

While D1 schools are more likely to have already filled their roster by your senior year, many D2 or D3 schools may not start their heavy recruiting until your senior year. Thus, it is important to recognize both the variability by sport and division in the recruitment timeline. You can ask coaches to be upfront with you about their recruitment timeline early on in your high school career so that you know when you can expect to hear from them again.

Consider Being A Walk-On

If you are set on playing for a specific program and their scholarship spots are completely filled, ask the coach about the possibility of being a walk-on. Each coach has different standards when it comes to walk-ons so it is important to communicate with coaches about this option to see if it is something you would be interested in. Obviously in a walk-on position there is no option for scholarship money, so keep that in mind when deciding whether you want to become a walk-on or continue the process of getting recruited.

Preferred Walk-On: A preferred walk-on is one that has been chosen by the coach beforehand. You can become a preferred walk-on if a coach makes a verbal commitment to allow you to play on the team but does not have a scholarship spot for you.

Regular Walk-On: All other walk-ons usually join a team after that have started to attend the school. The coach may either hold try-outs or have a showcase where students can demonstrate their talents.

Another option if you are unsure about which program you want to join is to attend a junior college or reclassify for a year and then transfer into a university athletic program. This may give you more time to build relationships with coaches and fine tune your skills. The key is to be open-minded in this process if your dream is to play at a certain university.

Things To Keep In Mind

Be Realistic: It is extremely important as a senior in college to be realistic about your abilities and potential. If you know that a certain college would be too academically rigorous for you, you may want to look at other universities. If you are unsure if your abilities and skills are up to par with a certain program it is important to quickly pivot and look at different colleges.

Time Is Of The Essence: With only one year left till you head to college, your recruitment timeline is quite short. Thus, you need to quickly find the programs where you think you have the highest chances of getting recruited and showing your interest in as many ways as possible. In short, be prompt and be assertive .

Be Personal: Make sure you stand out in your communication with coaches by being personal and direct about why you want to play for their program specifically. Coaches receive hundreds of emails from students wanting to be recruited, but to stand out you need to make it clear to them that you have done your research and understand their program. You should also highlight the fact that you are a senior so that they know you are interested in playing in the next year.