D1-itis…The Dreaded Recruiting Disease

There is a very real disease in the recruiting world. Over the years, hundreds and thousands of high school athletes have become ill with this dreaded disease. Unfortunately, in many cases, the athlete’s recruiting suffers and DIES from this awful sickness. It is D1-itis!

D1-itis starts when a high school athlete’s parents begin talking about “how good” their son or daughter is at their sport. The symptoms worsen when a high school coach or travel/club coach tells the parents something positive about their child to make them feel good about the decision to play on that team. Most of the time the coach’s intentions were good and had no malicious purpose. The coach was probably just trying to satisfy the parents.

The dreaded disease continues its destruction when the athlete believes that their abilities are much better than they really are. Typically, the athlete begins to talk about “where I will play in college, ” and the pressure starts to build. Often time they put this pressure on themselves. Many times, D1-itis reaches its peak when the parents and the athlete lose touch with their real athletic abilities, size, speed, academics and other items measured by the college coaches. As a result, the athlete and the family are now BLIND!  They can no longer realistically see where the athlete fits in the recruiting process. Unfortunately, The those who are sick with D1-itis are often the LAST ones to know!

In addition, the toughest part about the D1-itis is what comes at the end of the recruiting process for the athlete. If the D1-itis isn’t caught early enough or prevented, the athlete’s recruiting dies. The college coaches can spot the disease from a mile away, and they DO NOT want to be a part of the kid’s process. The D1-itis kills the athletes recruiting dreams. The college coaches are looking for athletes that understand their skill-sets and their abilities. A major D1 coach once said,

“I wish every athlete could sit down with a real scout like you at NSR. This would help the athletes, and the parents better understand where they fit in the recruiting process. They need to be better educated and which would allow me to find the kids that can really play for us at our D1 level.”

Only 1% of high school athletes will get the opportunity to play their sport at the NCAA Division 1 level. ONLY 1%. NSR has former athletes playing at the highest collegiate and professional levels in the country. However, it takes an exceptional athlete to receive those honors. NCAA D2 and D3 programs are outstanding options for athletes wanting to pursue their dream. Since only 1% of high school athletes make it to the D1 level, NAIA and JUCO options are also excellent opportunities for aspiring athletes. Therefore, parents and athletes who want to play college athletics and receive scholarships need to have a scout evaluate them. Do not be someone who catches D1-itis and misses the ONE opportunity you have to get recruited. An NSR scout can provide that real evaluation needed to know the RIGHT fit.