Every college athletic program wants to see verified performance benchmarks — not just film and a letter of intent. We test athletes on day one and re-test every six weeks. The report goes home printed. Those are the numbers you put in the recruiting profile.
Every program in the Midwest has a benchmark sheet. Whether it’s Illinois, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Ohio State, or a D2 program 400 miles away — they want numbers. Here’s what those numbers are, and how we document them.
Approach vertical and standing vertical. The number most D1 volleyball, basketball, and football programs ask for first. We baseline test day one, re-test every 6 weeks.
Football, track, lacrosse, soccer recruiters live by this number. We test, identify the mechanical limiters, and program directly at them. Every re-test is documented.
Horizontal power output. Used by football combine scouts, basketball programs, and volleyball recruiters as a proxy for explosive lower-body development.
Back squat 1RM, power clean, bench press. Position-specific benchmarks for football, wrestling, and strength-sport recruiting programs at the D1 and D2 level.
Fighting Illini programs evaluate volleyball, basketball, football, track & field, and baseball recruits on combine-style numbers. Vertical jump and 40 are benchmarked for all speed/power positions. 2-hour drive from campus to Bloomington.
Wildcat coaches recruit heavily from the Midwest corridor. Academic profile and verified athletic benchmarks both matter. Northwestern volleyball, soccer, and lacrosse programs prioritize movement quality alongside raw numbers.
ISU is literally across town. Redbird volleyball, basketball, and football programs recruit locally and regionally. The Performance Lab has trained athletes who have gone on to compete at ISU. 2-mile drive.
Braves volleyball and basketball programs at the D1 level. Bradley recruits regionally and places a heavy emphasis on measurable athletic development in evaluations.
Saluki football, track, and volleyball programs. SIU runs an active Midwest recruiting pipeline and is reachable for Bloomington-area athletes looking for strong D1 competition without leaving Illinois.
Panthers football, track, and volleyball. EIU has produced NFL players and D1 transfer athletes. Strong development program. Known as a stepping-stone for athletes targeting larger conferences.
Huskies football and volleyball. NIU competes in the MAC and has sent athletes to NFL and professional ranks. Strong foothold in the Illinois recruiting corridor.
UIC Flames volleyball and basketball at the D1 level. Chicago-area programs that recruit statewide for athletic talent with academic eligibility.
Hoosiers volleyball, football, soccer, track, and swimming. IU recruits heavily from the Illinois-Indiana corridor. One of the most recognizable D1 programs within a two-hour drive.
Boilermaker volleyball, football, track & field. Purdue programs are known for data-driven athlete evaluation. Measurable benchmarks in a recruiting profile carry weight with Purdue coaching staffs.
Fighting Irish football, volleyball, lacrosse, soccer, basketball. Notre Dame recruits nationally but values Midwest athletes. Academic standing and verified athletic benchmarks are both critical for evaluation.
Bulldogs volleyball and basketball. Butler is an academic-athletic program with a strong national profile for its size. Recruits regionally for multiple sports.
Cardinals football, volleyball, track. MAC conference program with active recruiting in Illinois and Indiana. Ball State football has a history of sending players to the NFL.
Sycamores football, volleyball, track & field. MVC program recruiting regionally. Good D1 entry point for athletes developing their benchmark numbers.
Beacons volleyball, basketball, soccer. Valpo has historically been one of the stronger mid-major volleyball programs in the Midwest. Consistent D1 recruiter of Illinois athletes.
Every school on this list is within a 5-hour drive of Bloomington. Every one of them actively recruits Illinois athletes. Every one of them wants to see numbers.
Hawkeyes volleyball, football, wrestling, track. Iowa is historically one of the strongest wrestling and volleyball programs in the Big Ten. Illinois is a core recruiting state.
Cyclones football, volleyball, track. ISU competes in the Big 12 and actively recruits Illinois talent. Volleyball and track programs have consistent Midwest pipelines.
Panthers volleyball and football. UNI is a consistent mid-major program with strong volleyball tradition. Accessible D1 option for Illinois athletes with developing benchmarks.
Badgers volleyball, football, track, basketball. Wisconsin volleyball is perennially one of the best programs in the country. Recruiting Illinois talent is a priority for every Wisconsin athletic program.
Golden Eagles volleyball and basketball. Marquette volleyball has been consistently strong at the D1 level. Academic-athletic program recruiting the upper Midwest.
Wolverines football, volleyball, basketball, track. Michigan is one of the most recognized athletic programs in the country. Illinois produces multiple Michigan recruits annually across sports.
Spartans volleyball, football, basketball, track. MSU and Michigan together define the Michigan corridor. Both programs recruit Illinois for football, volleyball, and track.
