Perry High School has a record of student-athletes who have been recruited to various colleges to play their chosen sports, and this year is no exception. Seniors Justin Still and Alyssa Montoya, among others, have committed to their chosen college. For some, COVID-19 changed the way they were scouted and recruited while others were almost unaffected. 

Dylan Anderson, a junior, has already been receiving many recruitment offers. Standing at 6’11”, Anderson is a huge asset for Perry’s varsity basketball team, and college coaches are eager to recruit him. 

Anderson has received offers from Arizona State University, Gonzaga University, University of California, Berkeley, and many others. He has yet to decide where he wants to play but has kept practicing throughout quarantine. Anderson said, “We have a private gym, so we stayed in there the whole time.” This has allowed him to keep improving his skills, despite having a shorter season. 

Due to COVID, NCAA has suspended in-person recruiting for Division 1 athletes until April 15, 2021. This restriction has caused hundreds of athletes to lose the opportunity to play college sports, all because recruiters are not allowed to come to watch players in-person.

Anderson was personally affected by the NCAA suspension of in-person scouting, saying that he was scouted “off of zoom calls, but mostly phone calls” this past season. 

Unlike many student-athletes however, Anderson was contacted by coaches first, instead of having to contact them. Despite this, Anderson prefers to not make a decision regarding colleges, rather choosing to wait until he can participate in a campus tour. 

For other student-athletes, COVID did not affect the scouting process too much. Varsity baseball player Still, signed with the University of New Mexico this Spring during quarantine. Luckily for him, COVID did not affect him as much as other players. Still said, “I had committed before COVID happened, but it has affected some of my friends.” 

Still also said, “No colleges can come out and watch, so some kids are going to go uncommitted because nobody can come watch them.” 

Still was able to tour the University of New Mexico, in October of 2019, allowing him an inside view of where he was committing, which many student-athletes have not been allowed to do. Due to Coronavirus restrictions nationwide, college campuses have been closed and not offering paid in-person tours. Touring a college campus helps student-athletes decide where they want to play.  

Athletic Director Jennifer Burks, said that instead of student-athletes receiving paid college tours “students are paying for those themselves and doing unofficial visits before committing.” 

COVID-19 has caused many student-athletes to miss out on scouting and recruiting opportunities this year, and many more will continue to be affected throughout the duration of this school year.