The Mental Health Toll of College Sports Recruitment on High School Athletes

Monica Wu

Word Count: 4487

Abstract

This research examines how the college sports recruitment process affects the mental health of high school junior and senior student-athletes, aiming to find ways to reform the system. Mental health studies have been conducted on college student-athletes; however, not enough research has been done on the recruitment process and its effects. This research uses a mixed-method approach and draws upon feedback from 57 student-athletes(residing in a sports-focused school) to examine the in-depth impacts of sports recruitment by colleges. The study reveals that recruitment often leads to increased stress, anxiety, self-doubt, and burnout. The root causes of these issues include poor communication from college coaches, a lack of a support system, and pressure to post and compete on social media. The study also finds that schools and athletic bodies (NCAA) should do more to ensure sufficient mental health support for student-athletes. The recommendations include providing more guidance at an early stage in the recruitment process, improving the quality of communication from college coaches, and providing more training for coaches and parents. Furthermore, given the changing nature of recruitment processes through opportunities such as name, image, and likeness (NILs) and social media's influence on sports, this study calls for reform to address the mental health needs of high school athletes.

Introduction

Individuals tend to see the process of recruitment for college athletics as a positive experience that allows them  to achieve their dreams to compete  at the next level. What they do not see is an at times, stressful process that can impact the student’s mental health. It is not unusual for student-athletes to suffer social and performance anxiety and exhaustion in the course of their recruitment journeys.  This study seeks to examine the psychological and emotional impacts that recruitment has on high school student-athletes and provide practical suggestions for reforming the system.

Literature Review

While substantial research highlights the importance of mental well-being for college athletic performance, researchers have conducted few studies on how the recruitment process affects the mental health of high school athletes. However, many studies suggest that elite athletes are more at risk for suicide and depression, factors such as injury, substance abuse, and pressure to win (Gulliver et al., 2014; O’Rourke, 2025). As O’Rourke has concluded, “disruptions in mental health, like physical health, can also make studying, working, playing on a team, living independently and maintaining a healthy lifestyle very difficult” (O’Rourke, 2025). This article suggests that coaches and adults need to put more time into the mental health of athletes, which reinforces the importance of the research topic on the importance of advocacy for mental health. Some student-athletes start getting ready for recruitment as early as freshman year, but junior year is a crucial time. With the NCAA's different contact periods: evaluation period, quiet period, and dead period (2024–25 NCAA Recruiting Calendar and NCAA Recruiting Guide, 2025) athletes do their best to show their skills, keep solid grades, and establish relations with college programs. Junior year will determine where a student goes to college, the ability to get scholarships, and the ability to compete on bigger stages.

The importance of strong mental health is often overlooked, as the need for good grades and satisfactory performance causes extreme stress and anxiety.  An article done by Mass General Brigham demonstrates this in the article on the importance of mental health: “[j]ust as there is a physical side, there’s also a mental side to every sport and every game” (Vanderkruik, 2024). A healthy mental state is the ideal state of the mind for growth, bringing out the best in sports performance and study. When a student is in a healthy state of mind, they will be better at navigating the complexities of the recruitment process, making better decisions about their future, and having a more enjoyable high school experience.  In addition, having good mental health can affect the rest of an athlete’s body, build resilience, impact relationships, maintain a positive self-image, and improve overall well-being (Clinic 2024). This further emphasizes the point that prioritizing mental health lays the foundation for long-term success for student-athletes to thrive.

The college sports recruitment process is an important moment for high school student-athletes, in which opportunity and pressure collide. Despite the excitement of being recruited to play on a college team, it still comes with substantial challenges that impact an adolescent’s mental health. The constant need to perform at a high level in every game, attend showcases and camps, and staying in contact with college coaches is intense and can be overwhelming (Remillard 2014) Whether it is the pressure from an athlete themselves or parents and coaches, it takes a toll on the student-athlete. “The pressure to be recruited by a certain school. The pressure to get a certain amount of offers” (Pina 2023).  In the midst of opportunity, the recruitment process can weigh heavily on student-athletes, making it crucial to recognize then address the challenges they face.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) regulates and oversees college sports in the United States. In addition, the governing organization emphasizes a number of critical issues including mental health challenges faced by student-athletes. These mental health issues can be impacted or created by injuries, expectations, and stigmas around seeking help. However, in a 2022 survey done by the NCAA, college student-athletes were asked if mental health was a priority to their athletics department, only 55% of men’s sports participants and 46% of women’s sports student-athletes agreed or strongly agreed. In addition, when asked if their coaches took mental health seriously only 59% of the men’s sports participants agreed or strongly agreed, and 50% of the women’s participants did so (Johnson 2022). Therefore, there is a gap between institutional intentions and the reality (student-athletes’ experiences), a need for more consistent support is needed for mental health in college athletics.

