Athletic Recruitment
Shady Side Academy and
Saint Francis University
Monday, March 7, 2011
Questions to ask:
• Who?
…are your biggest advocates?
• Why?
…do you want to become a student-athlete?
• What?
…do NCAA Divisions mean?
• When? …should I start the recruiting process?
• How?
…do I contact the institution(s) of interest?
• Where? …to go for specific NCAA rules and regulations?
WHO… are your biggest Advocates?
• High School Coach
▫ Honest appraisal of your ability
▫ Help with the college search process
• Shady Side Academy College Counselor
▫ Initial Eligibility through NCAA
• Athletic Recruiting Staff/Student-Athlete
Development Staff
▫ College Coaches
• College Enrollment Management Staff
▫ Admissions and Financial Aid Staff
• Parents/Guardians
WHY… do you want to be a StudentAthlete??
▫ For love of the game?
▫ Receive a scholarship?
▫ Want to advance into a professional career?
“Right now, the NCAA is building over 400,000 future
professionals, and most of us will go pro in something
other than sports.”
Recruiting Terms
• Prospective student-athlete. You become a “prospective
student-athlete” when you start ninth-grade classes.
• Contact. A contact occurs any time a coach has any face-toface, phone, or email 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.
• Quiet period. During this time, a college coach may not have any inperson 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.
• Dead period. A college coach may not have any in-person contact with
you or your parents on or off campus at any time during a dead period.
The coach may write and telephone you or your parents during this
time.
• Recruiting calendars for all sports are available at NCAA.org
• 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. During this time, a 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.
• 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.
• Official visit. Any visit to a college campus by you and your
parents paid for by the college. The college may pay all or some
of the following expenses:
▫ Your transportation to and from the college
▫ Room and meals (three per day) while you are visiting the
college
▫ 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 Eligibility Center.
• Verbal commitment. This phrase is used to describe a collegebound 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
institution. Only the signing of the National Letter of Intent
accompanied by a financial aid agreement is binding on both
parties.
• National Letter of Intent. The National Letter of Intent (NLI) is
a voluntary program administered by the Eligibility Center. By
signing an NLI, the college-bound student-athlete agrees to attend
the college or university for one academic year. In exchange, that
institution must provide athletics financial aid for one academic
year. Restrictions are contained in the NLI itself. Read them
carefully. These restrictions may affect your eligibility.
▫ i.e. backing out means a loss of eligibility for a year.
WHAT… do NCAA Division’s mean?
• NCAA Divisions are based upon total institution
enrollment, financial situation of the
college/university and the amount of fan
support a college/university has.
▫ Number of sports offered (both men and women
sports)
▫ Number of athletes per team the institution has
for each sport
▫ Number of contests played against other
institutions within same division
• NCAA Division 1
▫ Division I schools must meet minimum financial aid
awards for their athletics program, and there are
maximum financial aid awards for each sport that a
Division I school cannot exceed.
▫ Academic aid (merit scholarships)
• NCAA Division 2:
▫ Many Division II student-athletes pay for school
through a combination of scholarship money, grants,
student loans and employment earnings. Division II
athletics programs are financed in the institution's
budget like other academic departments on campus.
• NCAA Division 3:
▫ Academic aid ONLY
WHEN…should I start the college
search process?
• Summary of Recruiting Rules handout
HOW …do I contact the institution(s) of
interest?
• Online Interest Questionnaires on Athletics‟ website
• Call or email College Coaches, remembering to follow
NCAA Summary of Rules
• Contact information can always be found on the individual
institution‟s athletics website.
• Academic/Athletic Resumes
• Pdf Sample
• Highlight videos
• Attend university directed athletic camps
• Enrollment Management Division
At every level – each institution, sport, team, and
coach is completely different from the other
▫ Do not take it personally if a coach is not
“interested”. Numerous factors apply into
the recruiting process for each academic
year (availability in scholarships,
positions/times needed, etc.)
College Search Process
• Academics!
▫ STUDENT-Athlete
• Identify colleges that “fit” you
▫ Small, large, in the city, in the middle of nowhere
▫ Playing time vs. the “idea” of playing
• College visits (unofficial)
▫ Visiting vs. Online research
▫ The “Broken Leg” test
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
• Having an unrealistic idea of athletic ability
• Getting students to see beyond the role of
athletics
• Keeping egos in check
• Senioritis
• Confidentiality: transcripts and test scores
WHERE...to go for specific NCAA rules and
regulations?
• www.eligibilitycenter.org
• http://www.playnaia.org
• Institution‟s Athletic Center
▫ Athletic Director
▫ Compliance Officer
The biggest factors to remember:
• Student and parents MUST have open communication
throughout the entire college search process!
▫ Goals – both athletically AND academically?
▫ Financial situation?
• Visit (unofficially) as many schools as possible!
• Students need to be in the driver‟s seat and become
responsible for the next stages of education.
▫ i.e., Complete own applications, contacting coaches
• Let the student do the talking, but also be sure to get your
questions answered, too.
Any questions, please contact:
Tom Rossi, Director of College Counseling:
412-968-3067, [email protected]
Tom Colt, Associate Director of College Counseling:
412-968-3129, [email protected]
Julie Heitzer, College Counselor
412-968-3220, [email protected]
Angela Landrin, Assistant Director of Admissions/Red Flash Athletic Liaison
814-472-3224, [email protected]
Thank you for coming
and good luck with
your college search!