1. Goals and Ability Assessment
1. A.
If you are interested in playing college athletics - there is a place for you!
They key is finding the best fit for both your academic and your athletic abilities and understanding your commitment to both. Ideally you will find a school that is a good match for you, where you will actually play on the team, rather than watch the team. Your college sport days can be
some of the best of your life!
1. B.
There are two typical inroads for athletes. If you are a solid high school player with an
outstanding record, the college coaches will contact you. If that doesn’t
happen, don’t get discouraged!
So it's common that many young players don’t peak during their until after their year, yet coaches can see the potential. In this case, you will be the one to initiate contact.
Perhaps you are a player who simply enjoys playing the game and would like to continue to do so on the college level. NCAA Division II or III or NAIA schools can be excellent options. Many travel extensively and play a competitive schedule. You can also consider being a “walk-on”. Enroll, try out for the team and earn your scholarship by your performance.
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2. RECRUITING TIMELINES
9TH GRADE
2. A.
- A freshman becomes a PSA or Prospective Student Athlete once they begin their 9th grade classes.
- As a freshman, your core academic courses will count towards your initial NCAA Eligibility.
- Coaches are not able to send written correspondence to a PSA until Sept. 1 of a PSA’s Junior year and are not allowed to initiate phone calls to a PSA until July1st following your Junior year. However, coaches may send a PSA camp brochures or an athletic questionnaire at any time.
- A PSA may visit college campuses at his/ her own expense (unofficial visits) regardless of their age. Once the PSA is on campus, regardless of their age, the coach is allowed to talk to them, show them their practice facilities and provide the PSA up to 3 tickets to any home athletic contest.
- When you are arranging a visit, be aware of NCAA recruiting rules (see above), based on your year in school, so that you can use the proper communication methods when contacting college coaches. If you are trying to arrange a visit prior to your Junior year, then you must try to reach the coach via phone , as they are not allowed to reply to your emails until September 1 of your Junior year. College coaches are difficult to contact by phone as they are rarely in their offices! If you miss them initially, keep trying to call them as there is no limit to the number.
2. B.
10th GRADE
- Sophomores are encouraged to take the PSAT and PACT. •SAT and ACT practice exams can be found at bookstores and online. Continue to ensure that you are taking the proper classes (review the NCAA Eligibility Center website) and making academics a priority. Continue unofficial visits (see 9th grade information).
2. C.
11th GRADE
- Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center during your junior year in high school.
- Once you complete your Junior year, your high school transcripts should be sent to the Eligibility Center as well as your SAT/ACT test scores. For more information go to www.eligibilitycenter.org.
- Continue to ensure that you are taking the proper classes (review the NCAA Eligibility Center website) and making academics a priority.
- Juniors are encouraged to take SAT & ACT exams multiple times. When taking the exam be sure to mark ‘9999’ on the exam, as this will have your scores automatically sent to the NCAA Eligibility Center.
- NCAA rules do not allow college coaches to contact PSA’s until Sept. 1 of their Junior year. At that time they may begin to send you recruiting information. Coaches are not allowed to initiate calls until after July 1st, following your Junior year. Coaches are limited to initiating one phone call per week (remember, you can call a coach anytime) and a total of three off-campus contacts may be made throughout the recruiting process.
- Continue unofficial visits.
3. Gathering Information
Make a list of what is important to you in a college. Suggestions to consider:
- Does the college offer your study of interest? Education should be your priority as not everyone continues on to be a professional athlete and it is important to have a degree in something that suites your skills and interests.
- How big is the college? Is it too big? Too small? What is the normal class size? Are you comfortable in a large lecture hall or would you prefer a small class size?
- Living outside of your "Home State" can be an excellent part of your education if you are comfortable with the idea of being far away from home. It is good to think about the size of the city and the climate and what are you comfortable with?
- What is the tuition and is this a realistic number?
- What are the admission standards? Are your GPA and test scores where they need to be for this school to be an option?
Research the team, their statistics and the coach. The more
information you have, the better you will be able to decide if a school is
the right fit.
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4. Questionnaires
After reviewing your resume, college coaches may respond by sending you an athletic questionnaire or direct you to their website to complete an on-line version. Some of you may receive a questionnaire as early as 9th grade. In all cases, these should be completed and returned to the
coach in a timely fashion.
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5. PARENTS AND RECRUITING
Parents play a critical role during this recruiting period. Going through this process is very stressful, not only on the player but on parents, too. Take your time, as this decision is one of the most
important decisions a junior will make.
5.
- Be supportive and encouraging during the process to help your child stay positive.
- Be realistic when discussing the junior’s potential college choices, keeping in mind that every child is different.
- Always encourage the "athlete" to begin the process early.
- Talk to other parents about the college selection process.
- Plan to visit colleges early as this will give your child a better understanding about colleges, their differences and preferences.
- Keep high school academics the focus. Include preparation for SAT and ACT tests.
- When talking to the coach, do not answer questions for the athlete.
• The Athlete typically, will respond to more positive influence. Try not put pressure on your child to play better and connect that to receiving a scholarship.
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6. Scholarships
- Full ride scholarships are not actually rare but players often are asked to walk on to prove themselves first.
