Explain college sports recruitment to me

[Anonymous]

Does it matter what high school you play the sport at or is it solely your outside club?

[Anonymous]

Depends on the sport and what kind of college you are aiming for. Big ten football? High school probably matters. Ivy League soccer? Club matters.

[Anonymous]

I was recruited and played D-1 softball...that was in the late 90's so times may have changed. High school stats were only somewhat important because the competition you face can vary widely. With travel teams, coaches can know for sure if you're competing against good teams and therefore your personal stats mean more because of the level of competition. If your high school conference has a lot of sucky teams, anyone can have a .500 batting average, you know? I also had to make and submit a videotape with skills on it. Some people's consist of excerpts from games; mine was me doing various footwork and skilled drills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Depends on the sport and what kind of college you are aiming for. Big ten football? High school probably matters. Ivy League soccer? Club matters.

+1

[Anonymous]

What about lacrosse?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about lacrosse?

Depends. Girls lax college recruitment still is very much in the hands of travel/club coaches but some high school coaches are taking a bigger role. Boys lax college recruitment has seen a huge shift in the past year or two from travel/club coaches to high school coaches. For both, playing time matters. Also, the prospect camps are very important.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about lacrosse?

Depends. Girls lax college recruitment still is very much in the hands of travel/club coaches but some high school coaches are taking a bigger role. Boys lax college recruitment has seen a huge shift in the past year or two from travel/club coaches to high school coaches. For both, playing time matters. Also, the prospect camps are very important.

And, regardless of team type, participating on a team in tournaments where college coaches are present is important. In other words, high level players are doing more than just their high school schedule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about lacrosse?

Depends. Girls lax college recruitment still is very much in the hands of travel/club coaches but some high school coaches are taking a bigger role. Boys lax college recruitment has seen a huge shift in the past year or two from travel/club coaches to high school coaches. For both, playing time matters. Also, the prospect camps are very important.

The same thing is happening in girls lacrosse. I've heard a number of college coaches say that they weigh high school coaches' comments more heavily than comments from club coaches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about lacrosse?

Depends. Girls lax college recruitment still is very much in the hands of travel/club coaches but some high school coaches are taking a bigger role. Boys lax college recruitment has seen a huge shift in the past year or two from travel/club coaches to high school coaches. For both, playing time matters. Also, the prospect camps are very important.

And, regardless of team type, participating on a team in tournaments where college coaches are present is important. In other words, high level players are doing more than just their high school schedule.

Yes, but you can play on house teams in tournaments and many colleges have prospect days for individual players.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about lacrosse?

Depends. Girls lax college recruitment still is very much in the hands of travel/club coaches but some high school coaches are taking a bigger role. Boys lax college recruitment has seen a huge shift in the past year or two from travel/club coaches to high school coaches. For both, playing time matters. Also, the prospect camps are very important.

The main thing to know about lax recruitment seems to be that it starts EARLY. Top D-1 prospects are mostly signed by sophomore year.

[Anonymous]

Holton Sophomore (now a Junior)was recruited to Stanford for lacrosse. She is awesome at Field Hockey as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Holton Sophomore (now a Junior)was recruited to Stanford for lacrosse. She is awesome at Field Hockey as well.

Field hockey is stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about lacrosse?

Depends. Girls lax college recruitment still is very much in the hands of travel/club coaches but some high school coaches are taking a bigger role. Boys lax college recruitment has seen a huge shift in the past year or two from travel/club coaches to high school coaches. For both, playing time matters. Also, the prospect camps are very important.

The main thing to know about lax recruitment seems to be that it starts EARLY. Top D-1 prospects are mostly signed by sophomore year.

I agree that some students are signed by their sophomore year but with 10+ years of being watching the rat race for both boys and girls (meaning we have college, high school and middle school students), I think that a lot of this is over-hyped. There are still good kids getting picked up by D-1s during the summer before senior year and although the Ivies are going earlier now many/most of them are still picking up kids during the same time period. Yes, some kids are giving verbal commits freshman year (there are always going to be early adopters) and a few more during sophomore year but if you listen quietly you begin to hear that the hysterical talk is mostly about the same few kids and that there are still great lax players being shopped during junior year. Make the best academic choice you can with the best financial package you can get and don't be in a mad rush just to commit only to find out the $ isn't following the talk and you've taken your kid out of the running for other looks with better $ if that is your goal (so basically D-1).

[Anonymous]

My buddy is a high school football coach up in Massachusetts, who has had a few guys go on to D-1 FBS and FCS programs.

He says the most important thing is to lock in a landing spot for your kid, somewhere the kid can go if all else fails. For the type of recruit we would respect, that means locking in a verbal from BC (Boston College) in the spring of junior year.

The key is to verbal to a program that everyone knows is just a placeholder--that's why he says it's so helpful that BC is in his backyard. Then have the kid attend the various camps where legitimate programs can see him perform. My buddy winds up on the camp staff, so it works as a two-fer. He makes some cash, and the kid can say he's supporting his high school coach if BC wakes up and asks why the kid is camping all over the place.

For any Power 5 schools that seem to bite, go ahead and send along film at that point. You don't want to blanket film out there in case it gets back to BC. But just camping lets schools know you're open for business if THEY want to reach out.

Then as offers roll in, you send the kid out on visits. BC won't drop the kid because their fans will kill them. Then you pick your team and announce by the time the December dead period starts, so that you (1) lock in the offer, and (2) give BC time to poach a kid from UMass or Wagner or CW Post or somewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Holton Sophomore (now a Junior)was recruited to Stanford for lacrosse. She is awesome at Field Hockey as well.

Field hockey is stupid.

As my FIL always says, "opinions are like a*sholes, everybody has one." Totally unnecessary comment lady. Not nice.