Your athlete can email college track and field coaches today. Here's exactly what to send, and when.

Buy the Playbook – $29.99
All sales are final. No refunds.

Support your school's athletic department. Name your high school at checkout. Your school earns 20% of every playbook sold to its families, and a flat $10 per copy once the school passes 30 copies. Choose your sport too. Your school doesn't need to be signed up. We'll hold its share and reach out to the athletic department.

D1 track and field coaches can reply starting June 15 after sophomore year.

Until then they can still read your emails and look at your results, and you can go to their camps. Off-campus contact also opens June 15 after sophomore year (Bylaw 13.1.1.1.9), official and unofficial visits open Aug. 1 before junior year, written offers can't come before Aug. 1 of senior year, D1 and D2 signing opens Nov. 11, 2026, and the D1 cross country and track transfer windows run Nov. 23 - Dec. 7, 2026 and June 14-23, 2027. D2, D3, NAIA and JUCO coaches can talk with you sooner.

This playbook shows you how to do it yourself, without paying for an expensive recruiting service.

What's inside

• A 30-day quick start. Four weeks of checklists: athlete email, results links and film, a clean recruiting profile, a target list and your first emails.
• A plan for each grade, freshman through senior, with a page per year.
• D1 cross country and track and field rules and the 2026-27 calendar: contact, camp and visit dates, recruiting opportunities and dead periods.
• D2, D3, NAIA and NJCAA rules: contact, visits and athletic aid (D2 12.6, NAIA 12 track and 5 cross country, NJCAA 20 track and field / 10 cross country).
• Roster limits after the House settlement (45 indoor, 45 outdoor and 17 cross country at opt-in D1 schools) and the new age-based eligibility clock.
• 2026-27 championships for NCAA and NAIA cross country, indoor and outdoor track.
• GPA & academics: a core GPA worksheet, the 10/7 rule, D1/D2/D3/NAIA/JUCO requirements and a grade-by-grade academic plan.
• Events, marks and what coaches ask for: event groups, FAT vs. hand timing, wind readings and implements.
• High school meets, invitationals and college camps: how they work under NCAA rules and the questions to ask before you pay.
• Target list builder and how to find the right men's or women's staff to email.
• Questions to ask college coaches, parent etiquette, committing and decommitting, and a recruiting budget planner.
• Social media setup and cleanup, plus Instagram and Facebook guides for recruits and parents.
• The subject line formula, master coach email, school-specific versions and follow-ups.
• Visits, written offers and signing, the transfer portal, NIL, JUCO, redshirts, prep years and international athletes, eligibility and amateurism, and scam red flags.
• Printable athlete info checklist and meet bag, and a parent glossary.

Plus: the Excel recruiting tracker

Eight tabs. Target Schools comes preloaded with all 2,354 men's and women's NCAA D1, D2, D3, NAIA and NJCAA track and field programs from our directory, each with its official coaching staff page, so you can filter by gender, division, state and conference. There are also Contacts, Emails Sent, a Follow-ups queue, Meets & Camps (preloaded with the 2026-27 D1 cross country and track and field dead periods, signing dates, transfer windows and championships), Visits, Offers and Athlete Profile.

Built on sources you can check

Rules are checked against official NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA material (last checked Oct 27, 2026), and every source is linked at the back. NJCAA programs come from njcaa.org team lists as published, and NJCAA championship dates aren't listed; check njcaa.org. We don't make up statistics or "what D1 wants" charts, and we don't copy coach names or emails. Coaching staffs change, so the playbook sends you to each school's official staff page.

Who it's for

Parents of high school track, field and cross country athletes, men's and women's, freshman through senior year, from D1 hopefuls to athletes aiming for D2, D3, NAIA or JUCO.

How school giveback works

What is it? The athletic department of the high school you enter at checkout earns 20% of the $29.99 price on each of the school's first 30 copies, then a flat $10 per copy from copy 31 on. All sports at a school count together.

Who gets it? The school's athletic department, with your sport noted on each payment and report so the school credits that team. A sport's booster club can receive it only if the head coach requests it in writing and the athletic director approves in writing. It's never paid to individuals, including coaches. Next Level Pathway pays it from its own revenue, so your purchase isn't a tax-deductible donation.

When is it paid? Each sale's share is payable 60 days after the sale, and we pay monthly once the school has claimed its share. Sales that are reversed (for example by a payment dispute or chargeback) don't earn a payment and don't count toward the 30 copies.

Does my school need to be signed up? No. Enter any high school. If it hasn't claimed its giveback yet, we hold its share for that sport and reach out to the athletic department. If it's still unclaimed 12 months after your purchase, that share goes to youth track and field, such as sponsoring youth clubs, meets, or youth track and field charities, chosen by Next Level Pathway each year, with receipts kept and a short public note on this site.

What do I need to do? Just type your high school and choose your sport at checkout. Please use the school's full name and city so we can match it.

FAQ

Is this a recruiting service? No. It's a do-it-yourself guide and tracker. You and your athlete stay in control and send every email yourselves.

Do you guarantee a roster spot or scholarship? No one honestly can. What this gives you is a clear plan and better emails.

What format is it? An instant-download PDF (print-friendly) and an .xlsx tracker that works in Excel or Google Sheets.

Can I get a refund? All sales are final. No refunds. The playbook and tracker are digital files delivered right after purchase, so please review this page and what's included before you buy. Trouble downloading? Email support@nextlevelpathway.com and we'll help.

Questions? Email support@nextlevelpathway.com and we'll get back to you.

Buy the Playbook – $29.99
All sales are final. No refunds.

Support your school's athletic department. Name your high school at checkout. Your school earns 20% of every playbook sold to its families, and a flat $10 per copy once the school passes 30 copies. Choose your sport too. Your school doesn't need to be signed up. We'll hold its share and reach out to the athletic department.

Next Level Pathway is independent and not affiliated with the NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA, any club organization, or any college. This playbook is general guidance. Confirm all rules with the NCAA, NAIA or NJCAA and with each school's compliance office.