Prospective College Athletes

Steps to Being a Recruited Athlete

Determine the Appropriate NCAA Division Level at which you can compete – Junior Year

  • Seek the advice of your GA coach (if you play for a club team or take lessons from an outside professional, consult these individuals as well)
  • Compare your statistics to those of players on college teams by visiting the athletic section of the college websites.  This tip is extremely helpful for sports based on times, such as swimming, cross country and track.
  • Compare your athletic experience to these very general guidelines:
  • To Compete at the NCAA Division I Level
    • be actively recruited
    • have been all-state, all-conference, or all-league champion
    • have qualified to compete at a junior or senior national meet
    • train, cross-train, or compete year round and include weight/fitness training as part of your season and off-season program
    • participate in summer camps that are known to have recruiters present
  • To Compete at the NCAA Division II Level
    • have been part of a successful team program
    • have competed at a regional level
    • train in your sport seasonally and never have medalled beyond state competition
  • To Compete at the NCAA Division III Level (no athletic scholarships)
    • compete only during season at your high school
    • have never qualified for state competition
    • be a good athlete choosing to enter training in sport for which you have no previous experience

Contact college coaches by email or phone– Junior Year

  • Begin by visiting the athletic section of each college’s website.  Most have an athletic inquiry form for prospective college athletes to complete.
    • Complete this form and/or
    • Send an email to college coaches along with a copy of your athletic resume (see attached), and your unofficial transcript and SAT scores (Mrs. Allenson can fax transcripts to college coaches or provide you with an unofficial copy of your transcript to give to coaches).
  • Consult The National Directory of College Athletics for phone numbers, emails, addresses and coach’s names along with the websites’ of the colleges (a copy is available in College Guidance)
  • Provide the coach with a list of tournaments in which you will participate and a list of your games/matches.
  • Be up-front with college coaches about your grades, course selection and SAT/ACT scores, especially if you know that your academic profile is below that of the typical student admitted.  Share your course selection, grades, and SAT scores and ask if you are the type of student the coach has been able to help gain admission.  By not being up-front, you risk wasting your time and the coach’s time.

Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center –Junior Year

  • If you are planning to play DI or DII athletics, you must register with the NCAA Eligibility Center (www.eligibilitycenter.org).
  • Once you register, you will need to request College Counseling (see Mrs. Allenson) to send your transcript (see attached form that should accompany the transcript).
  • If you attended another high school, you must also send that transcript.

Develop a videotape of your athletic performance

Include a section on your skills, yourself in competition and yourself in training.

  • Consult your coach about specifics for your sport
  • Email a copy of your Competition Schedule – Junior Year for Spring Sports and Senior Year for Fall and Winter Sports
  • Make it possible for college coaches to observe you in competition

Work with Your College Counselor

  • Keep your college counselor in the loop.
  • Explore colleges to which you can gain admission without the help of an athletic coach.

BE REALISTIC – Throughout the Process, especially Senior Year

  • Be cautious when dealing with college coaches – coaches are typically individuals of integrity who have to recruit many students.  When you walk through the door, you may very well be the best ______ that they have seen, but realize that tomorrow someone better may walk through their door, and suddenly you are not their first choice. Realize that they cannot assume you will commit to their school so they will recruit others.
  • Ask coaches questions such as:
    • Explain the influence you can have in the admission process.
    • Where do I stand in your list of desired athletes?
    • Will you use your influence in admissions to help me gain admission?
    • Will you take my transcript and SAT scores to the admission officer who is your liaison and get an early read on my chances for admission?  When will this process take place?

Recruiting Definitions (from the NCAA.org website)

Contact
A contact occurs any time a coach has any face-to-face contact with you or your parents off the college's campus and says more than hello. A contact also occurs if a coach has any contact with you or your parents at your high school or any location where you are competing or practicing.

Contact Period 
During this time, a college coach may have in-person contact with you and/or your parents on or off the college's campus. The coach may also watch you play or visit your high school. You and your parents may visit a college campus and the coach may write and telephone you during this period.

Dead Period 
The college coach may not have any in-person contact with you or your parents at any time in the dead period. The coach may write and telephone you or your parents during this time.

Evaluation.
An evaluation is an activity by a coach to evaluate your academic or athletics ability. This would include visiting your high school or watching you practice or compete.

Evaluation Period 
The college coach may watch you play or visit your high school, but cannot have any in-person conversations with you or your parents off the college's campus. You and your parents can visit a college campus during this period. A coach may write and telephone you or your parents during this time.

Official Visit 
Any visit to a college campus by you and your parents paid for by the college. The college may pay the following expenses:
• Your transportation to and from the college;
• Room and meals (three per day) while you are visiting the college; and
• Reasonable entertainment expenses, including three complimentary admissions to a home athletics contest.

Before a college may invite you on an official visit, you will have to provide the college with a copy of your high school transcript (Division I only) and SAT, ACT or PLAN score and register with the NCAA Eligibility Center.

Prospective Student-Athlete 
You become a “prospective student-athlete” when:
• You start ninth-grade classes; or
• Before your ninth-grade year, a college gives you, your relatives or your friends any financial aid or other benefits that the college does not provide to students generally.

Quiet Period 
The college coach may not have any in-person contact with you or your parents off the college's campus. The coach may not watch you play or visit your high school during this period. You and your parents may visit a college campus during this time. A coach may write or telephone you or your parents during this time.

Unofficial Visit 
Any visit by you and your parents to a college campus paid for by you or your parents. The only expense you may receive from the college is three complimentary admissions to a home athletics contest. You may make as many unofficial visits as you like and may take those visits at any time. The only time you cannot talk with a coach during an unofficial visit is during a dead period.

Verbal Commitment 

This phrase is used to describe a college-bound student-athlete's commitment to a school before he or she signs (or is able to sign) a National Letter of Intent. A college-bound student-athlete can announce a verbal commitment at any time. While verbal commitments have become very popular for both college-bound student-athletes and coaches, this "commitment" is NOT binding on either the college-bound student-athlete or the school. Only the signing of the National Letter of Intent accompanied by a financial aid agreement is binding on both parties.

The National Letter of Intent

The National Letter of Intent (NLI) is a binding agreement between a prospective student-athlete and an institution in which the institution agrees to provide a prospective student-athlete who is admitted to the institution and is eligible for financial aid under NCAA rules athletics aid for one academic year in exchange for the prospective student-athlete's agreement to attend the institution for one academic year. All colleges and universities that participate in the NLI program agree to not recruit a prospective student-athlete once he or she signs an NLI with another college or university. Therefore, a prospective student-athlete who signs an NLI should no longer receive recruiting contacts and calls and is ensured an athletic scholarship for one academic year. The NLI must be accompanied by an institutional financial aid agreement. If the prospective student-athlete does not enroll at that institution for a full academic year, he or she may be subject to specific penalties, including loss of a season of eligibility and a mandatory residence requirement. Please note that the NLI program is administered through the NCAA Eligibility Center office.  Specific questions regarding its application should be directed to the NLI office at 877-262-1492. Additional information can be obtained through the NLI program Web page at http://www.national-letter.org/.