College Lacrosse Recruiting & Scholarships

Freshman (9th Grade)

Fall

• Play in the fall if possible.  If you are a 2 or 3 sport athlete stay that way but keep a stick in your hands all year long.

Winter

• Look into playing in a winter league or attending a winter camp
• Visit a couple schools to get an idea for what you are interested in
• Think about what division of lacrosse you would like to play

Spring

• Prepare for spring season and play well
• Start thinking about what camps to attend for the summer

Note: Consider camp as a great way to see a campus and get to know coaches from different schools.

Summer

• Play in tournaments
• Attend a camp if possible

Sophomore (10th Grade)

Fall

• Try to determine what type of school you want to go to and what type of program you want to play for
• Make a list of your top 20-30 schools

Note: This list should be any school you would consider if the coach contacted you

Winter

• Look into playing in a winter league or attending a winter camp
• Start contacting coaches at your top 20-30 schools

Note: You are allowed to contact them, but they cannot contact you this year. This includes phone calls, e-mails, letters, instant messages and text messages.

Spring

• Try and attend some college lacrosse games (preferably at your top schools)
• Continue to modify your top 20-30 schools list and email coaches of any additions
• Start thinking about what camps to attend for the summer
  
  

Note: Consider camp as a great way to see a campus and get to know coaches from different schools.

Summer

• Send coaches at your top 20-30 schools an email with your camp and summer tournament schedule
  

Note: Make sure to include your club team information, jersey number, and position. Send coaches at your top 20-30 schools a reminder email 1- 2 weeks before every tournament or recruiting camp you are attending

Note: Make sure to include your club team information, jersey number, and position again. You do not need to send a game schedule.

• Play in tournaments
• Attend a camp if possible
• Get video of you playing made.  Note: Most coaches don’t want to just see highlights.
• Make sure to include live game footage so they can see how effective you are in a given amount of time.

Junior (11th Grade)

Fall

• September is the first month college coaches can mail to you and initiate e-mail contact with you
• Respond to coaches immediately

Note: Most colleges will send out questionnaires. Fill these out appropriately and send back immediately. It does not hurt to send an email to each school saying you have put the questionnaire in the mail and are very interested.

• Email the coaches of your top 20-30 schools with your fall tournament schedule
• Make sure to play in some fall tournaments
• Get a solid list together of your top 10 schools

Winter

• Look into playing in a winter league or attending a winter camp
• Sign up for the early Spring SAT or ACT testing dates
• Keep coaches of your top schools up to date on anything new and on your upcoming season

Note: Make sure you show interest in the season of the schools you are interested in when you correspond with them.

Spring

• Try and attend some college lacrosse games (preferably at your top schools)
• Continue to modify your top 10 and top 20-30 schools list and email coaches of any additions
• Take SAT
  Note: Make sure that you indicate the NCAA Clearinghouse number (9999) as a place to send your scores.

• Start thinking about what camps to attend for the summer
  Note: Sign up for a camp or camps that is either at a school that you like or has coaches from schools that you like.

• Email coaches about your high school season and with your msummer tournament and camp schedule
  Note: Make sure to include your club team information, jersey number, and position again. You do not need to send a game schedule.

Summer

• Send coaches at your top 20-30 schools an email with your camp and summer tournament schedule
  Note: Make sure to include your club team information, jersey number and position.
• Send coaches at your top 20-30 schools a reminder email 1-2 weeks before every tournament or recruiting camp you are attending
  Note: Make sure to include your club team information, jersey number and position again. You do not need to send a game schedule.
• Send coaches your most recent telephone numbers so they can contact you come July 1
• Send coaches a complete high school transcript from grades 9-11
• Register for the NCAA Clearinghouse after your junior year
• Retake SAT and ACT tests as needed to improve your scores
• Play in tournaments
• Attend camps where coaches you want to play for will be
• Visit schools and arrange to meet coaches if possible while you are on campus
• Get video of you playing made if you have not already and send out to at least your top 10 schools
• July 1 is the first time coaches are allowed to call you. The process starts on this day, but goes until at least September
  Note: Coaches will begin to extend scholarship offers at this point and will continue to extend offers throughout the year on an individual basis with each recruit. If you do not get offered one in July, it does not necessarily mean coaches are not interested.
• If possible, you should take unofficial visits to all the schools in which you have an interest by the end of the summer
  Note: You are allowed to take unlimited unofficial visits
• Begin planning official visits if they offered to you
  Note: You are only allowed to take FIVE official visits and visits taken for other sports count towards your five total allowed visits.
• Keep an open phone line and communicate with college coaches at least once a week and you can also send an update email

Senior (12th Grade)

Fall

• Take your official visits and compare schools
• In October, the majority of schools have selected and received 90 percent of their class by this month
• In November, the NLI (National Letter of Intent) signing date is early in this month. If you have chosen a school and will be receiving scholarship money, you will get an application from your school and signing papers from the NLI in early November
  Note: When you sign, you agree to attend that institution for at least one academic year. If you fail to do so, you will lose two years eligibility and must sit out for two years at another college. The only exception is if you obtain a Qualified Release Agreement, in which case you must complete one year of residence there and lose one year of eligibility. These rules apply only to those institutions that participate in the NLI.
• If you do not sign early, continue to email coaches and update them with your fall/winter schedule of tournaments you are attending
• Pick your #1 school and apply early
• Take the SAT at least once

Winter

• Continue to contact and update coaches

Spring

• Do not let your grades slip
• Remain focused for the upcoming season

Summer

• Play
• Get ready for college!!