Rivals Introduced Paid Athlete Evaluation Program
The recruiting platform launched a service that provides scouting reports for a fee.
Updated on Sept. 24, 2026 in Secondary Education
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Recruiting site Rivals has launched a new program called Rivals Recruits, which allows high school athletes to pay $500 for a professional evaluation. Participants receive a scouting report and potential ranking consideration regardless of their collegiate division.
Why it matters
The program aims to address a capacity gap in the existing recruiting evaluation system by providing opportunities for a larger portion of the high school athlete population to get noticed by scouts.
The new Rivals Recruits service costs $500 per high school athlete, though payment does not guarantee any specific star rating or designation. Currently, Rivals maintains about 6,600 star-rated prospects across three classes.
The players
Rivals
This recruiting platform provides rankings and scouting reports for high school athletes across the United States.
On3
This sports media company focused on college football recruiting acquired the Rivals platform in 2025.
The details
Athletes initiate the process by creating a verified profile and uploading their film and statistics. Scouts then review the submitted materials to provide a formal scouting report and an evaluation grade.
Timeline
On3 acquired the recruiting site Rivals in 2025.
Rivals announced the Rivals Recruits program on September 24, 2026.
Culture Shift
The introduction of a pay-to-play evaluation model represents a shift toward monetizing the gap between the vast number of high school athletes and the limited spots in scouting databases. It signals a move away from purely scout-driven discovery toward a more commercial, user-driven access model.
Families must decide if the $500 investment provides sufficient value given that payment does not guarantee a higher ranking. High school athletes should consider whether their existing highlight film and stats are strong enough to benefit from a third-party professional scouting report.
The takeaway
This service provides an alternative pathway for athletes seeking visibility in a highly competitive recruiting environment. Prospective participants should evaluate the potential for objective feedback against the upfront cost of the service.
Further reading
For more context on the shifting landscape of high school sports, visit Secondary Education.
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Do you support recruiting sites charging high school athletes a fee to be evaluated?
