Don’t Be “Realistic” In Your Recruitment
Hopefully this does not come as a surprise to you, but pretty much every recruit out there dreams of earning a Division I scholarship.
But, the reality of the situation is that only a tiny fraction of high school athletes go on to play at that level.
Instead of other people out there who tell you to “be realistic” and discourage you from working towards your dream, I would encourage you to change the lens through which you view the college recruiting process.
I would say that one of the best things you can do for yourself is to focus on finding schools that you might truly be successful playing for.
Like I said, I do not want to discourage anyone who has dreams of becoming a Division I athlete. If you truly want to play at that level, do it!
If you do not earn a scholarship out of high school then just walk-on or go the junior college route.
All sorts of people decide to pursue the D-I dream and it works out very well for them (including me). I just want to make sure that you understand what you are up against and the uphill battle you are going to face.
*I want to clarify a definition here. When I refer to “walking-on”, I am talking about Preferred Walk-Ons. A preferred walk-on is someone who has been recruited by a school and is invited by a coaching staff to join the team.
A regular walk-on is someone who was not recruited by a coaching staff and tries to join a team once they are already on campus. As a preferred walk-on, a coaching staff usually helps you through the admissions process and has a spot waiting for you once you are on campus.
There are tons of kids out there who are just on the borderline between Division I and II caliber. They have to choose between walking-on at a Division I school, going to a Junior College, and accepting a scholarship to a lower division school. That decision is incredibly stressful and tough to make.
The hardest part is that every recruiting situation is different so I cannot give any universal advice that will lead you in any specific direction. All I can say is that you need to be open-minded about all of your options and follow your heart.
I almost walked-on at a couple of Division I schools and almost committed to a D-III school.
The last thing I wanted to do coming out of high school was go to a junior college, but in my heart it felt right. It ended up being the best decision I ever made, and I ended up at my dream school playing Division I football on a full scholarship.
You never know where your path will lead you, so just work your absolute hardest and follow your heart. Be honest with yourself about the feedback you are getting from college coaches, be honest with yourself about the options in front of you, and be honest about yourself about where you will be most successful as a student, athlete, and person. If you are truly honest with yourself, the right choice will become clear.
To learn more about the college athletics recruiting process, visit us at signingdayscience.com.
Your friend in the college athletics recruiting process,
Augie Heath
Founder
Signing Day Science
