It varies. A lot. Some sports start giving offers early (typically near the end of sophomore year); others give offers later (at the end of junior year). Women’s sports tend to recruit earlier than men’s. Division 1 colleges can give athletes more support through the admissions process, so their top recruits can have lower SAT and ACT scores (for example, every year we have at least a few recruited athletes who only need a 27 on their ACTs to get into Princeton). Division 3 schools can give athletes support, but typically the student needs to still be a viable applicant without recruitment (so having recruitment still helps because it generally guarantees admittance, but a student still needs to score about at the college’s average SAT or ACT score).
Additionally, college athletes who are hoping to get recruited should typically reach out to college coaches (or ask their own coach to reach out to college coaches on their behalf) so that college coaches can gain more awareness of an athlete even before the official recruitment period begins (before that time college coaches are not allowed to initiate communication with potential recruits, but they can respond if the athlete or their coach initiates communication). If a college coach is interested, then the athlete should keep up consistent (but not annoying) communication with the coach: congratulating the coach when his or her team has a big win, updating the coach on the athlete’s own accomplishments, etc.
If you have questions about your athlete’s specific circumstances, we’re always happy to help.