How to Become a Howard Payne University Yellow Jacket Athlete

Updated

Start with the Become A Jacket section on the official Howard Payne University Athletics website (hpusports.com). It is listed in the site's main navigation and is the intended entry point for prospective student-athletes. Because the site does not publish a detailed recruitment checklist on its homepage, the practical path is: use that section to identify your sport and the relevant coach, then contact the coaching staff directly for sport-specific tryout, recruiting, and eligibility steps.

What the Official Site Provides

The HPU Athletics site is the official athletics website for the Howard Payne University Yellow Jackets. Its main navigation includes:

  • Main
  • Top Stories
  • Events (upcoming events, recent results, composite calendar)
  • HPU On Youtube
  • Become A Jacket

It also links out to Schedules, Social Media, a Video Zone, and follow options for Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, plus a Subscribe option.

For a prospective athlete, the useful pieces are:

Site section What it helps you do
Become A Jacket Start the recruiting/prospect process
Schedules See which sports compete and when
Top Stories Learn about current teams and programs
Social Media / Video Zone Get a feel for programs and follow updates

Steps to Pursue a Roster Spot

  1. Open hpusports.com and locate the Become A Jacket link in the main navigation.
  2. Follow that section to whatever recruitment or prospect information HPU provides there. This is the site's designated path for people who want to join a team.
  3. Identify your sport using the Schedules or Top Stories sections if you are unsure which programs HPU fields.
  4. Contact the head coach for your sport directly. The site does not spell out a universal recruitment procedure, so the coach is the person who can tell you about roster needs, tryouts, and what they want to see from a recruit.
  5. Reach out to athletics staff if you cannot find a coach contact or need general department guidance.
  6. Follow the program through the site's social media and video links so you stay current on schedules and announcements while you pursue a spot.

What to Have Ready When You Contact a Coach

Since the site does not publish a required document list, treat this as a practical starting point and confirm specifics with the coach:

  • Your sport, position, and graduation year
  • Game film or highlight links
  • Academic information relevant to university admission
  • Your contact details and a short statement of interest

Common Sticking Points

  • Expecting a single online application. The site points you to "Become A Jacket," but recruitment at the sport level typically runs through coaches, so plan to make direct contact.
  • Skipping the sport-specific step. Requirements, timelines, and roster openings differ by team. A general inquiry to the athletics department may be slower than emailing the coach who recruits your position.
  • Assuming the site lists everything. The homepage evidence shows navigation and content areas, not a published recruiting form or eligibility guide. If a link is not obvious, ask the coach or athletics staff where to send your information.

Bottom Line

Use Become A Jacket on hpusports.com as your starting point, then go straight to the head coach for your sport for the actual recruiting steps. The website orients you toward the right people; the coach confirms what a roster spot requires.