- A full grant-in-aid consists of tuition, fees, room & board and required course books.
- Athletes may be awarded all or part of a full grant-in-aid on a yearly basis. Renewals are not automatic.
- College coaches divide the scholarships available so they can offer financial aid to more students.
- It is in the best interest of the coach and prospective team to divide his scholarship grants.
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7. Financial Aid?
Financial Aid is money that is given, paid or loaned to student to help pay for your college or vocational training. It helps eligible students pay for educational expenses at an eligible post secondary school (e.g. college, vocational school, graduate school).There are several types of financial aid for college students:
| Federal Grants | Federal funding given as awards and do not require repayment. |
| State Grants | State funding given as awards and do not require repayment. |
| Federal Loans | Funding borrowed from a lending institution. You are required to repay the loan amount and interest fees |
| Scholarships | Funding given as awards and do not require repayment. |
| Work-Study | This allows you to earn money for your education (Off-campus community service work opportunities are provided through the Federal Work-Study Program. On- and off-campus work-study employment assignments are coordinated by the Financial Planning Services Office). |
| Other |
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8. Campus Visits
Visiting colleges is an important part of the process.
8. A.
- Plan on taking no more than 30 minutes of the coach’s time. In this short period, be prepared to ask questions and make a positive impression. Bringing a note pad with your questions and a place to write down answers will help you feel prepared and organized.
- Team and Practice Commitments, hours, GPA, ect.
- Do you have a mandatory strength and conditioning program?
- How many players will you recruit over the next two years?
- Who are some of the other players in my graduating class you are recruiting?
- How competitive do you think the team will be over the next several years?
- How do you interact with players during practice to improve their game?
- How is the traveling team determined?
9. NCAA RULES IN REVIEW
RULES OF RECRUITING
During 2011, the NCAA is expected to announce major changes to the college Athletic recruiting process. Please make sure to check the NCAA’s website, www.ncaa.org for the most up to date information on the Division I recruiting process.
9. A.
Rules of Recruiting:
- Please keep in mind that Coaches are not able to send written correspondence to a PSA until Sept. 1 of a PSA’s Junior year and are not allowed to initiate phone calls to a PSA until July 1st following your Junior year. However, coaches my send a PSA a camp brochure or athletic questionnaire at anytime.
- A PSA may visit college campuses at his/her own expense (unofficial visits) regardless of their age. Once the PSA is on campus, the coach is allowed to talk to them, show them their practice facilities and provide the PSA up to 3 tickets to any home athletic contest.
- When you are trying to arrange a visit be aware of NCAA recruiting rules (see above), based on your year in school, so that you can use the proper communication methods when contacting college coaches.
- If you are trying to arrange a visit prior to your Junior year, than you must try to reach the coach via phone, as they are not allowed to reply to your emails until September 1 of your Junior year.
- College coaches are difficult to contact by phone as they are rarely in their offices! If you miss them initially, keep trying to call them. Remember, there is no limit to the number of times a PSA can call or email a coach.
9. B.
Telephone Calls:
- In Division I, Phone calls from faculty members and coaches are not permitted until July 1 after the completion of your junior year.
- After this, a college coach or faculty member may call you or your parents once a week.
- In Division II and Divsion III coaches may initiate phone calls to a PSA beginning June 15 after your Junior year. D3 can call a PSA at any time. You or your parents may call a coach as often as you wish and at anytime, regardless of your year in school.
9. C.
Contact:
- A college coach may contact you in person off the college campus no more than three times on or after July 1 of your junior year.
- Any face-to-face meeting between a college coach and you or your parents, during which any of you say more than “hello” is a contact.
- Any face-to-face meeting that is prearranged or that occurs at your high school, competition or practice site is a contact, regardless of the conversation.
- Coaches may not contact you off the college campus more than three times.
9. D.
Evaluations:
- An evaluation is any off-campus activity used to assess your academic qualifications or athletic ability, including a visit to your high school (during which no contact occurs) or watching you practice or compete at any site.
- Institutions have seven permissible recruiting opportunities (contacts and evaluations) during the academic year, and not more than three of the seven opportunities may be in-person, off-campus contacts.
- Once you sign a National Letter of Intent, there is no limit to the number of contacts, evaluations or phone calls a coach (with whom you signed) can make.
10.
Official Visits:
- During your senior year, you can have one expense paid (official) visit per college.
- You may receive no more than five such visits.
- You cannot make an official visit unless you have registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center, provided the college your high school academic transcript and a score from a PSAT, an SAT, a PACT or an ACT taken on a national test date under national testing conditions.
11.
National Letter of Intent:
- A National Letter of Intent is an agreement signed by the Prospective Student-Athlete, parent or legal guardian and the athletic director.
- The agreement states that the institution agrees to provide the Prospective Student-Athlete, who is admitted to the institution and is eligible for financial aid under NCAA rules, athletic aid for one academic year in exchange for the prospect’s agreement to attend the institution for one academic year. Other institutions agree not to recruit the athlete, once they have signed an NLI.
or call (205) 458-3000.
NCAA Eligibility-
This is a guideline only. Consult the NCAA official websites for official information.
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