Do colleges ever recruit novice coxswains? By the time recruiting happens I won’t have done any races so is it still possible to get recruited?

Nooo. Being recruited is something that only those who have been at it for at least 3-4 years should consider. Two, maybe, if your erg scores are off the charts but for coxswains, definitely 3-4. It is very, very unlikely that those with two years or less of experience will be recruited, although there are some anomalies (pretty much all of whom are rowers). No coach though is going to consider someone that doesn’t have race experience, since that’s obviously one of the best, easiest, and most available ways to gauge someone’s skill level. Plus, coxing at the collegiate level is tough – way tougher than high school. You really need those three or four years of learning about the sport and gaining the technical knowledge and leadership experience in order to get off on the right foot in college. There’s a lot of pressure because the coaches have extremely high expectations of you, especially and even more so if you’re a recruit. They’re not unattainable, just very high. It’s rare enough for coxswains to be recruited as it is because the coaches want to save the scholarship money they have for the rowers.

If coxing in college is something you’re thinking about, you should consider walking on, which anyone can do. Typically walk-ons make up at least half of the overall team and can be people who rowed/coxed in high school but didn’t go through the recruiting process or people who had never touched an oar before coming to college. Once you’ve been accepted and everything you can email the coach and say you’ve been coxing for a year or however long it’s been and that you’re interested in joining the team once you get to campus. They’ll give you some information and let you know when to show up at the boathouse.