Football / Wrestling / Lacrosse - Which sport & when to decide if he can be a recruit?

My son is currently a 3 sport athlete and a freshman. He likes all of his sports and is relatively strong in all three. He is 15, 6’3", 195lbs, freshman. He is very strong academically and would like to play something in college but is undecided as to which sport.

For football, I think he’s a bit too small for any team other than Ivy (plays guard, DE, open to other positions TE?). He plays long pole defense in lax but this is only his 3rd season playing, he just missed the varsity cutoff. He made it to the second level in the end of season wrestling tournaments but lost pretty quickly at that point.

He does not want to go to any recruiting camps at this point as he doesn’t feel like he’s good enough yet. He’s planning to work hard this summer to develop his muscle mass and speed. With size 14 feet, he has the bone structure to carry at least another 30lbs.

Should his current goal be to work on his strength, agility and speed as those qualities will help regardless of the sport? Are there skill development camps that might be helpful?

At what point is is appropriate to sit down with his high school coaches to determine whether he has the skills/size to potentially be recruited?

Thanks! I’m sorry if these questions have already been answered - I searched but didn’t come up with anything.

I am not going to add much other than to say I would suggest to your son that he take his studies seriously and get the best grades and SAT score he can get. Good grades and and good test scores go a long way in the recruiting process. If he doesn’t develop into a D1 level athlete, the good grades and test scores can help if he chooses to look at the DIII level.
If he wants to play lax in college he will probably have to play in the summer on a club team to keep his skills up and get some exposure in tournaments.

It is never a bad idea to work on speed/quickness/flexibility and balance. It sounds weird, but things like yoga classes can be really helpful to young athletes, especially when they are still growing. It never hurts to be stronger either, so picking up heavy things and putting them down repeatedly won’t hurt at all. Most cities will have speed training sites where you can take classes as well, although frankly I am not sure how valuable that would be for a three sport kid who is not running track. I would probably encourage my son to keep playing his sports and supplement his workouts with some yoga and maybe some weight training built around improving his core strength. Then adjust as his interests in whatever sport starts to pop through.

As far as size, if he is a legit 6’3", he is tall enough to play football “in the box” (offensive or defensive lines) anywhere. But he is likely at least 60-70 lbs light for the Ivy and maybe 80-90 lbs light for the FBS. He won’t need to be that size in high school, but to be recruitable anywhere in D1 he will need to be significantly heavier than he is now. Carrying that kind of size, even if his frame can take it, is probably not the best thing for his lacrosse future. So at some point those sports are probably going to conflict. I would encourage him to wrestle as long as he can, because I think that sports helps athletes across the board, even if they don’t end up wrestling at the next level.

When to talk to the coaches is going to depend on your particular programs, but I would say that after his sophomore season in each sport is a good time to try and get at least a preliminary read.

Thanks @RightCoaster! At this point he has only been through 2 terms but has a 3.85 gpa (unweighted). He’s planning to take 3 honors classes next year (max available at his school).

Wrestling is the most difficult of his three sports. You can be a state champion & not get an offer in the Big Ten. But wrestling requires balance, strength & quickness plus discipline, so it is a great sport to participate in as long as he is competitive.

With respect to football, a good weightlifting program will add 55 to 70 pounds by his senior year. As an agile lineman, many teams will want him.

If he goes to a Division III school, he’ll be able to continue with 2 sports for sure.

Thank you @Publisher @Ohiodad51 - this is helpful!

Any interest in a service academy? They love the three sport athletes.

@twoinanddone He’s gone to the West Point Lax camps for a few years so he’s gotten a glimpse of life there. He says the Air Force is the only service academy he might be interested in. Although he will (hopefully) be an Eagle Scout by then, I’ve heard that getting nominated from our state is pretty difficult - but definitely something to keep in mind. Thanks!

Recruited athletes are on a different track at service academies. I don’t know exactly how it works, because we didn’t seriously look at that track. But I’m pretty sure if you are a recruited athlete the coach takes care of the nomination process. It isn’t the same as for regular students.

Most of the guys your son’s size in wrestling continue to play football in high school. And a pretty sizable number of the wrestlers with good potential play football in college instead. First, you are looking at full scholarships if FBS. Even if not FBS, lets be honest, there is a lot more glory and recognition by the school and the public for football players. I’m telling you that because there are probably quite a few of the wrestlers you son can’t beat now who won’t even be competing in college. Plus at that size it is fairly rare for a freshman to be competitive. There is just too much of a difference between a 200 pound 15 year old and 18 year old. I’m sure you saw that during competitions. Even if he seems physically mature for a freshman, his top competition is against grown men.

I don’t know lacrosse. Football is very time intensive in college, probably more so than any other sport. Wrestling is very physically and emotionally demanding, probably more so than any other sport. Those aren’t necessarily bad things, but things to consider. If S doesn’t really love wrestling, it’s a pretty brutal grind in college and lots of guys quit for that reason. I assume the other sports are that way too, but maybe not quite to the same degree.

Also, football and wrestling want different body types. I’ve seen guys who are great at both sports struggle with that conflict. There is a kid on my son’s team being recruited for both right now. But he wrestles a heck of a lot better at 260, and plays football better closer to 300. A bit bigger than your son right now, but maybe not by the time he is a senior. This kid was wanting to do both in college but decided to give one sport up because he just couldn’t be as successful trying to gain and drop 40 pounds between seasons. In high school there is nothing wrong with being a 3 sport athlete. But eventually you either need to pick, or decide that you are ok with not really reaching your potential in any of the sports you pursue.

I would talk to the high school coaches now. Hopefully they can give some honest feedback, be sure they know that is what you want. Wrestling is the sport I know best, but I can tell you some kids who are successful at the high school level aren’t going to translate well in college. And some who haven’t quite got it all pulled together in high school have the foundation laid for a great college career. You need to get the opinion of someone who is very familiar with the sport and with your son.

Good luck!