Coronavirus: What Does it Mean for Your Recruiting?

The coronavirus pandemic is something that is far bigger than sports and we hope you and your family are healthy and safe.

The NCAA’s recent announcements regarding college athletics and recruiting have left us questioning what the full impact of this will look like for current and prospective college athletes.

• NCAA cancels all winter and spring sports

• NCAA bans in-person recruiting through April 15th

• NCAA grants extra year of eligibility to seniors in spring sports

• Will colleges host summer camps starting in May?

As the situation continues to evolve, it’s become clear that all recruits across every sport need to maximize their online presence and be proactive in starting recruiting conversations. Of course, the NCAA changes will impact some recruits more than others, so we’ve outlined how these changes will affect each grad year.

High school class of 2020

While there are few opportunities to make a Division 1 and Division 2 roster at this point in the recruiting process, the NCAA’s eligibility relief plan will change the recruiting landscape moving forward. With the option for current spring sport seniors to return for a fifth year, college coaches may rethink their current roster spot availability. If you’re a high school senior still looking to get recruited, it’s important to expand your search to include more schools and different division levels. You should also begin diligently reaching out to coaches online and by phone to discuss roster availability.

If you’ve already committed to a program, communicate with the coach regularly and be willing to ask the hard questions around how your coach anticipates eligibility relief will impact your first season.

High school class of 2021

2021 recruits are at a critical point in their recruiting process. With official and unofficial visits postponed and many recruiting tournaments/showcases postponed or canceled, coaches have moved online. Coaches are heavily relying on digital recruiting networks to discover and evaluate recruits during the NCAA’s new “dead period”. Student-athletes can stay on top of their recruiting by keeping a strong digital presence and reaching out to coaches via phone, emails, texts and DMs.

High school class of 2022 & 2023

It’s still early in the recruiting process for freshman and sophomores, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t impacted by the NCAA changes. The biggest impact to these classes will be the postponement or cancelation of tournaments, showcases and camps. Since college coaches in most sports aren’t able to contact recruits until after June 15 of their sophomore year, underclassman should continue to focus their efforts on creating a recruiting profile and highlight video, building a list of prospective schools and sending introductory emails to college coaches.

To learn how these NCAA changes may impacts athletic scholarships, as well as spring, fall and winter sports specifically, visit NCSA’s blog.