Any athlete who aspires to play in college will have to go through the stress of recruiting.
Recruiting can differ based on the sport. Many can begin their journey as young as 8th grade, whereas others will begin their junior or senior year of high school.
Popular recruiting support apps include NCSA, MaxPreps, Hudl, and FieldLevel among many others.
Grace Wilson:
Wilson is a softball signee to George Fox University began her recruiting journey early sophomore year. George Fox was one of Wilson’s dream schools so her journey with George Fox was a bit different.
“My journey was very stressful and busy. It was time-consuming to make emails with schedules to send to coaches and then turn around right after the tournament to send them highlight reels and results,” said Wilson.
Furthermore, softball has many recruiting rules that don’t allow contact between college coaches and players until a specific point in their high school career.
“I started seriously talking to George Fox my junior year when they were allowed to finally talk to me,” said Wilson.
Avery Devincenzi:
Devincenzi is a track and field signee to the University of Montana, began in the middle of her junior year. Devincenzi didn’t originally plan on competing in collegiate sports.
“The success of my junior track season was a lightbulb moment where I realized I could take this to the next level,” said Devincenzi.
“My recruiting journey was relatively easy. I sent emails, made phone calls, and took some visits. It all happened quickly which I feel is very uncommon in recutting. Most know from a young age that they want to play college sports but that wasn’t the case with me,” added Devincenzi.
“I had to email my coach a lot before he responded to me but when he responded he wanted me out for a visit right away. My visit was incredible. I loved the campus and coaches,’’ continued Devincenzi.
Recruiting can be a stressful yet amazing experience. It will be different for everybody regarding time, emails, visits, etc. Each journey is different but every athlete should take their time, prioritize what they want, and find the right fit for them.