The Recruiting Process: Step One - Indentification
As a high school athlete you will only go through the college recruiting process one time. So, it can be a confusing and intimidating process. The information on this page is designed to help you navigate the recruiting process and understand how it works.
The first step in the recruiting process is for college coaches to identify which players are potential scholarship athletes. This is a process that occurs during the course of your high school career. Some players, for a variety of reasons, are identified earlier than others -- in some cases as early as their freshman year. Some may be identified later. In each case, athletes will be identified at different levels of projected achievement.
Coaches get their initial information on players from several sources including:
- NATS Player Database - Your inclusion in the NATS online player database provides coaches an easy and efficient way to review your standardized and verified athletic data. Other than on-field performance, it is the most important pro-active step you can take to attract the attention of college coaches.
- Coaches recommendations - College coaches contact high school coaches to get their opinions about their players and players in their area.
- National/Regional recruiting lists - Coaches collect list of All-Americans, All-conference, All-area players, etc. to get the names of top on-field performers.
Early identification should increase your motivational level to achieve the highest degree of performance both in the classroom and in your future in-season and off-season activities. If you have been identified early as a future scholarship athlete, don't become complacent -- work harder and longer!
The identification process is ongoing and there are many factors which will determine when and if you will be identified as a potential scholarship athlete.
If you have not been identified early, don't become discouraged -- recruiting is not an exact science and early identification will be impacted by a number of factors:
- A team's recruiting needs -- these change from year to year.
- Which positions are they recruiting for that year?
- How many scholarships do they have available?
- Your height, weight , strength and speed from the previous season.
- A young man's size, speed, strength and quickness can change drastically over the course of one year -- keep working.
- Your status the previous season.
- Were you a starter?
- You may have played behind a great player! Consequently, you may not have been able to showcase your talents -- be patient!
Continue to Step Two |
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- Quick Links
- Calendar
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The NATS Events calendar provides you with critical dates for both academic and sports related events.While every effort is maintained to ensure the accuracy of the calendar, it is important that you verify important dates and events independently.
