ExceedVarsity

Grade by grade, freshman to senior

Recruiting Roadmap

What to do, and when, so you're not scrambling junior year. Start where you are. It's never too late to start, but earlier is easier.

How we label advice

Recruiting advice gets mixed together online. Here, every tip is tagged so you know what it is.

Official rule
From an official NCAA, NAIA or NJCAA source. We link it and show when we checked it.
Coach recommendation
Our experienced-coach advice. Not a rule. Reasonable people do it differently.
Personal strategy
A choice that depends on your player, your family and your goals. Your call.

Official rule

Start early on paper, not on the phone. The NCAA's own guide says recruiting can begin as early as ninth grade, though in most cases it starts in 11th grade (the summer after sophomore year). It also lists "register for an Eligibility Center account before ninth grade" as a best practice. Source: NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete, recruiting best practices.

Coach recommendation

Don't treat grade 9 like a recruiting year. Treat it like a foundation year: grades, strength, film habits and the right classes. The players who look "ahead of the process" in 11th grade usually just did the quiet work in 9th and 10th.

Freshman year (9th grade)

Your job: get good at school, get good at football, and keep records.

  • Learn what a "core course" is, and ask your counselor for your school's NCAA-approved core course list.
  • Build your grades from day one. Every core course counts toward your core-course GPA.
  • Ask about registering for an NCAA Eligibility Center account (see Guide 2).
  • Start a simple folder for game film and stats. Save every game. You can't edit what you didn't keep.
  • Read Guide 1: Start Here so the levels (FBS, FCS, D2, D3, NAIA, JUCO) make sense.

Coach recommendation

Keep it light. Play multiple sports if your school allows it. Work on speed, strength and fundamentals. Don't pay anyone for "exposure" this year.

Sophomore year (10th grade)

Your job: find your honest level, build a target list, and clean up your online footprint.

  • Cut a first highlight reel from your freshman and sophomore film (Guide 3).
  • Set up or clean up your social profiles (Guide 4).
  • Do an honest self-evaluation and build a target list across levels (Guide 5).
  • Learn the calendar and contact rules before they matter (Guide 6).
  • Keep your core courses on track. Ask your counselor about the pace you need.

Official rule

June 15 after sophomore year is the date in the NCAA Division I general rule when colleges may begin sending recruiting materials and electronic correspondence to a prospect. In Division II, communication may happen at any time, and after June 15 immediately before junior year there are no limits on in-person off-campus contacts. See Recruiting Rules for sources and what we are still confirming.

Junior year (11th grade)

Your job: this is the big one. Be organized, be visible, be honest.

  • Send introductory emails to your target list (Guide 7).
  • Pick camps and visits with a budget and a reason (Guide 8).
  • Follow the month-by-month plan in Guide 9: Junior Year Game Plan.
  • Update your film after your junior season.
  • Keep your core-course progress on track for the NCAA's timing rule (see below).
  • If NAIA is on your list, learn about registering with PlayNAIA (Guide 2).

Official rule

The NCAA Division I "10/7" rule: ten of your 16 core courses, including seven in English, math or science, must be completed before the start of the seventh semester (senior year). Source: NCAA Division I initial eligibility.

Senior year (12th grade)

Your job: make decisions, keep your grades up, and have a backup plan.

  • Apply to your colleges. Admission is separate from athletic recruiting. The NCAA's guide says certification does not include acceptance to the school recruiting you.
  • Understand what an offer really means, and how signing works (Guide 10).
  • Compare aid in full: athletics aid, academic aid and need-based aid (Guide 11).
  • Have counselor send your final transcript with proof of graduation to the right eligibility center.
  • Keep a backup plan: walk-on, preferred walk-on, NAIA, JUCO, or a school where you simply want to study.

Official rule

2026-27 NCAA football signing dates: Division I early period Dec. 2 to Dec. 4, 2026. Division I and II regular period opens Feb. 3, 2027 (final date based on each school's policy). Source: 2026-27 NCAA Signing Dates.

Your next step

Not sure what grade-level plan fits you? Start with Guide 1: Start Here, then use Coach's Recruiting Game Plan if you want the printable 4-year checklist and trackers.

Sources checked

Official pages we used, and the date we checked each one.