Teahna Daniels and her family as she signs her National Letter of Intent with the University of Texas.
On Wednesday, July 1, the flood gates that are college recruiting were opened up to the new seniors of the Class of 2016. July 1 marks the first day that college coaches are eligible to reach out to high school athletes about competing at the next level. For many of the top high school seniors-to-be, this can be an overwhelming and mysterious process. But MileSplit is here to help! We enlisted several of the top graduating seniors from the Class of 2015 to talk about their recruiting experiences in the hopes of shining light on the process and providing tips to help younger athletes.
We reached out to this year's USATF Jr. National 100m Champion and University of Texas commit Teahna Daniels from First Academy in Orlando, Florida to ask her about her recruiting process.
When did coaches first start reaching out to you? How did you manage that?
Coaches started reaching out to me actually on July 1st of last year. Coach Rick gave me a few tips on how to handle it so I used them throughout my whole recruiting experience.
Did you have an official visit? How did it work? What was it like?
I took all five of my official visits. My first one was at Ohio State, then Alabama, University of Florida, Texas A&M and The University of Texas. I also took an unofficial to Florida State University. The basics of taking a visit is you fly or drive to wherever the school is, you get to stay in a hotel for the weekend, tour the campus and fitness facilities, meet all the coaches and staff, and the best part is hanging out with the team. Being in high school, you feel a little special that you get a chance to hang out with college athletes and be in a college environment for a weekend.
What did you look for in schools when you narrowed your options down?
I was looking for a school I wanted to feel comfortable in. I didn't have a major that I wanted to study so I wanted my college experience to feel like home. I also wanted to have good connections with the coaches, staff, and athletes. That was the most important to me because I didn't want to feel like an outsider going into college.
What ultimately made you decide on your college?
The decision was so tough. I had six amazing schools that all had their different benefits but ultimately I chose The University of Texas because they had all the qualities that I wanted and needed. When I went on my visit and actually got to see the campus and meet the team I knew this was the place I needed to be. I love Coach Bailey and she has done some amazing things with herself as an athlete and her athletes at Texas.
Looking back on your recruiting experience, do you have any tips for those athletes who will be recruited in the future?
To the future recruiting athletes, DO NOT FEEL PRESSURED INTO PICKING A SCHOOL. Make the best decision for yourself because you will be the one at that college for four years of your life. Also don't feel the need to pick a major right now. Have some time to figure yourself out and then you can choose what you want to do for the rest of your life later.
Is there anything else you want to add?
Have fun with the recruiting process; it'll go by fast so take advantage of the opportunity!
