Can someone explain the process/timeline for D1/D2 recruiting?

[Anonymous]

I am the parent of a rising 9th grader who gets a ton of attention for his athletic ability. I know he's really young, and there are no guarantee, but he definitely attracts attention. So, at this point, this is mostly curiosity.

So, my understanding is that coaches can't contact him before the summer before his junior year, and they can't get a preread, and thus can't make an offer before the summer before senior year? Is that right?

But what is allowed before then?

As far as camps, coaches can talk to him there right? Is that only at the coach's school, or at camps at other schools where the coach is in attendance?

They can come to his games, but only talk to the coach? Can the coach report back on those conversations to us and say "X school came and asked questions about you?" or "Y school is very interested in you?" Can we pass back messages like "I am interested too!"

Then when they are allowed to call, what can those conversations look like? My kid's sport isn't lacrosse, but I have heard people say that a junior is committed to an Ivy for lacrosse, but how can that be without a preread? Is the coach saying "assuming you keep playing this well and you pass the preread I'm going to offer you a spot"?

I am just confused as to what is allowed and what isn't, and want to get a sense of what happens.

Again, I know my kid is very young, and that he could discover girls and loose his focus next week, or break his ankle next month, or whatever.

[Anonymous]

Attention from whom?

- that will help answer this

[Anonymous]

Sport is also an important detail

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Attention from whom?

- that will help answer this

National level teams for his age group, other teams and private schools who are recruiting, recently from a college coach at a camp he attended.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sport is also an important detail

Does what is allowed change based on sport?

[Anonymous]

We need to know the sport.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We need to know the sport.

Do NCAA rules change by sport?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need to know the sport.

Do NCAA rules change by sport?

Yes, they do.

[Anonymous]

OP, if you would rather not provide specifics, Google recruiting timeline for your particular sport. Wealth of information out there.

[Anonymous]

I would say the most important thing in the 9th grade is to focus on grades. I have seen some high-value athletes that have just fallen off the radar because of grades. These were national-level athletes-- All-Met football, All-American Track, and many others who frizzle out because they were too focused on sports and failed in the classroom. You can always come back after asking this question in a year.

i.e. I am a high school track coach who has sent athletes to most of the top schools in the nation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Attention from whom?

- that will help answer this

National level teams for his age group, other teams and private schools who are recruiting, recently from a college coach at a camp he attended.

This is hard to understand. I’m trying to help bc my son is recruiting now. What are national level teams for his age group? Other teams? Private schools? Unless he is at a professional level (which can happen very young, though very rare), almost zero schools will reach out this early. D1 won’t reach out til 6/15 of his sophomore year. D2 and D3 can reach out earlier but, again, 99.99999% are uninterested no matter how good you are until around the same time bc they are recruiting rising seniors mostly and some rising juniors.

[Anonymous]

There are timelines on the NCAA's website. Varies by division and sport.

[Anonymous]

Football, baseball and basketball recruiting will work much differently than other sports and they have their own NCAA rules on blackout periods and what not.

Ivy League schools can give commitments as early as Fall of junior year, but they holdback most for summer after junior and fall of senior year. For a select group of athletes they really want, they can drop their academic standards enough that the pre read doesn’t matter much (and usually they are in a competitive situation for that athlete).

If your kid plays one of the sports above and is truly D1 material, then only minimum grades and scores matter. I wouldn’t tell my 9th grader to shirk school work…but Duke basketball doesn’t care how well your kid does academically as long as you meet minimum standards (but of course you have to be great).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Football, baseball and basketball recruiting will work much differently than other sports and they have their own NCAA rules on blackout periods and what not.

Ivy League schools can give commitments as early as Fall of junior year, but they holdback most for summer after junior and fall of senior year. For a select group of athletes they really want, they can drop their academic standards enough that the pre read doesn’t matter much (and usually they are in a competitive situation for that athlete).

If your kid plays one of the sports above and is truly D1 material, then only minimum grades and scores matter. I wouldn’t tell my 9th grader to shirk school work…but Duke basketball doesn’t care how well your kid does academically as long as you meet minimum standards (but of course you have to be great).

Lots of schools DO care about academics, no matter how good you are. Yale has said this (though grades can be lower than the usual admitted kid, they cannot be low - see AI), Emory requires high grades, NYU, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Football, baseball and basketball recruiting will work much differently than other sports and they have their own NCAA rules on blackout periods and what not.

Ivy League schools can give commitments as early as Fall of junior year, but they holdback most for summer after junior and fall of senior year. For a select group of athletes they really want, they can drop their academic standards enough that the pre read doesn’t matter much (and usually they are in a competitive situation for that athlete).

If your kid plays one of the sports above and is truly D1 material, then only minimum grades and scores matter. I wouldn’t tell my 9th grader to shirk school work…but Duke basketball doesn’t care how well your kid does academically as long as you meet minimum standards (but of course you have to be great).

This is not true for lacrosse, Ivy spots are gone by October of junior year.