As you may have already read in our previous blog, September 1st marks an important date surrounding communication between prospective student-athletes and college coaches at the NCAA Division I level. This is when prospective student-athletes and college coaches can start to engage in more serious conversations regarding recruiting in the following sports:
- Baseball
- Softball
- Football
- Women’s Basketball
- Men’s Lacrosse
- Women’s Lacrosse
If you are in the high school graduating class of 2023, this information is extremely important!
Check out our webinar below where we talk about the importance of September 1st, who is affected by the date, what you should be doing now, what to expect, and how SportsRecruits can help!
WATCH OUR WEBINAR: The Importance of September 1st
What do I do once we are past September 1st?
If you hear from NCAA DI college coaches once September 1st passes, make sure you are emailing back in a timely manner and remaining responsive even if that school might not be at the top of your list. Do not shut the door on any programs until you are 100% certain that you are going in a different direction.
If you do not hear from any DI coaches in the first few weeks after September 1st, do not panic! COVID-19 heavily affected the recruiting timeline for the class of 2022, limiting in-person evaluations with a recruiting dead period for over a year. A lot of college programs decided to utilize this summer to focus on completing their class of 2022, where the focus on 2023 athletes is starting once we get to September 1st.
Here are five tips to consider once we get past September 1st.
- If you have not introduced yourself to any coaches yet, start off by putting together a list of programs you would like to contact, to let them know you are interested. We typically recommend that you have anywhere from 20-30 schools on this list, making sure you have a wide variety of schools. Have some schools that you consider a reach, a fit, and safety options both athletically and academically.
- If you have been proactive in your outreach to college coaches, now is a good time to check back in with the schools on your list to see where they are in their process of recruitingt the class of 2023. Find out if they are still looking for your position to determine if that school will stay on your list or not. If you feel that they are interested, try to set up a phone call to learn more about their program.
- Make sure your most up-to-date video is available for coaches to view. SportsRecruits makes it easy to have your full video library available for coaches looking to evaluate you.
- Find opportunities to compete in front of the programs you are interested in. If you are unable to find a prospect day they are hosting, or an event the coaches are attending, go to the admissions website to look for campus tour opportunities.
- If you don’t receive a lot of positive feedback from Division I coaches over the next few months, consider expanding your list of schools. Finding opportunities at the DII, DIII, NAIA or Juco level may not be what you originally were looking for, but this is a good time to re-evaluate what level is the best fit for you athletically. Check in with your current athletic advocates (i.e. club coach, high school coach, trainer, etc.) to ask for their feedback.
As always, continue to be proactive, put the work in, and make sure your SportsRecruits profile is up to date.
Want to stay up to date on all things recruiting? Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!
Mike Babich is one of the Insights Analyst at SportsRecruits. Mike has experience in collegiate athletics as a former football student-athlete at Mount Ida College, as well as a Graduate Assistant and Assistant Football Coach at Long Island University. He also served in the role of an Admissions Counselor for two years at Molloy College in Rockville Centre, New York. He has a passion for helping student-athletes better navigate and understand the recruiting process.