Often participating in college sports begins with the recruitment process, before a student even enrolls in college. However, this process can make balancing being a prospective student and an athlete even more difficult. The time and energy devoted to training, tournaments, competitions, and other recruitment activities can come at the expense of academic commitments. The recruitment process can be like a part-time job on top of being an athlete and a student, which can lead to a decline in grades, missing assignments, and less focus in the classroom (Mayer, 2025). In addition, the increased pressure to keep up levels of academic performance to remain eligible for college sports strengthens the levels of stress, which may create a vicious circle of academic performance affecting mental health.

Originally, high school sports participation was to build social and psychosocial skills (Tracy & Erkut, 2002), and participation may signal that the college applicant is well-rounded, fit, and successful at competition (Nazari et al., 2023). The recruiting process changes the dynamics of high school athletics, from being a sport that high schoolers enjoy to becoming a competition. Athletes are competitive, with no shortage of talent in any given area of sport, peer rivalry increases as every athlete is fighting for a spot. This makes it difficult to maintain friendships and can create isolation. Moreover, when fellow student-athletes are highly recruited, they can cause peers to feel pressured and even jealous, which does not lead to a positive environment or good mental health (Graupensperger et al., 2019). As recruitment intensifies the competitive atmosphere, it takes away from the original spirit of high school sports, leaving student-athletes isolated, strained, and vulnerable to mental health challenges.

Gap

Despite substantial research on NCAA athletes and their mental health, far less attention has been given to the impact of the recruitment process on high school athletes. This raises important questions about how social media, communication with coaches, and NCAA recruiting rules influence students’ mental health. While mental health challenges are well documented among NCAA athletes and surveys show that fewer than 60% feel supported by their programs, evidence suggests that high-level athletes face elevated risks of anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts due to injuries, performance pressures, and stigma around seeking help (Gulliver et al., 2014; O’Rourke, 2025). Many of these stressors begin before college, as athletes balance athletic and academic demands, as they are in the process of being recruited. A greater understanding of the mental health consequences of recruitment could help schools, families, and the NCAA provide more effective support, reduce burnout, and enhance student-athletes’ long-term well-being and performance.

Methods

This study uses a mixed methods research design, combining quantitative and qualitative data to answer the question, “Does the college sports recruitment process affect high school student-athletes' mental health? If so, what potential changes to the process would most benefit student-athletes going through the recruitment process?” This mixed-methods approach allows for a more well-rounded analysis, as quantitative data provides numerical insights into mental health trends, while qualitative data allows for a deeper understanding of personal experiences and individualized perspectives.  

The target population for this study will be high school junior and senior student-athletes from a preparatory sports boarding school who are actively seeking to participate in the college athletic recruitment process. The focus on juniors and seniors was specifically chosen because studies have shown that this is the most important time in the recruitment process. It is a demanding 12 months that require balancing athletic performance and commitments, academic excellence, and the college planning and application process. (Barb, 2023). This study participants from a variety of sports, including baseball, tennis, golf, and soccer. This study will exclude students outside of grades 11 and 12, non-athletes, and those not pursuing college recruitment.  

The study aims to survey at least 50 student-athletes meeting the study criteria. The minimum sample size was calculated using the finite population correction sample size formula:

Given a total junior and senior student-athlete population of approximately 350, a confidence level of 85%, a 10% margin of error (e=0.10), the formula yields a sample size of 46. To ensure more confidence, the best practice is to round up and account for potential non-responses or incomplete surveys, a goal of 50 participants therefore became the goal.

This sample balances depth and manageability: it provides a sufficient number of participants to identify statistically significant trends in mental health indicators, ensuring reliable quantitative data. It will provide a diverse number of respondents who have had different experiences and perspectives. Data from a sample of this size will provide in-depth data while being manageable.

The study will use various data collection methods, including different instruments.  Surveys will be conducted using closed-ended and open-ended questions to assess levels of anxiety and time management challenges. Once all data has been collected, peer-reviewed articles and case studies will be utilized to support helpful strategies to improve the athletic recruitment process.  Lastly, attempting to find the best way to support students will be done by analyzing peer-reviewed articles to identify the most effective support strategies for student-athletes.  

Survey, Likert Scale

Survey, Open-Ended Questions

● What, if any, are the barriers to accessing these stress relieving activities?

● Have any coaches talked to you about academic support programs for your specific sport at their institution?