Broncos football and volleyball. WMU competes in the MAC and provides a strong D1 entry point for athletes targeting Michigan-area programs. Active Illinois recruiter.
Chippewas football and volleyball. CMU runs one of the more active MAC recruiting pipelines in Illinois. Football program has consistent NFL draft representation.
Buckeyes football, volleyball, track, basketball. Ohio State is a top-5 recruiting destination nationally. Illinois athletes who develop verified D1-level numbers are consistently on OSU’s radar, particularly in football and volleyball.
Bearcats football and volleyball. UC competes in the Big 12 and actively recruits the Illinois-Indiana corridor. Football program has sent multiple players to the NFL in recent years.
Bobcats football and volleyball. OU is a consistent MAC performer that recruits Illinois talent regularly, especially for football skill positions and volleyball.
Rockets football and volleyball. Toledo has been one of the stronger MAC football programs over the last decade. Under four hours from Bloomington. Active Illinois pipeline.
Falcons football, volleyball, track. BGSU has one of the stronger MAC volleyball traditions. Consistent recruiter of Illinois and Indiana athletes.
Flyers volleyball and basketball. University of Dayton is a strong academic-athletic program. Volleyball program is consistently competitive at the D1 level.
Gophers volleyball, football, wrestling. Minnesota volleyball is one of the most decorated programs in Big Ten history. Illinois athletes are a consistent part of the Gopher recruiting pipeline.
Tigers football, volleyball, track. Mizzou competes in the SEC and actively recruits the I-55 corridor through Illinois. Football and volleyball both have Illinois ties.
Cornhuskers volleyball, football, track. Nebraska volleyball is a national powerhouse. Football program has one of the most loyal fan bases and recruiting pipelines in the country. Illinois athletes are consistently targeted.
Bluejays volleyball and basketball. Creighton volleyball is a perennial top-25 program nationally. Big East program with an aggressive Midwest recruiting presence, particularly for volleyball.
Wildcats volleyball, basketball, football, track. Kentucky volleyball has been one of the best programs in the country. Illinois athletes routinely end up in Lexington across multiple sports.
Cardinals volleyball, football, track, basketball. U of L is within a 5-hour drive and actively recruits Illinois. Football and volleyball both maintain Illinois pipelines.
D1 volleyball benchmarks vary by position and program tier. A general framework: outside hitters and middles typically want to show approach verticals of 24”+ for Power Five programs, 20”+ for mid-major D1. Setters and liberos are evaluated more on movement quality and lateral speed. Standing reach and blocking reach matter heavily for middles. Every program publishes different standards — the universal truth is that the numbers need to exist and be verified. We document them every six weeks so your daughter has something to hand a coach.
Football recruiters want the number verified — ideally at a camp, showcase, or through a coach’s direct evaluation. The number you show up with needs to be one your athlete can reproduce. If your son is training and re-testing every six weeks, when he walks into a camp with a 4.6, he’s confident it’s real. That confidence reads. We baseline test, document, and track the 40 alongside broad jump and vertical throughout training.
ISU is across town — two miles from The Performance Lab. It’s a legitimate D1 program in the Missouri Valley Conference with volleyball, football, basketball, and track competing at a high level. For athletes who want to stay close to home or use ISU as a stepping stone, the recruiting proximity is an advantage. We’ve worked with athletes who have gone on to compete at ISU.
D1 programs can offer full athletic scholarships covering tuition, room, board, and books. D2 programs offer partial scholarships — athletes typically stack athletic and academic aid to cover costs. D3 programs cannot offer athletic scholarships, only academic and need-based aid. Within each division, scholarship limits vary by sport. The Performance Lab prepares athletes for all three divisions — the benchmark testing and documented progress matters at every level.
The short answer: now. The honest answer: by 9th grade, ideally earlier. Programs at Illinois, Indiana, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, and Michigan begin soft evaluations of athletes in 9th and 10th grade. That means your athlete needs documented progress — verifiable benchmark numbers that trend upward — before the junior year evaluation cycle. We work with athletes from 5th grade through college and adjust the recruiting focus of programming based on where they are in the cycle.
Yes. Illinois produces Big Ten athletes every cycle. Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, and Ohio State all recruit the state regularly. The difference between the athletes who get offers and the ones who don’t is often not raw talent — it’s whether the numbers are documented and the athlete is visible. A printed performance report every six weeks gives your athlete something concrete to send to coaching staffs.
Your athlete leaves with their baseline data — 40-yard, approach vertical, broad jump, movement screen. Those are the numbers you start building the recruiting profile around. No pitch. No commitment at the door.