Of course there’s exceptions to every rule, and also everything I say. However here are the recruiting points I’ve learned to be true a great vast majority of the time. I’ve came to these conclusions based on my communication with hundreds of players and also the countless hours in communication with the hundreds of coaches in all divisions that I interact with daily…(NAIA is the same as NCAA for this particular discussion as they traditionally recruit similar to D2 schools.)

The basics:

• Kids getting offers before they finish sophomore year is the EXCEPTION, not the NORM. Stop comparing your timeline to the exceptions, it’s unfair to yourself.

• Academics are important in D2, basically just have to qualify in D1 to that particular schools requirements but the amount of money you receive isn’t directly related to your GPA & ACT like D2…meaning if you want to play D2, the higher your ACT & GPA the easier it will be for you to find a spot.

• No two peoples timelines are the same. Each college is looking for different things, don’t think because you aren’t committed and someone else is that you aren’t going to ever get an offer. You just didn’t fit what that other school was looking for, you’ll fit another one well.

• THE SENSATIONALIZING OF RECRUITING AND COLLECTING OF DOZENS AND DOZENS OF OFFERS JUST ISNT REALITY FOR MANY, ONLY A FEW. Most kids will get only a couple offers if they’re lucky, that is reality.

• Offers aren’t easy to come by, once you get one you had better take it seriously. The offer will expire at some point in almost all cases so make sure you don’t take it for granted and weight the possibility of losing it when waiting.

2017’s: Don’t panic, even if you don’t have an offer before school starts that doesn’t mean you won’t. Once the top end of the D2 kids commit lots of things open up. For every kid that commits there’s at least a few more schools that have to find the next kid to fill that need. There is plenty of time to get your offer and find a home. Even late in your senior season things open up. Schools have kids transfer, drop out, walk away from basketball. Late in basketball season schools are also looking to package kids with other money even after athletic money is gone. Even after graduation there are sometimes still opportunities available. I repeat don’t panic if you don’t have any offers in August, lots of shuffling and dealing left to be done. If you haven’t got a D1 offer yet then you should probably broaden your search, history shows that a very small percentage of kids get their first D1 this late in the game.
2018’s: You are in a weird position right now, D1’s can’t initiate a call until Sept 1st, D2’s can call you but aren’t really recruiting that young yet. So even though D1’s have offered and talked to some kids before they can actually call, there’s still plenty of kids that will be playing D1 that have yet to hear from a coach. Also while some D2 coaches have called some 18’s, it’s a very small percentage. Be patient and don’t be offended or discouraged because you haven’t heard from any coaches, your time will come if you are deserving. Just keep working hard and worry about your game.
2019’s: You’re too young to worry about being recruited, they will come but it shouldn’t be a primary focus for you, worry about improving your game and adding to your game.
2020’s & younger: You’re a child, enjoy life while you can. Work hard and focus on yourself while being recruited doesn’t have to be a stress for you.