● If you could change anything about the college recruitment process, what would it be?

● In what ways has social media impacted your recruitment process?

The collected data will be analyzed through quantitative and qualitative analysis. The quantitative analysis will be numerical statistics, which will include stress levels (from 1-5), anxiety prevalence, and time management challenges (including time spent on school, homework, athletics, and recruitment every day). In addition, quantitative data will help to provide pattern trends, comparing current data to historical trends through the recruitment process. Moving on, qualitative analysis will be conducted through open-ended responses, which aim to capture the lived experiences of student-athletes.  A coding framework will be utilized to categorize repetitive key phrases, sentences, or paragraphs into meaningful analyses. The codes will be both deductive and inductive, helping to develop a theme in the data found. Then, the themes will be analyzed in relation to the study’s objectives, focusing on how they provide deeper insights into the challenges and needs of student-athletes. In addition, quotes will be taken from open-ended questions and utilized throughout the research paper to better highlight and reveal key findings.  

The goal of using both quantitative and qualitative methods is to effectively balance and compare results. For example, following the completion of scaled responses revealing themes and patterns, open-ended questions will deepen our understanding of these patterns and help us find effective support systems. In addition, quantitative categories analysis, whether by different sports or by different divisions, will help to target certain trends of whether groups face unique challenges or require more support.

To ensure the effectiveness of the research, participants will be recruited through school-approved announcements and emails. Surveys will be confidential and anonymous, ensuring participants' personal information is protected. If the participants of the study choose to withdraw at any time, they will have the option. In addition, all surveys conducted will be approved by the school board.

Lastly, all survey responses in this study will remain completely anonymous to ensure participants feel comfortable sharing their honest thoughts and experiences. As “[a]nnonymous survey methods appear to promote greater disclosure of sensitive or stigmatizing information compared to non-anonymous methods. Higher disclosure rates have traditionally been interpreted as being more accurate than lower rates” (Murdoch et al., 2014). Therefore, this confidentiality is essential for protecting participants' privacy and promoting truthful feedback. The method of this research is to use both quantitative and qualitative data to find meaningful insights to help student-athletes who are struggling and to give insights to schools on how to better support student-athletes.

Findings

The survey was distributed to between 200-300 student-athletes, with 57 responses collected. The survey respondents are all high school juniors and seniors, who have gone through or are currently going through the recruitment process. The survey was distributed to athletes who play baseball, tennis, soccer, golf, volleyball, lacrosse, basketball, track and field, and football. A portion of the respondents have already committed to a college program, ranging from Division I to Division III. However, most remain uncommitted and are still navigating through the recruitment process. The range of recruitment status allows for a comparative analysis between those who have completed the recruitment and those who are still in the process.

The key aspect of this investigation is the mental health impact of recruitment on student-athletes. While data varies, some student-athletes report minimal stress, while others indicate high levels of anxiety and burnout. Nearly 88% of athletes reported the recruitment process moderately or above stressful and 75.4% of student-athletes questioned their sports ability because of the recruitment process. However, although many thought the recruitment process has caused them stress, 89.1% reported moderately or above that the recruitment has made them want to improve.  Notably, nearly 30% of respondents stated that they had questioned their sports ability due to the recruitment process. However, nearly 49% reported that they want to get better “extremely,” and another large portion said it motivated them moderately.  In addition, burnout and anxiety were also common themes.

Beyond the patterns of student-athletes feeling an increased feeling of stress and anxiety moderately to extremely, the survey responses revealed that the recruitment process affects student-athletes' lives on a deeper level. The emotional toll of recruitment extended beyond game-day performance and coach communication. A pattern emerged in students’ reflection on their relationships with adults: particularly parents and coaches. Several responses indicated that students feel challenged when attempting to discuss their mental health with their parents or coaches, with discomfort or fear of judgment. As over 68.5% of responses felt moderately to extremely challenging to discuss mental well-being with parents, and over 70.2% felt moderately to extremely challenging to discuss mental well-being with coaches.

When asked to rank the primary stressors within the recruitment process, student-athletes identified several key challenges. With college applications being ranked the most stressful, then sending emails/videos to coaches, parents, unofficial/official in-person visits, and finances ranked last. These rankings suggest that while athletic performance is a major component of recruitment, the surrounding academic and logistical demands add significantly to the burden. Sending emails and highlight videos to coaches was consistently ranked as the next stressful task. This self-promotional aspect of recruitment, which is increasingly expected in the age of digital profiles and recruiting platforms, adds a psychological burden. Athletes are not only expected to perform but also market themselves.

