Sports recruiting company BeRecruited has announced a partnership with Hi-Rez Studios to give resources to high school students interested in playing Paladins or SMITE at a collegiate level.
Earlier this year BeRecruited became the official recruiting partner of the National Association of Collegiate Esports, a member-driven nonprofit organization that develops esports programs at collegiate institutions around the country. Just last month the NACE announced its partnership with Hi-Rez as well to establish varsity programs in Paladins and SMITE for members of the association. The NACE also partners with resources involved in esports at a younger level like the High School Esports League, Gamer Sensei, The National Junior College Athletic Association and Twitch Student.
Caedmon Patalano, General Manager of BeRecruited said: “There are currently about 83 college esports programs in the U.S. and the National Association of Collegiate Esports member schools offering varsity competitions for SMITE and Paladins. It’s exciting to see new doors to higher education opening up for gamers and we’re looking forward to helping SMITE and Paladins players find their way on to a collegiate esports team.”
The collegiate esports scene is vastly growing with institutions establishing varsity teams, joining the NACE, offering scholarships and some even offering degrees in esports like Becker College.
Todd Harris, Hi-Rez Studios Chief Operating Officer told Esports Insider: “The college esports landscape is exploding, with more than 80 college varsity programs and thousands of club-level programs. But I hear from campus leaders that they struggle to identify and recruit talent because there is no central database. BeRecruited pioneered digital recruiting for traditional sports and we’re excited to support them as they expand into esports with Smite and Paladins and other titles”.
“We recognized early on that as a publisher we can play an important role in the success of esports in the college space. Our partnership with BeRecruited is critical because it allows us to connect players and college coaches in a mutually beneficial way, so the path to college for our players will be similar to that of a traditional collegiate esports athlete.”
Esports Insider says: BeRecruited entering esports, in general, will be a welcoming tool for high school players interested in the collegiate scene. This further partnership with Hi-Rez Studios not only brings legitimacy to the platform but will open up new opportunities for students. We will certainly keep our eyes on the talent pool coming from BeRecruited.