Many students hope to play sports in college for a variety of reasons, but as COVID-19 has caused a nationwide shutdown, the process of college recruitment has been forced to change. Some people simply love a sport and want to continue it, while others rely on their athleticism to help them get scholarships. Regardless of the reason, many people plan to play and get recruited for college sports, a process that has been interrupted by the pandemic. Recruiting has been adjusted so that students can continue to get recruited for college sports and earn scholarships.
Changes have been made to the recruitment process to accommodate those who may have missed opportunities. The National College Athletic Association has suspended in-person recruiting for division one and division two sports through May 31st as of right now. Additionally, the signing period has been changed to a later date. The NCAA will also be allowing students an extra year of recruitment for spring sports. This means that people whose last opportunity to get recruited would have been this year will be eligible for recruitment next year as well.
While there will be no in-person recruiting, coaches and athletes can still be in contact with one another. Organizations like Next College Student Athlete make this easier. Student-athletes can become members and make a profile with their statistics and information, such as their school and coaches. This profile can then be viewed by college coaches and recruiters. Many people use programs like this while in-person recruiting is still going on, but now this is one of the few ways that students can still be recruited.
The crisis will likely affect some sports more than others. In some sports, recruiting is done with a heavy focus on seeing people perform in person and attending games. However, other sports tend to look primarily at statistics. This will make highlight videos very important for athletes who hope to be recruited.
The disruption of the recruitment process may have an impact on college sports teams in the future; only time will tell. Without being able to attend games or meet people, recruiters could end up failing to discover talented athletes that would make great additions to their sports teams. Due to the recruiting process becoming completely digital, athletes who hope to play college sports will have to make more of an effort to make themselves known to coaches.
Read More
The Comeback of the Philly Curse- The Philadelphia 76ers and their Injuries
By Lily Kades | Apr. 10A quick recap of the 76ers season thus far.
What's Next for Athletes in COVID?
By Zion Brooks | Mar. 23, 2021Not being able to be in school has serious implications for student athletes. Their junior and senior year is crucial for scholarships and college recruitment. These trying times are forcing student-athletes to advocate for their future like never before, from practicing alone to venturing out to other teams. These students are working harder than ever to make their life long dreams a reality.
Flyers Recap
By Jay Khurana | Mar. 6, 2021The Philadelphia Flyers are back in town and ready to rumble. The Flyers have built up a lot of expectations this season and last. Here’s a recap of the Flyers first ten games, which have landed them at 7-2-1 (15 points) and atop the Eastern Division.