When students are asked how they cope with stress, the main ways are usually exercise and sleeping, both positive ways to deal with stress. However, only 6 (10%) respondents put meditation as a way to cope with stress, and very few indicated access to formal mental health resources or structured support programs. This lack of diverse stress-relief strategies may indicate limited mental health education or support within schools and athletic programs.

Social media also plays a significant role in the recruitment process. Many respondents noted that platforms like X (formerly known as Twitter) and Instagram have influenced their recruitment process differently. Some student-athletes use social media to showcase their skills and to communicate with coaches as one said " I met every coach that I’ve spoken to, and that is a great number, above twenty ncaa coaches and recruiters, all of them through twitter” (Response 39). However, others mentioned that social media has added additional pressure, as they constantly compare their progress with others. The presence of highlight videos and commitment announcements causes students to feel behind in their recruitment journey, increasing feelings of stress and doubt one student said “Seeing random people commit to places I planned on going to, and comparison” (Response 19) and even “It can be demoralizing to see so many people post their commitment posts and it made me wonder if I was falling behind in the recruitment process which caused stress” (Response 26). While social media can open doors for new opportunities during the recruitment process, it also intensifies comparisons, pressure, and self-doubt creating a new layer of stress for student-athletes.

In the open-ended sections of the survey, students offered insightful commentary on what they would change about the recruitment process. Common responses called for more transparency from coaches, greater accessibility at the start of the recruitment, and clearer guidelines or times to reduce confusion. One high school junior who did not state their sport stated “[f]or coaches to be more open and honest with you and not ghost you. Also to speed up the process and not drag it along.” and also “[f]or coaches to be more open and honest with you and not ghost you. Also to speed up the process and not drag it along”. This highlights some students who are mentally exhausted. The recruiting process can be for athletes and transparency, and better communication is necessary.

Limitations

To begin with, while this study offers important insights into the impact of the college recruitment process on high school student-athletes, limitations must be acknowledged. First, the sample was limited to students at a single preparatory boarding school in Florida with a strong sports emphasis. This may not reflect the broader high school athlete population. The findings therefore may be less applicable to student-athletes at public schools or private schools without access to elite recruiting platforms like Next College Student Athlete (NCSA). However, the findings show that students at this sports boarding school show signs that their mental health was impacted by the recruitment process even with significantly more resources than regular schools.

Moreover, although the survey was distributed to 200-300 students, only 57 responses were collected. While the response still provided meaningful analysis, it may not capture the full diversity of experiences or different subgroups. Additionally, there was an uneven distribution of responses across sports, while certain sports like golf and baseball were overrepresented compared to football and soccer.  Finally, another limitation is the reliance on self-reported data. Student-athletes could have underreported or overreported their levels of stress or mental health challenges due to components of being afraid of being judged, even with anonymity. However, responses were comparable to other data from other peer research articles.

Call to Action

From these findings, it can be concluded that the college recruitment journey is a high-stress process for many high school athletes. In addition, to the stress from academic, athletic, and social, this adds an additional layer of stress. While recruitment offers opportunities for high school athletes, the data makes it clear that this process is leading to increased levels of anxiety, burnout, and self-doubt. The college recruitment process is not just for an athlete to showcase their talent; it is also a place where these teenagers get told they are not good enough. Therefore, we must advocate for their mental health off the field. Schools, coaches, and parents all have a role in helping create a positive place for student-athletes going through the recruitment process.

First, coaches and parents should be trained to recognize the signs of emotional strain in their athletes and create an environment where they can discuss their mental health. Parents and high school coaches should not add additional stress to an athlete, instead, be there to support them with empathy. Parents should encourage students to balance sports and school but also to take breaks to reduce burnout. Parents should not do the work for their athlete but should “[e]ncourage athletes to be proactive and send a recruiting questionnaire and highlight video. That may put them on the coach’s radar and they may be looking for you instead of the other way around” (Smith, 2023). While high school coaches should be there to tell students that they are worthy, this may include “fostering team cultures that support athlete mental health, encouraging care-seeking and supporting athletes currently receiving mental healthcare” (Bissett et al., 2020). Nevertheless, whether it is parents or high school coaches both can help, both can play a role in reducing stress by promoting mental well-being and empowering student-athletes to navigate the recruitment process with resilience.

