ExceedVarsity

Guide 9 of 12 · 11th grade

Junior Year Game Plan

A month-by-month checklist for the most important recruiting year: film, outreach, camps, visits, grades and your target list.

Rules last updated

Season 2026-27. Rules and calendars change, so check the official links and the college's compliance office before you act.

Junior year is when the work from ninth and tenth grade pays off, or when you realize you wish you'd started earlier. Either way, here's a month-by-month plan. Adjust the months to your own school year and season.

Official rule

Keep the NCAA timing rule in mind. For Division I eligibility, you must complete 10 of your 16 core courses, including 7 in English, math or science, before the start of the seventh semester (senior year). Check your core-course progress now. Source: NCAA Division I initial eligibility.

Official rule

Fall evaluation period (Division I football): Sept. 1 to Nov. 29, 2026. Coaches may watch you play and assess academics off campus, but in-person off-campus recruiting conversations aren't allowed. Source: NCAA FBS and FCS calendars (updated July 30, 2026).

August to October: season starts

Checklist

  • Confirm your target list (20 to 30 programs across levels is a reasonable range; see Guide 5).
  • Send your season schedule to coaches on your list. A one-page note works.
  • Save every game film. Cut a mid-season update after a few games.
  • Meet with your counselor: core-course GPA, admissions-test plans if your schools want them, and credits.
  • Update your profile and one-pager.

November and December: season ends

Checklist

  • Cut your full junior highlight film within a couple of weeks of your last game.
  • Send a film update email to your list (Guide 7).
  • Thank your coaches, and ask your high school coach to contact college coaches who know them.
  • Check the signing-period dates for the current senior class so you know what's happening with the schools on your list.

January to March: offseason

Checklist

  • Update your measurables with a verified testing day (speed, strength, jumps).
  • Follow up with coaches who've replied. Ask where you stand and what they'd like to see.
  • Plan camps and visits for spring and summer with a budget (Guide 8).
  • Plan any admissions tests your target schools require. The NCAA removed test scores from Division I and II initial eligibility, but individual schools may still ask for them for admission or scholarships.
  • Start looking at college applications and admission requirements.

April to June: camps and visits

Checklist

  • Attend the camps you picked, with a reason for each.
  • Take unofficial visits to schools where you're serious.
  • Send thank-you notes after every camp and visit.
  • Make sure your Eligibility Center information is current: courses, sports participation, enrollment plans.
  • Check your school's NCAA course list again, and verify that senior-year core courses are on track.

July and August: the bridge to senior year

Checklist

  • Narrow your target list: who's still interested, who's a fit, who to drop.
  • Prepare for senior-year decisions: aid questions, what you'd want in writing (Guide 10 and Guide 11).
  • Start college applications, including those at schools where you'd attend even without football.
  • Re-do your film cut with your best material.

Coach recommendation

If you're behind, don't panic and don't pay for a shortcut. Pick the three things above that will help the most (film, a target list, and honest emails) and start there. A focused 60 days beats a scattered year.

Example

Example (made up): A junior who starts in March doesn't try to catch up on everything. He cuts a 4-minute reel from two seasons of film, builds a 15-school list, sends personal emails to the first five, and registers for two camps at schools that replied.

Your next step

Next up: Guide 10: Senior Year: Offers, Signing and Backup Plans. The Coach's Recruiting Game Plan kit includes a 4-year timeline checklist and a target list tracker.

Sources checked

Official pages used for this guide, and the date we checked each one. Rules change, so confirm before you act.