{"id":15792,"date":"2026-09-01T11:17:39","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T16:17:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/?p=15792"},"modified":"2026-09-01T11:17:40","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T16:17:40","slug":"september-1-is-here-why-this-year-could-look-different","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/september-1-is-here-why-this-year-could-look-different\/","title":{"rendered":"September 1 Is Here: Why This Year Could Look Different"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>September 1 is one of the biggest dates on the recruiting calendar for Division I softball and lacrosse. It is when coaches can begin making certain direct recruiting contacts with prospective athletes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But families need to understand one important thing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>September 1 is not when recruiting starts.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>College coaches have already been evaluating athletes, watching film, attending events and building their recruiting boards. For some athletes, September 1 may actually be the <strong>end of the recruiting process<\/strong>, with a phone call leading to an offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But this year could look different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><strong>Coaches Are Trying to Figure Out Their Own Rosters<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The recent NCAA changes surrounding <strong>5-for-5 eligibility, roster limits and the transfer portal<\/strong> have made roster management more complicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Coaches are now asking:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>How many roster spots will I actually have?<\/li><li>Which current players will return?<\/li><li>Who could I add through the transfer portal?<\/li><li>How will additional eligibility impact my roster?<\/li><li>How will I financially support the athletes I bring in?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For softball and lacrosse, roster limits mean every roster spot becomes even more valuable. At the same time, the transfer portal gives coaches another way to fill those spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That creates more uncertainty for high school recruits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A coach may like an athlete but still be trying to determine whether\u2014and when\u2014that athlete fits into the program\u2019s roster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><strong>Don\u2019t Wait for September 1<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>September 1 should not be the day an athlete <strong>starts<\/strong> thinking about recruiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It should be a date they are prepared for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Athletes should already know which schools are realistic fits, where they stand with coaches, what they bring to the table and what their next steps should be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because September 1 could bring a phone call and an offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It could bring the beginning of a conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or it could bring nothing at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>And none of those outcomes should be a surprise if you have a plan.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2><strong>Guidance Matters More Than Ever<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>College recruiting has become more complicated, not less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With eligibility changes, roster limitations, the transfer portal and new financial considerations affecting how coaches build their teams, families are navigating a recruiting landscape that changes constantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s why having <strong>guidance, advocacy and a plan<\/strong> is more important than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t simply wait for September 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Be prepared for it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Talk to a scout today.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>September 1 is one of the biggest dates on the recruiting calendar for Division I softball and lacrosse. It is when coaches can begin making certain direct recruiting contacts with prospective athletes. But families need to understand one important thing: September 1 is not when recruiting starts. College coaches have already been evaluating athletes, watching &#8230; <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/september-1-is-here-why-this-year-could-look-different\/\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":15793,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1299,865,3,864,859],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15792"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15792"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15792\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15794,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15792\/revisions\/15794"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsr-inc.com\/scouting-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}