Next, college coaches should be aware of the impact of their communication with prospects, even if it is just a follow-up with students through a quick email. College coaches play such an important role in how student-athletes view recruitment. For many high school juniors who hear from a college coach for the first time, it is both exciting and intimidating. Survey data mentioned “I think the college recruitment process could be more transparent, especially with coaches” and “Clear communication from coaches on whether they’re actually interested or not”  Thirty percent of the respondents mentioned that if they could change anything about the recruitment process, it would be the coaches, especially regarding a lack of transparency or inconsistent communication. In addition, a study done by the University of Georgia on Athletic Recruiting and Academic Value it states, “the only reasonable way [to ensure integrity] is through the transparency that comes with involving the entire academic community in the recruiting process” (Roundtable on Intercollegiate Athletics and Higher Education, 2006). This would allow for better communication, encourage realistic expectations, and help both student-athletes and coaches become more informed, and make better decisions.

In addition, college counselors and athletic departments should have a structured support system. High school guidance counselors should provide hands-on resources starting in sophomore year, including workshops on how to communicate with college coaches, when to communicate with college coaches, and planning out recruitment timeline. Currently, even at a sports focused boarding school student-athletes are navigating the process alone or having to find information online, feeling lost along the way “idk there are too many things i need to do and it's stressing me out. and the college coaches don't even respond to me or tell me what exactly i need to do to commit to their school” (Response 14). A centralized, school-led recruitment education program will significantly help ease confusion but also help students to better understand themselves. An article written by the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania mentions understanding a student-athlete's preferences as “[s]ome students want a large public university in a college town, while others want a small campus or an urban setting. Those preferences impact the schools you target for recruiting” (Wildermuth, 2024). If schools can help students understand their preferences, it will help decrease the feeling of being lost.

Finally, data suggests that athletic governance structures like the NCAA must take responsibility for changing the recruitment process by creating safe, clear, and student-centered frameworks. In addition, Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) has allowed athletes to profit from their personal brand (Scuderi, 2025), there must be more accessible online guides on getting NIL deals and what can and cannot be done. In addition, “Within the landscape of college baseball, such changes (on eligibility) could alter recruiting priority, increase age and experience of rosters and shape relationship dynamics between programs like North Carolina and high-level JUCOs (Shoemaker, 2025). Constant changes being made in eligibility rules will reshape how schools interact with JUCOs which will then impact how they interact with high schools. That being said, the NCAA holds significant influence over the culture and mechanics of recruitment; they must use the power to help students understand that they are valued human beings and not just products being used.

Future Studies

To begin with, future research should expand on this study by including a broader and more diverse sample of high school student-athletes from both public and private schools across the country. This can be done through partnering with associations like The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS)- “writes playing rules for high school sports and provides guidance on a multitude of national issues” (AboutUS, n.d.)- to send out surveys that can be distributed throughout the country. This would allow for a greater understanding of how the recruitment process impacts student-athletes' mental health and identify patterns of it possibly impacting one particular group more than another.

Moreover, future research should investigate the influence of emerging factors such as Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities, junior college pathways, and the growing role of social media in recruitment. Participants from this study mentioned “It helps me get noticed by coaches and it could get you an NIL” (Response 37). As the landscape of college sports recruitment is changing and with many states allowing high school student-athletes to get NIL deals, it may mean an additional stressor added to college sports recruitment. In addition, another participant mentioned “The amount of players colleges take from JUCO as compared to HS” (Response 7), highlighting that colleges are increasingly recruiting athletes from junior colleges (JUCOs) rather than directly from high school. This means student-athletes are not only feeling pressure from their peers but also against junior college players for limited roster sports. Overall, with the recruitment process constantly evolving, future research must consider how these shifts can further impact decision making and mental health.

Finally, by comparing different demographics, sports, and levels of access to mental health resources, future studies can better identify which subgroups are more vulnerable and what targeted interventions are most effective. As research done on Sample Size and its importance in research mentions, “A sample that is larger than necessary will be better representative of the population and will hence provide more accurate results.” (Andrade, 2020). In addition, long-term studies could also be beneficial in tracking mental health changes over time, from early recruitment stages through post-commitment and college transition.

Conclusion

This research reveals the college recruitment process, while filled with opportunity, often

causes increased stress, anxiety, and emotional strain for high school student-athletes. The data shows that many athletes feel overwhelmed by the pressure to perform, communication challenges with coaches and lack of mental health support. Further, even at a sports focused academy with its many resources, student-athletes report feeling alone in the process, suggesting that the problem is even more severe in schools that are not focused on sports. The findings suggest a need for schools, parents, coaches, and athletic institutions like the NCAA to take a more active role in supporting the mental health of high school athletes. Adjustments like more structured support systems, more consistent communication between coaches and athletes and education on coping strategies will ensure that the social -emotional wellbeing of the students is being attended to alongside their physical training.

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