Swimming recruitment is based on times!
There is no doubt that THE CORONA IMPACT is real, especially for students who want to play at the collegiate level.
Just because the NCAA has made another update to the recruiting of athletes and suspended D1 in-person recruitment, you can still take control of your future. NCAA D1 has suspended in-person recruiting through January 1, 2021, and D2/D3 are back to the regular recruiting rules. Like many colleges this year, the SAT/ACT testing requirement is also on hold for now, but please note that you may still be required to submit a test score, so please have a test date on the books?.
When is the best time to start the recruiting process? The best time was a few years ago, the next best time is NOW. Although there are strict rules and guidelines for each division regarding when college coaches may reach out, you still hold the keys to your recruiting future. The rules are in place to protect the athlete and promote fair recruiting and you can find those rules on the NCAA website. For most sports, Junior year is go time, for others it may be earlier, and still others like Rowing…the coaches want the athletes to mature as much as possible before they look at their ERG scores/athlete size…so recruiting may be in senior year.
Are you a senior considering a walk-on position or still looking to be recruited? It is not too late! Pick up the phone, call the coach and have a plan for following up with them. Emails are nice…phone calls are better.
In a recent article by Next Student College Athlete, they give this advice:
Insider Tip: No matter the time or date, you as a student-athlete can always initiate contact with a coach. The rules only enforce when coaches can initiate contact with you. To get the process started, some recruits rely on their high school/club coaches to reach out to college coaches for them. The high school/club coach can set up a time a for the recruit to call the college coach, and the college coach can answer the phone if a recruit calls them. The rules only prohibit college coaches from calling a recruit back, emailing, direct messaging or responding to recruits. Some athletes will also go through their current coach to set up an unofficial visit to a college campus and connect with the coach that way.