Playing collegiate sports is a big goal for some high school athletes, but many of those athletes are fortunate enough to play at the next level. Whether it comes to time management, grades, or extra work on and off the field, students are faced with real challenges and just hope to be recruited.

According to Next College Student Athlete (NSCA), about 7% of all high school athletes go to play collegiate sports. It slims down to 3% when you go to a D1 school to continue your athletic career.

Jaxon Gutowski, Class of 2024, and starting quarterback for Coronado High School talked about his recent commitment to Dordt University for Football on December 15, 2023. “I felt like Dordt was the best place for me to grow athletically and academically, but most of all my relationship with Christ.”

Coronado’s new turf football field

Recruitment can vary from athlete to athlete, going from sport to sport. Kallie Rogers, Class of 2024, said, “It’s been long and stressful. There’s lots of opportunities out there but it’s been hard to narrow it down.”

Coaches have many ways to gather information for high school athletes. It can be via email, showcase, or simply seeing the athlete in person at showcases or using apps for the coaches to watch film.

“I would have to go to a lot of showcase tournaments while reaching out to coaches via email and creating a highlight reel for them to watch,” stated Bella Martinez, Class of 2024, one of Coronado’s girls’ basketball players.

Seth Enoch, Class of 2024, one of Coronado’s Boys basketball captains has a future in basketball and plans to continue his talent somewhere in the future: “I have an offer from Dordt right now and I have talked to CCU, Regis, La Verne, and Point Loma. I plan to go to another prospect showcase in April with a few other schools.”

There are many challenges that each athlete has come across depending on if it is in the classroom, field, or at home. Injuries are part of sports and are bound to happen, and balancing schoolwork and home life can be difficult

Jaxon added, “Athletically this past year, I suffered an ankle sprain and high ankle sprain on the same foot first game of the season and was supposed to be out for 4 games. The biggest challenge this year was dealing with failure and coming back with the mindset of getting better no matter what the result was.”

While everyone dreams of playing at the next level, the process and dedication is a lot, but can make for a fulfilling collegiate experience if students can make it at the next level.