When Should You Start the Recruiting Process? A Timeline by Sport

Recruiting timing depends on sport, division, and your target level. Starting early gives you more options and more control.

This guide gives a practical timeline you can follow.

Freshman Year

Best focus:

• Build fundamentals
• Film games when possible
• Track academics
• Learn what levels you realistically fit

If you have quality footage, you can start building a first highlight video.

Sophomore Year

Great time to:

• Create a real highlight video
• Begin outreach to smaller programs
• Attend camps if targeted

Some sports start earlier, especially soccer and lacrosse.

Junior Year

This is prime recruiting for many athletes.

Focus:

• Updated highlight video
• Consistent outreach
• Strong schedule sharing
• Calls and campus visits

Senior Year

Still possible to get recruited, especially for:

• D3 programs
• late needs
• transfers and roster changes

Differences by Sport

General tendencies:

• Soccer and lacrosse: often earlier recruiting
• Baseball: evaluation can extend later
• Football: varies heavily by position and level
• Basketball and volleyball: depends on level and exposure
• Field hockey: can recruit earlier for top programs

Final Tip

No matter the sport, the best strategy is simple:

1. Get a clean highlight video
2. Send it properly
3. Keep updating it

FieldVision Studio makes it easy to create and refresh your recruiting video each season.