career
The college recruiting timeline
10 min · beginner
When does recruiting actually start?
If you think recruiting happens senior year, you're late. Here's the real timeline.
Freshman year (9th grade)
- Build foundational stats — GPA, first varsity appearances, AAU/club summer
- Get ONE highlight up on Hudl even if it's short
- Attend 1-2 camps at schools you genuinely like
Sophomore year (10th grade)
- Start emailing college coaches; don't expect replies yet
- Take the PSAT
- Focus on summer showcases
Junior year (11th grade) — the BIG year
- This is when most scholarship offers come in
- Take SAT/ACT (twice)
- Official campus visits
- Unofficial visits are allowed anytime
- File the NCAA Eligibility Center by winter
Senior year (12th grade)
- Sign early (November) or late (April) depending on sport
- Keep GPA up — it's a condition of most offers
The recruiting funnel (typical)
- 100 schools emailed
- 30 show interest
- 15 visits you get invited to
- 5 offers
- 1 commitment
Start earlier and keep the funnel wide. Don't put all hope in 2-3 dream schools.