In 7th grade, Caitlin Clark began receiving college recruitment letters.

It did not take long for colleges to start recruiting Caitlin Clark.

During a recent appearance on "New Heights," Clark confirmed that he received his first recruitment letter in seventh grade, as Travis Kelce had previously stated.

Indiana Fever star expressed her gratitude for how her parents handled the early recruitment letters from schools.

College recruitment has become insane, and I feel fortunate that my parents didn't pressure me to worry about it during my seventh grade year. They wanted me to enjoy middle school and spend time with my friends, rather than stressing about my future college plans.

At the time, Clark didn't think much about it because she was just enjoying playing basketball and having fun.

"Seventh grade was wild, and I was playing up two years, so I was playing with high schoolers. However, I didn't really think much about it. I was just going out there and hooping and having fun. It's kind of just what came with it," Clark said.

Her parents shielded her from exhaustion by limiting her basketball playing time, according to the former Iowa standout.

Clark stated that he played AAU and then for his high school team, but his mom would always caution him about playing too many games in one day. She would say, "She is not playing more than like three games or two games in one day, like that’s crazy," because sometimes they would want him to play for the seventh grade team and the eighth grade team. However, his parents were careful not to let him lose the love of the game by setting limits on the number of games he played. They wanted to ensure that he didn't get burned out and still enjoyed it as a professional if he was lucky enough.

"As a child, I may have thought, "Mom, no, I can keep going, keep playing," but now I realize how fortunate I am to still have that love and passion for it. People often get burned out because they overdid it as kids, and their parents or others forced it on them too much. I was never subjected to that, so I feel very fortunate."

She stated that she had no immediate plans to determine her college destination.

Clark stated that he did not take any visits until after his freshman year of high school and did not decide until his senior year. As a result, he was never in a rush and his parents ensured that he had a good circle of friends around him. Unlike what was common when he was growing up, Clark did not post his offers on social media.

Iowa was Clark's choice, as she opted to remain in the Midwest and had an exceptional college career.

She holds the record for the highest scoring in NCAA Division I and has been named AP Player of the Year twice, along with numerous other honors.

Iowa has already retired her No. 22 jersey number.

In the 2024 WNBA Draft, the Fever chose her with the No. 1 overall pick after her success at Iowa.

In her rookie season, Clark was named WNBA Rookie of the Year, made the All-Star team, led the league in assists, and helped the Fever reach the playoffs.

In 2024, Clark was recognized as Time magazine's Athlete of the Year.

Subscribe to the Planet Chronicle Sports Huddle newsletter and follow Planet Chronicle Digital's sports coverage on X.