Tyla Ozgen ’25 has got it all figured out. She is committed to Stanford University on a field hockey scholarship, hoping to study economics, and explore the abundant student activity and club scene on campus. And she’s not even a junior. 

However, this isn’t uncommon. The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division-1 Guidelines allow for field hockey recruits to accept verbal offers starting on June 15 after sophomore year of high school and take official visits beginning August 1st prior to the start of junior year. Though new legislation passed in 2019 prohibits the discussion of recruitment during camps before June 15 in an effort to cut back on early recruiting, college coaches continue to develop their rosters prior to that date through online research, attending showcases, and communicating with athletes’ coaches. In addition, this new rule excludes football, basketball and baseball, (three of the largest collegiate athletic programs), allowing coaches of these sports to continue communicating verbally with athletes without regulation. 

“[Recruitment] has now become a rat race to try to not only recruit the college-ready people, but also the kids that they think are gonna be high performers in college,” Dave Goldshore, Head Coach of the Staples High School basketball team in Westport, Connecticut, told the News. “I wish colleges would just wait until [the players] are seniors until they talk to them. The whole process puts a lot of pressure on the kids.”

Ozgen, like many other talented high school athletes, started preparing for recruitment a year prior to receiving, and accepting, her offer from Stanford. 

“Going into freshman year of high school, I knew it was my dream to play D-1 field hockey,” she said. 

However, with the rise of agencies like Next College Student Athlete, or NCSA, struggling to compete with university-held showcases and clinics, “under-the-radar” athletes, particularly those hoping to get recruited for the most hyper-competitive team sports, are being targeted by recruitment coaches before entering high school. 

NCSA’s mission is to guide athletes through the recruitment process by providing them one-on-one assistance and connecting them with coaches and schools that best fit their needs. And, as in-house college coaches begin to explore top athletes earlier, recruitment specialists at NCSA must begin working with their clients even earlier to “stay ahead of the curve.” 

“The recruiting process can be daunting,” Lisa Strasman, President of NCSA, told the News, “and at NCSA we help student-athletes manage the experience from start to finish. This includes the creation of a top-notch recruiting profile, guidance on how to best communicate with coaches and ultimately, help selecting the right fit school.”

Athletes are approached as early as eighth grade, the parent of a prospective NCSA client told the News. Within just hours of showing interest, the athletes are contacted by recruitment coaches at the agency and persuaded to set up meetings with recruitment specialists.  

“It is beneficial to start the recruiting process early because you have more time to prepare and, in some cases, college coaches do start scouting players as early as middle school,” Strasman said.

One of the largest factors in that has enabled coaches to scout young athletes is easy access to the internet. This has led to the increasing significance of athletes’ social media presence and the development of their online profiles, Goldshore explained. 

“In addition to my role in building connections with college coaches, and trying my best to get an understanding of the players’ athletic and academic needs, I always encourage my freshmen to create profiles or Twitter accounts so that they can market themselves,” he said. 

Jon Marcus, father of a prospective college athlete and himself a former D-1 lacrosse player, reflects on his recruitment process, noting the vast differences between his own experiences and his son’s. Jon Marcus, who committed during his senior year of high school, explains that his son, Josh Marcus ’25, can receive verbal offers and communications from college coaches as early as “12:01 am on Sept. 1 of his junior year,” though he has prepared for the process by attending showcases and recruitment camps as early as middle school.

“As a father, I’m sure there will be a ton of stress and mixed emotions for Josh having to decide, as a recently turned 16-year-old, which offer to pursue and ultimately decide on,” Jon Marcus wrote to the News. “But I don’t know if that’s a bad thing, as it will force him to make a mature decision.”

As Ozgen looks towards the future, she is excited to continue honing her skills on and off the field. Though she describes her experience as “draining,” she “wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

“I am still expected to keep growing academically and athletically,” she said. “Most people think that a commitment means the stress is over, but in reality it is just the start for me.” 

Ozgen announced her commitment to play field hockey for Stanford University on June 28. She is an intended member of the Stanford Class of 2029.