The NCAA has regulations regarding how much contact student athletes and college coaches should have before they get to their senior year of high school. This contact is restricted in response to times past where colleges were going all out and getting young athletes to add to their rosters. It is important for families to understand however, that even without this contact their child is still being recruited. Coaches continue to watch their child’s performance albeit silently.

The regulations are good theoretically. However, there is a particular tier of athletes who continue to be recruited early. If we imagine that the practice will stop on its own or because of the said regulations, we are lying to ourselves. What student athletes and their parents need to understand is that these practices still continue but only for a particular tier of athletes.

For this reason, it is important for the student and his or her parents to understand clearly just how much the student is being recruited in order to help them set expectations that are realistic regarding the recruitment process. However, if your child is not getting any attention in their younger years, it is not to say that he or she is automatically disqualified from playing for a college team in the future.

When it comes to setting realistic expectations and helping your child along so as to give him or her the best advantage when it comes to playing college sports, you will need to answer a couple of questions:

  1. Is recruiting at such a young age worth it?
  2. What is the value of extracurricular activities when it comes to the pursuit of your child’s athletic interests?

You want to make sure that you take the right course of action from the very start and engage your child in that which adds value.