Tips for Athletes
Tips for Getting Recruited & Things to Consider in College Selection
Research colleges: (freshman through junior year)
Look for specific sport & division of play, academics, location, size, student environment, selectivity—Is this a school you could be happy at if you didn’t play?
Think about how much time/energy you want to spend on sport—do you really want a Div. I experience? Do you want to start out playing or be on the bench and work up to play time?
What level of academic challenge do you want? Do you meet the academic level of this college?
Sit down with your club &/or high school coach & get a reality check on your level of ability—are you ready for Div. I, II, III, NAIA, etc.
Develop list of colleges to contact (may begin as early as freshman or sophomore year
Prepare to Contact Coaches:
Prepare cover letter, resume, and possibly video. Include performance statistics and your current coach's contact information.
Get coach’s name from college website or call athletic dept.
Contacting Coaches (sophomore spring or junior year)
BE PROACTIVE—98% of high school athletes must initiate contact
Complete athletic interest form—either online or when sent by coach
Send a brief cover letter, plus resume, unofficial transcript & schedule of games/meets—email or regular mail—coach’s name should appear on all correspondence.
Respond to inquiries, information sent by coach—SHOW INTEREST!
Ask your club or high school coach to contact the coach or send a letter of recommendation.
Attend summer camp held by coach of college you’re interested in; participate in appropriate tournaments where you can be evaluated.
Visit College (spring of sophomore year or junior year)
Before visit, check out roster on website—How big is it? How many will graduate? How many play your position?
Set up appointment with coach ahead of time. Look at college as a whole and take general “prospective student tour” in addition to meeting with coach.
Meet with current athletes to gain insight.
Arrange meeting with admissions office—clarify any issues about how applications from student athletes are handled & confirm timeline for applications plus academic requirements for admission, find out about financial aid.
Write the coach a "thank-you" note after your visit.
Questions you might ask:
How many slots are available?
What position(s) do you see me playing in?
How many students (who else?) are you recruiting in my position?
Where do I fall in your list of recruits? Am I a priority recruit?
What is the roster size?
Please describe the academic support system for players.
How many scholarships are being awarded? How are they typically distributed?
What are terms for keeping a scholarship? Is there a certain level of performance (e.g. stats or play time) required to keep it? What if I get injured?
What is the graduation rate for your players?
What is the average GPA of the team?
Are there restrictions on my major (e.g. can I major in engineering, lab sciences, etc. and still play)
Are there players on the team who are majoring in what I’m interested in?
Is it possible for you to flag my application? How much flexibility does admissions allow for prospective student athletes in meeting academic admissions requirements (ask this of admissions office also)?
Are internships possible? Are there current players who’re doing internships?
Can I work during school or during the summer?
What are the demands/expectations for team participation year-round
Are there full-time coaches (on campus daily)?
Are there trainers available—for the team, or in the athletic dept. generally; do they travel with the team?
How heavy is the travel schedule—how often will I likely miss class?
Does the team play outside its conference?
Program funding—are meals provided? Is equipment provided? How often is it updated & maintained?
Do they have a specific conditioning program or are you on your own? Do they have strength coaches?
Are there opportunities to walk-on?
See other questions in attached list from NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete
Other things to remember regarding college visits:
Official visits are focused on athletics/social atmosphere generally—be sure to include academics, too. Take campus tour + visit admissions office. Talk to professors if you have an area of interest.
Student can control timing of official visit—take advantage of Friday or Monday so you can visit a class; request to talk to admissions officer, etc. & ask to see itinerary ahead of time, so you know what you want to see is included.
Tour athletic facilities
Observe the coach in a game situation—how does he/she interact with the players; how do they respond to him/her? What is the interaction like at practice?
Talk to players—ask:
What is the coach like when he/she is winning/losing?
What is the balance here between athletics & academics? Are there tutors available; does the team study together?
What is the academic support like? Is there an academic liaison for the team?
Does the coach follow through on promises?
Ask a player who plays very little, what his/her experience is like - do they like playing for the coach? team chemistry?
Spend the night (this is part of an official visit; can be arranged for an unofficial visit also) - stay with freshmen on campus if possible.
