Coach Alex Swenson, an 11-year Division I coach, tells parents that college coaches aren't watching 10- and 11-year-olds at travel tournaments or showcases. Focus instead on fun, skill work, and academics. The real recruiting window opens later, and kids need a foundation, not early exposure stress.
Chapters
All right, parents of young athletes, I hope this gives you some peace of mind, especially youth sports parents who've never heard this before. I was a D1 coach, 11 years inside college programs coaching, scouting, and recruiting, and here's the truth: college coaches do not care about youth sports, not for recruiting at all, okay? So if your 10-year-old isn't on the top team doesn't matter. If you are stressing about whether they should go year-round, you probably shouldn't. Just breathe. If your kid isn't the best player on their team right now, no college coach will ever know or care. Nobody's watching yet. That's not bad news, that's freedom. Here's what actually builds a future college athlete at this age. Let them have fun, because the kids who love the game are the ones still playing at 16. And build the foundation. Skill development, mental strength, and eventually the weight room and academics, of course, because grades start counting before you even, uh, think. The travel team politics, the rankings, the exposure events for 11-year-olds— that's a business built on your stress. The foundation is built in the backyard, the offseason, in the classroom. Love the game, build the base, and when the recruiting window actually opens, that's when the plan Matters. I'm Coach Alex Swenson, 11 years in D1, and I help families run the recruiting process the right way at the right time. Follow along, and when your athlete's windows open, you'll be ready. Share this with a youth sports parent who needs to exhale.
