How important are grades and test scores?

Getting good grades and having good test scores is just as important as having good statistics in your sport. A coach can only recruit you if you are academically eligible to compete at that specific school.

Not only do you have to qualify for the academic requirements of the NCAA or NAIA but you will want to make sure you know what the academic requirements are for the school you are interested in attending.

Don’t believe the myth that a coach can get you into the school if he wants you bad enough. A coach still has to answer to the university and NCAA or NAIA on the GPA and graduation rates of their athletes.

Most coaches won’t gamble on a student-athlete who hasn’t demonstrated he can handle the academic responsibilities of the school. Remember it’s called Student-Athlete. You need to perform in both.

What is the difference between the NCAA divisions?

The main difference between the different NCAA divisions is their ability to give athletic scholarships to student-athletes. Divisions 1, 1-A and 2 can give athletic scholarships. Division 3 schools cannot give athletic scholarships, but the school can give academic scholarships and other types of financial aid.

Should I use a recruiting service?

A recruiting service can make sense for student-athletes who need maximum exposure. But just because you have help with the recruiting process doesn’t mean you have any less work to do.

You need to be VERY active in your recruiting process whether you use a recruiting service or not.

What are my chances of playing college sports?

Only 2% of High School athletes go on to play college sports.

But don’t let the numbers mislead you–The only statistics that matter are the numbers you put up in the sport you play.

Do your research on teams that interest you. See how you line up with their current players and don’t hesitate to contact the coach to see if he is interested in an athlete with your talents. Every team is looking for something a little different in their athletes.

You have options: Be open to looking at NCAA Division 1, 2 & 3 programs as well as NAIA and Junior College Programs.

Even if you don’t have the skills a coach is looking for in a scholarship athlete there may be an opportunity to walk onto the team.

At the very least a coach can advise you on what you should be doing to get closer to your goals 

Become A First Choice Athlete!

• Most NCAA sports have an early signing period. This signing period, early in November, is often overlooked in the planning by high school athletes but it can dominate the timing of everything involved in recruiting.

• Calls by coaches, home visits, official visits to colleges all will happen before that early signing period for the students who sign early. At some schools and in some sports, a majority of the scholarships will be offered at this time, leaving fewer for the regular signing period. 

• College coaches have 130 evaluation days to recruit you during the academic year. During your senior year a college coach cannot evaluate and/or contact you more than 7 times. Only three of those seven can be an off-campus contact. During a contact period, college coaches can make only one visit per week to your high school. 

• Division 2 does not have any rules on the number of evaluations per student athletes.

• College coaches cannot contact you on competition or practice days until your event is finished, and you are dismissed by the proper authority (like your high school coach or athletic director). During a contact period college coaches can make only one visit per week to your high school.