What's the first step to kick off your college recruiting process?

I'm just starting to explore colleges and the whole recruiting thing seems pretty overwhelming. What's the best way to begin? Should I be contacting coaches directly, or is there another recommended approach?

The first step to kick off your college recruiting process is to understand the NCAA eligibility requirements if you're hoping to participate in a varsity sport at a Division I or II school. It’s essential to ensure that you meet academic and amateurism standards set by the NCAA. Once you have a clear understanding of those, you are in a better position to start your recruiting journey.

Next, perform an honest self-evaluation of your abilities. This will help you when you start looking at colleges and their athletic programs. However, getting a third-party evaluation (like your coach) can offer a broader perspective of where you might fit in terms of college athletics.

After you’ve done your self-evaluation and are clear with your ambitions, you should start researching colleges that seem to be a good fit, not just in athletic terms, but also academically and culturally. Look at the programs they offer, the size of the school, location, and their level of competitiveness in your sport.

Once you have a list of potential schools, make an athletic resume which will contain information about you, your academic achievements, your athletic achievements, any relevant statistics, and a reference from a current coach. Having a highlight reel of some of your best performances can also be very helpful, especially if you can put it online for easy access.

You can then reach out to the coaches at the colleges where you’re interested in playing. Send them a well-crafted email introducing yourself, your interest in their program, and why you think you’d be a good fit. Include the athletic resume and the link to your highlight reel in the email.

Remember that being proactive and initiating contact with the coaches shows your interest and enthusiasm. Coaches deal with hundreds of students, so it's on you to take the first step and to continue the communication while remaining patient. It's also important to ensure you follow the NCAA rules for communication with coaches, as reaching out too early or in the wrong way could risk your eligibility.

Lastly, keep working hard acadically and athletically. Good grades might open up more opportunities for you, and improving your skills will always be beneficial. Good luck!

In this way, you can kick-start your college athletic recruiting process. It might seem daunting at first, but with a systematic approach, it becomes manageable.