What Age Does Recruiting Start?

We are proud of our ongoing efforts to inform athletes and families about the college recruiting process of which we are a part. 

A vast number of youngsters start playing lacrosse each year  (facts).. of these a certain number find a love for the sport and may stand out in skill development. For others the skill development may blossom later.  The first young team leads to another level, U10, U12... and the level of play and challenge increases.  These are critical times for young lacrosse players.  Finding good coaching which focuses on basic skill development, team play, and sportsmanship will provide a sound base for the major challenges to come.

By U13 and U14, boys are moving in more advanced club teams and Rising Freshmen scholastic teams.  Coaches expect more; games begin to become more challenging, and as surprising as it may seem, college coaches are beginning to pay attention.  So these years are the time to support your son's interest with the level of supportive coaching matching his interest.  If the interest is there, this is the time for clinics, youth programs with good coaches, developmental camps, even private lessons, and certainly encouragement for lots of casual play.  Recent changes in recruiting practices have pushed recruiting to younger and younger ages. 

By U14 and U15 (Rising Freshmen and Rising Sophomores), the top players will be identified at camps, club teams, coaches and others and it becomes significant to signal to college coaches your son's interest in colleges.  Here comes the rub:  at this age few boys are ready to understand the significant dynamics of college life that will match their interests.  This means that as parents it is incumbent on you to support college visits, attendance at college nights, online campus tours, discussions of life in the big city, small town, coed or singer gender school, large college or small, special majors or liberal arts.  Recognizing that these are likely to change it remains important to balance the glamor of the college interest with the reality of the role of college in life.

By U16 and U17 you should be well into active college recruiting mode: helping your son identify a range of colleges, reaching out to colleges, gaining a realistic appraisal of his skills, completing the standardized examinations, understanding the admissions standards of his college interests, and helping your son reach out to coaches and evaluate their responses   By this point you should be planning your son's profile, highlight video, recruiting camp attendance, continued college visits, understanding of the college recruiting process and rules and more.

We will continue to write more about these steps in future blogs.  Meanwhile if you have questions drop a note to me.