How Do You Navigate the New Era of College Recruiting?

How Do You Navigate the New Era of College Recruiting?

College swimming recruiting is more competitive than ever. With evolving NCAA rules, NIL, roster caps, and changes to scholarship funding, the landscape today is unlike anything the sport has seen before.

High schoolers are only getting faster — and so is the NCAA.

The Division I recruiting timeline has always moved quickly, but roster caps are accelerating the process even further. This past year, swimming and diving saw the highest number of athletes enter the transfer portal in history. The SEC’s decision to limit men’s rosters to 22 athletes has made swimming at that level a luxury.

Among those affected by the House Settlement, many high school seniors were left scrambling to find a new school. After being committed for nearly a year, some athletes were informed that there was no longer room for them on their team’s roster. As a result, these athletes had to make accelerated decisions and quickly refocus on college recruiting after believing they had already settled their plans. This has led to many impressive Power 4 commits moving to mid-major schools or looking into Division II and Division III schools.

With SEC roster limits in play, swim recruiting timelines have sped up as well. It’s no longer just a race for scholarship money; it’s a race for a roster spot.

On the positive side, these changes are encouraging athletes to broaden their perspectives and consider schools they might have once overlooked. Programs like the University of Tampa, for example, received 12 transfers this year — eight of whom came from ACC or SEC schools.

The hope is that the ripple effect will create a faster, deeper, and more competitive Division II and Division III landscape.

While athletes are navigating this new era, coaches and athletic directors are also adapting to challenges that college athletics has never seen before. They are having to find new ways to allocate money, create more scholarship opportunities, and compete with other schools. 

With all this change, the recruiting process might feel daunting and confusing, but fortunately there are resources available to help families and athletes navigate it.

 1-on-1 college swim recruiting advising services

• One Lap Ahead – NCAA All-American Advisor/ SEC Champion (plans, timelines, coach comms, interview prep). (One Lap Ahead｜College Swim Recruiting)
• American College Connection (ACC Recruits) – former college-coach team offering personalized recruiting education/support. (ACC Recruits)
• CollegeSwimmingRecruit.com – counseling for swimmers across divisions (planning + college search). (collegeswimmingrecruit.com)
• Spark Admissions (athletic recruiting counseling) – broader sport focus, but offers recruiting strategy + applications support. (Spark Admissions)

Databases & platforms coaches actually use

• Swimcloud – gold-standard stats, times, team rosters, and recruiting workflows; official help guides for recruits/coaches. (support.swimcloud.com)
• NCSA – large recruiting marketplace with swimmer-specific guides (men’s & women’s). (NCSA College Recruiting)
• CollegePipe – scholarship limits and eligibility guidance for NCAA/NAIA/NJCAA swimming. (collegepipe.com