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The following article is sponsored by National Scouting Report. Visit NSR’s web site at http://www.nsr-inc.com/
RECRUITING BLOG: PANIC TIME FOR HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR ATHLETES?
By Gary Silvers
It’s taken 12 years to get here.
Ten thousand hours of classes. Thousands of hours of homework. Hundreds of hours of exams. Last, but certainly not least, countless hours of workouts, practices and games.
Welcome to senior year!
For some high school athletes, senior year will be the most memorable of their lives -- college scholarship offers, verbal commitments, official signings and graduation.
For most athletes, however, senior year could be the most stressful, especially if they haven’t been recruited, have no scholarship offers and have no idea whether their athletic careers will be coming to an end.
Is it panic time yet?
It depends on the sport, the college program and the level of competition, according to national recruiting directors at National Scouting Report (NSR), the nation’s oldest and largest college recruiting organization.
Football
“If Division I football coaches are not in real conversations with you at this point, then you are probably not on their radar,” said Larry Perrin, National Director of Football for NSR. “Most D-Is have determined the athletes they are after by now and are just concentrating on making sure those relationships are solid. Many larger D-I schools already have their offers out and are waiting on commitments and National Signing Day.”
What about smaller schools?
“Many D-II schools are just now sending out game-day invitations and getting a feel for the athletes that are still available,” Perrin said. “D-III and NAIA schools will see what is left after the commitments and Signing Day. Much of their recruiting happens later in the spring.”
Soccer
“Soccer is a little atypical when it comes to scholarship counts and availability,” said Gil Barkey, National Director of Soccer for NSR. “On the girls side, I am seeing more and more D-IIs letting me know they are done with the 2016 class. It's probably on par with what you see from volleyball. There are still some D-Is and D-IIs looking to fill a few spots, so there is opportunity.
“For boys it differs from the girls in that, although there are more spots available right now, the men's coaches spend more time tracking players over longer periods of time. Getting on a [recruiting] board now for the first time as a 2016 [prospect] is difficult, but not impossible.”
What can seniors do?
“Seniors need to be very realistic with their ability,” Barkey said. “If they haven't been hearing from their dream schools, then they need to look at other options and at other tiers of play.
“On the boys side, there is still budgeted scholarship money available for certain positional needs of the recruiting class at D-I, D-II and NAIA. Some NAIAs will still have slots available with money into April or May.
“On the girls side, it varies from program to program and by level. There isn't going to be as much left at D-I and D-II, but the NAIAs will have some up to February/March. “
Lacrosse
“It’s kind of hard to exactly say how many spots are left, but there are some,” said Brendan Kennedy, National Director of Lacrosse for NSR. “D-Is have some walk-on opportunities where staffs are evaluating walk-on spots. There are some D-IIs and D-IIIs still looking for 2016 [prospects], but just as many are all done.
“The thing for 2016 [prospects] to do is be as aggressive as possible in reaching out to coaches now. Most of these staffs have prospect camps going on now or in early October. This may be their last chance to be seen by most of these coaches.”
Cross Country/Track
“Cross country and track are a little unique in that recruiting for 2016 [prospects] is ongoing and will be fluid for the next few months,” said Andrew Novelli, National Director of Cross Country/Track and Field for NSR. “Scholarships are currently being decided and many of those top kids will sign in November. For those kids early on in the process, it's all about communication with the college coaches and getting their times/marks in front of them.”
Softball
“The proverbial ‘It’s never too late to be recruited’ does ring true to an extent, but it also comes down to several factors involved with the individual recruit,” said Robby Wilson, National Director of Softball for NSR. “When there’s 1,600-plus college softball programs out there, it’s impossible for an athlete to know which ones do or don’t still have a need for a 2016 [prospect] and whether their 2016 need matches this particular athlete.
“Every day counts right now if you’re a 2016 [prospect]. Now is the time to readjust your sights on a more realistic level of play.”
Wilson estimates that 33 percent of college softball programs are still looking for 2016 prospects. However, most of those are at the D-III or NAIA level.
“Understand that the bigger the college softball program, the less likely they are to have a need for a 2016,” Wilson said. “Your dreams of going to a top-10 SEC program are likely gone, but there are numerous great programs out there that still have a need that would love to have you.
“College ball is college ball, regardless of division or location. If you want to play bad enough, you’ll be thankful for the opportunity, period.”
National Scouting Report, the nation’s oldest and largest high school scouting and college recruiting organization, helps qualified high school prospects (freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors) connect with college coaches. Southeastern PA prospects who want to be scouted and interviewed for college coaches should contact NSR Area Director Gary Silvers at (215) 480-8764 or gsilvers@nsr-inc.com. More than 95 percent of NSR’s qualified prospects receive multiple scholarship offers.