Sports Recruitment
Erin Smith ‘21 Social Media Manager
College sports recruitment is a long and difficult process, but it is even tougher this year due to COVID-19. Many sports tournaments are being cancelled or limited due to COVID-19, which means less time for athletes to be seen by scouts. Kaitlynne Streets, a sophomore softball player at Howard, says, “As a whole there were a lot less coaches [at tournaments] than usual. Having less coaches makes it a lot harder because you are not exposed to as many programs.” There are also very strict rules that Division 1 college coaches have to follow for recruitment, which makes it harder for students to be in touch with these coaches. Erin Gorschboth, a junior softball player at Howard, shares, “Many schools, including all D1’s, are not allowed to come out [to tournaments], and other schools can decide not to because of the virus.” This lack of exposure at tournaments makes it very hard for athletes to be seen playing in person by coaches of schools they are interested in. College sports camps and campus tours are also occurring less frequently, making it difficult for students to find and visit a school they like. Gorschboth says, “Many camps have been cancelled, which is usually the best way to be seen by specific schools and coaches.”
The Howard County winter sports high school season just recently got cancelled, which takes away a lot of practices and games that would have prepared athletes for their travel seasons. This means athletes are having to do a lot more work on their own in order to prepare for college recruitment. It is also more important than ever that athletes have a skills video to send to colleges, because otherwise coaches may never have the ability to see players.
In order to be seen by coaches, you should email them or get a professional recruitment video. Reaching out to coaches is very important because they may not come to you. Not only is it more difficult for athletes to get exposure during the pandemic, there are a lot of unknowns for college sports in upcoming years. Streets shares, “Whenever I go to camps or anything, [coaches] are always saying how it’s so hard because they don’t know if their players are going to come back for their extra year of eligibility.” Unknown factors like these make it very hard for players to know what kind of situation they may be going into in college. Another huge unknown is whether sports seasons will occur next year or be cancelled again. Gorschboth says, “I also realized I don’t want to go to a school that does not have my first choice major just to play softball because if the season were cancelled I would not be getting the education I want.” Overall, recruiting is very different and difficult during the pandemic.
The Howard County winter sports high school season just recently got cancelled, which takes away a lot of practices and games that would have prepared athletes for their travel seasons. This means athletes are having to do a lot more work on their own in order to prepare for college recruitment. It is also more important than ever that athletes have a skills video to send to colleges, because otherwise coaches may never have the ability to see players.
In order to be seen by coaches, you should email them or get a professional recruitment video. Reaching out to coaches is very important because they may not come to you. Not only is it more difficult for athletes to get exposure during the pandemic, there are a lot of unknowns for college sports in upcoming years. Streets shares, “Whenever I go to camps or anything, [coaches] are always saying how it’s so hard because they don’t know if their players are going to come back for their extra year of eligibility.” Unknown factors like these make it very hard for players to know what kind of situation they may be going into in college. Another huge unknown is whether sports seasons will occur next year or be cancelled again. Gorschboth says, “I also realized I don’t want to go to a school that does not have my first choice major just to play softball because if the season were cancelled I would not be getting the education I want.” Overall, recruiting is very different and difficult during the pandemic.