College coaches are pushing the N.C.A.A. to end a largely hidden practice that has become increasingly common: the recruitment of young high school and occasionally even middle school students.
Women’s lacrosse and softball coaches separately sought approval from the N.C.A.A. this fall for proposals that would limit recruiting of younger students. Men’s lacrosse coaches are set to discuss doing something similar at their annual meeting this month. Ivy League universities have recently started sending letters of caution to young students involved in so-called early recruiting.
The athletics director at Harvard, Bob Scalise, wrote a letter to the Harvard community this fall pointing to the problems created by early recruiting — both for students and universities — arguing that the “N.