High school athletes try to get colleges’ notice during pandemic

With the COVID-19 pandemic shadowing doubt on high school athletes and their prospects of being recruited, some athletes have found ways to get noticed by colleges. 

“Though COVID-19 was a pain, it did give me the opportunity to play at a higher level,” said John Essig. “It gave me the chance to be a late bloomer and still have roster spots available.”

Essig, who plays baseball at St. Mary’s Preparatory in Orchard Lake, Michigan, is one of several high school athletes finding new ways of getting noticed by college coaches. 

Online Recruitment

Hudson Davenport, a junior baseball player at Richmond High School and Eastern Michigan University recruit, said “I started getting recruited by college the summer of my sophomore year, and getting recruited during COVID-19 was definitely a change because coaches couldn’t come out to games. But sharing videos on social media definitely helped out a lot since that was the only way college coaches could see us.”

Jacob Howard said, “We were like, ‘with everyone being at home right now during the pandemic, that coaches have a lot of time to review stuff,’ and that was the perfect opportunity for us to reach out and introduce ourselves and make new connections. Without playing games, that was the only way we could.”

This is Ryan McKay’s highlight video:

Seasons lost

However, some athletes see the pandemic as a special challenge with the loss of whole seasons in 2020 and the cancellation of summer leagues.

“Everyone was in about the same situation that they didn’t have all the summer league stuff,” said Howard, a senior basketball player at Holt High School. “A lot of it was trying to find more from workouts. A lot of it is who you know and who can vouch for you.”

Howard, who is committed to Elevation Prep in Fort Wayne, Indiana, attributes the pandemic with forcing other athletes to find ways to not only generate their recruiting stock, but to stay in shape and work on their skills.

“We didn’t start playing until early February, but the season starts months before that with preparing for the season and doing all your summer workouts,” said Howard. “The schools  all being closed over the summer really pushed us back. But, us as a team, we found ways around that just by going outside and playing at the parks or getting into the gyms we could.”

College Holdovers

High school students have another problem: colleges are giving some of their players an extra year of eligibility. 

Howard said, “That is hurting because not as many colleges are having open roster spots.”

Essig said, “Lots of colleges are slammed with players because of COVID-19 years, so it cut down on the number of 2021 recruits that colleges would bring in.” 

The importance of relationships

Athletes also say they were unable to foster the relationships needed between coaches and players. 

“Building relationships is a big part of the recruitment process,” said Howard. “Even with a lot more stuff happening over live streams, watching games on live streams, and talking to guys over the phone, you don’t get to build those relationships.”

Essig, who committed to Ashland University said, “It was weird for the first bit, though, because coaches were not allowed to come to games, so it was a lot riding on a showcase versus them seeing you in a game. Visits were also weird because for Division 1 schools, I was never allowed to come on campus which is a big reason why I chose a Division 2 school. It was hard to make a decision like that and not be able to talk face to face with coaches.” 

Even with the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, athletes said the pandemic has given them opportunities to better themselves for the future.

“The COVID-19 pandemic was honestly the best thing that ever happened to me,” said McKay. “It made a huge impact on the physical side for me and that made colleges like me more.”