Recruited Athlete Timeline

USMA2026Cadet

USMA '26
5-Year Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2019
Messages
263
Hello forums community,

I was wondering if anyone knew a broad timeline for potential recruited athletes? This being in the sense of when a student should fill out the questionnaire for their sport and contact the coaching team, as well as the general time-frame for when recruited athletes are made... recruited athletes? (aka appointment).
 
What sport?
For many team sports the recruiting process starts very early. Think 8th grade. Team sport recruiting can be a really strange world. Reach out to your current coaches. Understand that for some sports such as soccer if you don’t play for a competitive club team that participated in college showcase tournaments your chances of being recruited are very slim.
Some people on this board will recommend just reaching out to the college coach, but be advised that unless you are a top tier recruit you may not hear back from just an email. Coaches are inundated with emails.
If you’re talking a more individual sport such as track or swimming different beast. Your times will have a major impact on your ability to get recruited.
 
What sport?
For many team sports the recruiting process starts very early. Think 8th grade. Team sport recruiting can be a really strange world. Reach out to your current coaches. Understand that for some sports such as soccer if you don’t play for a competitive club team that participated in college showcase tournaments your chances of being recruited are very slim.
Some people on this board will recommend just reaching out to the college coach, but be advised that unless you are a top tier recruit you may not hear back from just an email. Coaches are inundated with emails.
If you’re talking a more individual sport such as track or swimming different beast. Your times will have a major impact on your ability to get recruited.

Yeah, swimming is actually the sport I’m taking about. Since it’s all about times, I’m sure that they won’t start looking at kids from the eighth grade, as times improve as you get older, more experienced, and stronger (also working on technique).
 
You are correct. You'd know if you were a decent candidate for becoming a recruited athlete because other D1 schools would probably already be following you around, recruiting you.
 
Recruiting is a very fickle process. In an individual sport, you know if you have an opportunity to compete at the next level. The stop watch is completely objective. I have also gone through the process twice in the last few years with an athlete who was not recruited but has competed at two different Division I schools. Early in the process, the coaches are all looking for 5 star recruits. As the year progress, the big board shifts to who is still available. You need to be honest with yourself about your abilities and where you potentially have a chance to compete. All results are now on line and you can see the times you need to be competitive. If your times are on par of the current athletes at USMA, you should reach out to the coaches.
 
Yeah, swimming is actually the sport I’m taking about. Since it’s all about times, I’m sure that they won’t start looking at kids from the eighth grade, as times improve as you get older, more experienced, and stronger (also working on technique).
Ok. Different beast.
As pointed out you should have a pretty good idea if your times are competitive. In this case I would reach out to the coach to let him/her know you’re interested but make sure you put your times either in the subject or the first line. Also have your club coach and/or high school coach (if applicable) reach out to the USMA coach if you are interested.
Also consider attending a summer swim camp. It would give you a chance to visit the campus, get exposure, and possibly interact with the coach.
 
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