First Step AthleticsLightning
For phones and families

Is there a recruiting app for youth and high school athletes?

Yes. Lightning is a phone-friendly recruiting platform for athletes in 16 sports — build a verified-stat profile, host your film, get matched to college programs, and message coaches, all from your phone for $25–$50 a year.

See Lightning

Most recruiting still runs on a web profile you send to coaches — but building it, updating stats, and reaching out all happen on your phone. Lightning is built for that: a mobile-friendly recruiting profile you set up in minutes, keep current from the stands, and share as one public link. Here is what a recruiting app should do and how Lightning does it.

What a recruiting app should actually do

Four jobs: build a public, verified-stat profile a coach can open on a phone; host your highlight film on that same page; help you find and contact the right college programs; and keep your stats current without a spreadsheet. Lightning covers all four across 16 sports.

Build and update from your phone

Set up your profile, add positions and measurables, upload film, and log game stats live from the stands. Your public link and QR code update instantly, so the version a coach opens is always current.

Find and message college coaches

The Pro tier ($50/yr) includes an AI College Matchmaker that builds a D1-to-JUCO target list with coach contact info, plus outreach email drafting and tracking that shows when a coach opens your message. You send the emails — the app does the finding and the follow-up reminders.

What it costs

The Lightning tier is $25/yr (verified profile, film, coach messaging); Pro is $50/yr (adds the matchmaker, unlimited film, and profile-view + email tracking). There is no free tier, but Pro has a 30-day free trial. One profile covers all 16 sports at no extra cost.

Frequently asked questions

Is Lightning a downloadable app?

Lightning is a mobile-friendly web platform — you use it in your phone browser and can save it to your home screen. Your profile is a public web link coaches open with no app or login required.

What sports does it cover?

Lightning supports 16 sports on a single profile, including baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, football, volleyball, lacrosse, track, and swimming.

Can I track stats during a game?

Yes — players and parents log stats live during games (hitting, pitching, event times), and they flow onto the profile with a badge showing who entered them.

How much does it cost?

The Lightning tier is $25/yr and Pro is $50/yr. There is no free tier, but Pro includes a 30-day free trial.

Does it help me reach college coaches?

The Pro tier includes an AI College Matchmaker with a target list and coach contact info, plus outreach drafting and open-tracking. You send the emails; the app finds the programs and tracks the follow-up.

The recruiting app for 16 sports

Build a verified-stat profile, host your film, and get matched to college programs — from your phone, starting at $25/yr with a 30-day free trial of Pro.

Start your profile