Are You REALLY a D1 Prospect?

Ask any talented high school prospect whether or not they think they're a D1 caliber athlete, and they'll probably answer with a very confident, "Of course!" Athletes that are top in their sport in their league or region automatically assume that they're Division I material.

Maybe you feel that way. Maybe your parents do, too.

How can you tell if you're really a D1 prospect? There are a couple of very clear signs:

• If you're going into your senior year in high school, the beginning of July is a banner time of the year. Its when Division I college coaches can start "officially" calling you and talking to you about scholarship possibilities. Calls from college coaches during this time period are a clear indicator that you are being recruited as a D1 athlete. What if you don't get calls during the beginning of July? That's a clear sign, too. It should tell you that you aren't being looked at seriously as a D1 scholarship candidate.
• If you're getting encouragement to take an official visit to the D1 campus, that's a good sign that you're being seriously recruited as a top athlete.
• If you're a high school football prospect, contact during May by a D1 college coach or program by personal "bump in" visit, phone, or text message is a good sign that you're on their radar. If you didn't get contact in May, that is a definite red flag that should indicate that you are currently being overlooked by college coaches.
• Serious D1 prospects that are heading into their senior year would have at least been receiving letters from college coaches as a junior. If you've received letters, make sure you're replying to their profile questions that are included. If you aren't receiving letters, this is a clear sign that you are not being recruited...and, you probably won't be recruited as a senior. It's rare that college coaches "discover" hidden Senior talent that is good enough to knock out all of the other prospects that they have information about already.

D1 athletic prospects are hearing from college coaches earlier and earlier in some way. If you're a CSA Prepstar client, make sure you stay in touch with your D1 colleges that we've put you in touch with so far. If there is a particular school that you're interested in hearing from, talk to your CSA Prepstar Area Scout right away so that he can arrange for your information to get to that coach. We don't want to leave any stone unturned for you.

If you are not a CSA Prepstar client, you should start right away in contacting as many college coaches as possible. Its vital that you get your name in front of the right coaches within a program, and do it as soon as possible. Or, look into having CSA Prepstar do that work for you by becoming a client. If you have questions about this process, or about determining whether or not you are a serious D1 candidate, e-mail me at dtudor@csaprepstar.com.