Many players and parents believe that a college coach will be the one to make the first contact if they are interested in you as a recruit. This is not always the case, as lacrosse coaches don't have the same recruiting budget as football and basketball coaches. College lacrosse coaches do attend summer tournaments and showcases to find potential recruits but also, many of them will look at online recruiting sites (such as NCSA, Field Level and Sports Recruits). I'm not suggesting using one of these sites over another or even using a site at all. A lot of communication can be done via email or even a phone call. Division 1 and 2 coaches can not contact a recruit before September 1 of their Junior season. They can send recruits information on camps and clinics. NAIA coaches can talk to athletes at any time. They can also extend a scholarship offer to a potential recruit at any time.

 

The most important thing parents can do to help their athlete be successful in the recruiting process is to get plenty of video. Video will give a coach an idea of the kind of skill-set a player has and will help the coach get an idea if that player might be a good fit for their program. 

​

While you may not have any idea of where you may want to play, it's always a good idea to start looking at schools that you might have interest in. There are many factors that will help a student athlete find the right fit for them.  Things like majors, location, distance from home and GPA requirements are some reasons why a student may have interest in a particular university. Most people with any knowledge of recruiting will tell you to not pick a school based on lacrosse or a coach. While those should be considered, you should take in to consideration that if the coach leaves or if you weren't playing lacrosse, could you still see yourself at that school?

 

Look at all levels. A lot of parents and athletes have D1 blinders. Meaning that they focus a lot of time on Division 1 schools. Lacrosse is a an equivalency sport, meaning that D1 schools have the equivalent of 12 full scholarships available to spread out to fill a roster. (D2 is 9.9) This means that your best offers could potentially come from the NAIA or D3. Division 3 scholarships come in the form of academic scholarships so making sure your grades are good is just as important as your ability on the field. 

​

Last year, Castle High School had 10 student athletes (6 girls and 4 boys) sign to play lacrosse in college. The total of the scholarships received was over $850,000. 

 

The recruiting process can be stressful but can also be a great experience and can help a family off-set some of the costs of college. If you have questions about recruiting, please feel free to reach out to me. 

​

TJ Craig 
Past Castle Girls Lacrosse President

​

​