The college recruiting process can get complicated and confusing to keep track of. It takes time and effort to know the latest recruiting rules, dates and deadlines. Signing Day Sports is here to help student-athletes along the way and help families understand all the information they will need throughout this process. 

Here are five common recruiting myths that families and athletes should keep in mind throughout their recruiting journey.  

Myth: College coaches will find you if you are really good.

Unless you’re a five-star athlete, gaining national attention, the chances are slim that college coaches will line up to recruit you. Only 7% of high school athletes get the opportunity to play college sports. On top of that, college coaches are already busy as is, traveling with their team and coaching their team throughout the season. The vast majority of high school athletes will need to put in the effort to get recruited. This starts by creating a free SDS profile, uploading videos, verified measurements and reaching out to college coaches through the platform. 

Myth: Your coach will take care of college recruiting for you.

Your coach is there to help you and they can’t take care of the whole recruiting process for you. Athletes and their families should stay proactive in their recruiting process to ensure they will find the right academic and athletic fit. Coaches are there to assist you and give advice. They are not there to take care of the process for you. The bottom line is the only person in charge of your recruiting success is you. 

Myth: Your recruiting process starts your junior or senior year of high school.

If you’re serious about playing college sports, your recruiting process should start long before your junior or senior year of high school. Your recruiting process should start your freshman year of high school. It’s important to stay on track with the recruiting checklist to be successful in your recruitment. College coaches continue to start recruiting earlier each year. Most Division I colleges have offered scholarships by the end of their sophomore year of high school. Additionally, recruits should not wait until the offseason to actively look to be recruited. The recruitment process is a yearlong process, and you need to continue to update your SDS profile throughout the year to be successful.

Myth: If you don’t get an offer, you can just walk on.

Whether you are a preferred walk on or an unrecruited walk on, it is still a difficult task to get on a college roster by walking on. The truth is that most walk-on spots are reserved for recruits that were previously invited to try out during the recruitment process. It is also important to remember college rosters are usually full at this point and there aren’t scholarships to be handed out. However, there are other scholarship options out there to look into.

Myth: Division I scholarships are always full rides.

Division I scholarships are not always full rides. Only six sports are head count sports which means every awarded scholarship is full. These sports include women’s basketball, men’s basketball, FBS football, women’s volleyball and women’s gymnastics. All other sports fall under the equivalency sports category. This means each team has an amount of scholarship money to split up amongst the players on their roster. Full rides are out there but they are not a guarantee. Remember there are other financial options out there besides athletic and academic scholarships.

These are just a few of the recruiting myths that are out there. Don’t let these myths detour you and continue to update your profile and reach out to coaches.