If possible, go unannounced to an away game -observe the coach’s interaction with players—how does he/she respond to losing/poor performance?
If interested, submit application soon after visit to show interest.
Notes on Videos:
Videos can be a valuable tool in being a recruited athlete - it may convince a coach to come see you play. Some tips:
Viewing time is limited - 5 minutes plus some real-time game footage
Opening with highlights OK, but should be brief
Focus on skills and athleticism, repetition of skills in practice without editing looking for consistency, technique and athleticism.
Include some continuous game footage see what you’re doing away from the play, how react to mistakes, hustle and interaction with teammates. This can go on for awhile.
Send videos no later than summer after junior year and earlier, depending on season of sport.
Thoughts about professional services:
Professional Videos—much of what you pay for may not be beneficial in terms of recruitment. Over-editing, focusing on highlights, may interfere with what the coach is looking for. Using a service like this may be helpful if you cannot get a high quality video otherwise. Be specific in what you want included in the video & the overall length desired.
Professional Recruitment Services—most of what they do—contacting potential colleges on behalf of a prospective student athlete—is better done by the student himself. Their focus may be on the athletic aspect and not other parts of college experience important to the student. The student risks being taken out of the driver’s seat & selected colleges may not be a good fit for the student overall. In addition, college coaches may pay less attention to information received from a recruiting service because they cannot tell if the student is truly interested in the school, or if the recruiting agency is simply sending out lots of letters.
Recruiters who are working for specific colleges are another matter - if the student is approached by one of these persons and is interested in the college, then a response to that recruiter is an important step in order to be considered as a student athlete (in this case, the student does not pay them; they are paid by the college).
Timeframe/dates/pitfalls to be aware of:
Initial form letter from coach means very little—he/she may have sent one to everyone who attended a camp, etc. If a student is receiving one of these in the fall of sr. year, this is not necessarily a positive sign of recruitment.
Nothing is guaranteed until in writing. Non-binding verbal agreements are usually limited to elite athletes at highly competitive programs.
Coaches are looking at a number of players at once. Actions speak louder than words. If he/she continues contact; asks for application to be submitted early; and/or makes contact as early as NCAA rules allow, these are good signs. Respond if interested colleges do not have funding to waste on athletes not likely to attend. Initiate some contact to show interest, ask specific questions to find out where you stand.
Colleges can only contact students during freshman and sophomore years to send an initial interest questionnaire. Students may initiate contact; coaches are not allowed to return phone calls directly to student or his/her family. He/she may contact high school coach to relay information.
In general, Sept. 1 of junior year is first time that colleges may contact prospective student athletes in printed form. Personalized mail in early September of junior year indicates high priority as a recruit. A handwritten letter by the head coach is indication that you are a top priority recruit for that college.
In general, July 1 after junior year is first time that colleges may contact prospective student athletes by phone. Receiving phone calls soon after this date is a sign of being a high priority recruit. There are some differences in contact timeframes & rules depending on the sport. Details are available here.
5 official visits (one per school) are allowed each recruited athlete during fall of senior year. The college pays for these visits & they are highly choreographed to interest the prospective athlete. Keep academics in mind; request to see the itinerary ahead of time.
Students may make unofficial visits to the campus, just as any non-recruited student would—it is advisable to do so.
Signing letters of intent occurs in senior year. There are two national dates, in November and February. Individual sports will differ in specific signing timeframe and rules.
Remember that once you are a student at your chosen college, you will not likely be given the same attention as a desired recruit. Imagine being just another student there. how does it feel?
Being recruited and being admitted are not the same thing. Sometimes coaches actively recruit students who end up not being admitted. Talk to the admissions office—take an unofficial transcript with you—find out where you stand academically.
Often coaches ask prospective students to give them their applications which they will turn in to admissions. If you do this, follow up with admissions to be sure they’ve received it.
YOU MUST APPLY to the college to be admitted. If a coach is still considering you, and the deadline is approaching for admissions, check with him/her to find out whether you should apply before the deadline or not (A coach may be able to extend the deadline for you, but there is no way to guarantee this ahead of time.)
If required, It is up to you to take required tests (SAT or ACT) and to report their scores to your college and the NCAA.
No scholarships are guaranteed beyond one year.