NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

A common complaint that we receive from student-athletes is that the majority of the letters they receive from college coaches tend to be generic and impersonal. It is amazing how a personal contact from a college coach can influence a recruit’s opinion of that school. In fact, we have noticed that some recruits who have seemed dead set on attending a DI university completely change their tune by receiving a simple phone call from a DIII coach. Everyone wants to be wanted, and understandably the personal touch goes a long way towards impressing a recruit.

What most recruits do not realize is that the same line of thinking holds true in reverse. College coaches receive an awful lot of information from potential recruits interested in their program. Unfortunately, some of the information can seem just as general and broad as the form letters that the coaches send to recruits.

What does this mean?

Get personal! If you are writing a letter to a college coach, make sure to individualize the letter for that college coach. Do some research beforehand and learn about the program and school. Express specifically what interests you about the college and why you might be a good fit for the program. If you talk to a college coach, make the conversation memorable by being more prepared than the other recruits that coach is talking to. When going on a visit, try to stand out by displaying the ability to effectively communicate and fit in with not only the coach but also the rest of the team.

An evaluation is made by both the college coach and the recruit after every single form of correspondence. That particular step in the process is either going to make the college or recruit more or less attractive. Keep that in mind the next time you are going to communicate with a college coach!

ESPN posted an inspiring story detailing how a group of football players and their coach extended their teamwork off the field.

Disappointed and tired from the long weekend, Barnwell drove Arnold and three teammates — senior Clarence Murphy and juniors Jared Maldonado and Anthony Yerou — southbound on U.S. Highway 27 alongside parts of Lake Okeechobee near Clewiston when he saw a man frantically trying to wave down help on the other side of the highway through the pouring rain.

“We’re driving and I could see a truck overturned in the canal,” Barnwell said. “The boys didn’t hesitate; they asked me to turn around and go back.”

While waiting for a spot to make a U-turn with his van, Barnwell, a former police officer in Miami-Dade County, put together a game plan that would be more important than any gridiron contest.

“I told them to stick together and listen to Coach,” he said. “I had a strong feeling there might be a child in there, and if that was the case to let me grab the baby and for them to go for the adults.”

When Barnwell pulled his car up beside the embankment and saw a baby carriage, he quickly jumped in the murky waters in search of the 2-year-old granddaughter of James and Juanita Carrillo Bryan.

The SUV had apparently hit standing water, slid off the highway and flipped into the canal, according to The Miami Herald. The players ripped the SUV’s door off the hinges as the water, which was about four feet high, continued to rise. The child was trapped in a car seat, which Barnwell freed her from and pulled her to safety. James Bryan’s rescue quickly followed.

Juanita Carrillo Bryan’s rescue was much more difficult.

“After we pulled the guy out he kept screaming ‘My wife is under water!’” Maldonado said.

Juanita Carrillo Bryan was completely unconscious, submerged and strapped into a seat belt.
With the help of another motorist, they freed the 53-year-old. The players had to lift her from the water and up a steep embankment to get to her shore. Maldonado then started to administer CPR, something he learned as a freshman.

During the second set of 30 chest compressions, Maldonado said he saw Bryan twitch, and on the third set she was spitting up water and mud. Paramedics arrived soon after and Bryan was airlifted to a nearby hospital.
Unfortunately, her injuries eventually proved to be fatal, as Bryan passed away Tuesday.

The incident strengthened the bond between the four teammates and their coach. While this rescue had nothing to do with football, it had everything to do with what they learned about each other while playing and practicing together.
“We have great kids and we have great parents,” Barnwell said. “These young men showed that the discipline and teamwork and preparation that you learn can be used in any situation in life.”

Barnwell, as tough and hard-nosed as they come, could barely hide his emotions.

“I just can’t say enough about these kids.”

What these individuals did is nothing short of heroic. Their teamwork, pro-activeness, and determination to do what they knew that they had to just goes to show that sports really do instill values that go far beyond the field of play.

Here’s an article that appeared in the NY Times this weekend showing how competitive parents are so their child will have a chance of being admitted to a highly selective college.   The key line:

“While the going national rate for such work is about $185 an hour, a counselor in Vermont and another in New York City are among those who charge some families more than $40,000. Their packages might begin when a child is in eighth grade.”

WOW!  Parents are paying these counselors so their child can have the best chance of being accepted to an Ivy League School.  AND, have the right to pay those highly selective colleges over $50,000 a year for their youngsters to matriculate there.  

Now that may be necessary for students seeking admissions through the academic door.  But, do odds of gaining admission improve if you apply through the athletic door?  YES!  Student-athletes have a huge competitive advantage if the college coach at that highly selective school is an advocate for you with admissions.  All college coaches at highly selective schools will tell you that you must make it through admissions.  What they won’t tell you is the admissions requirements in terms of GPA and SAT/ACT scores are not as rigorous.  Don’t take that last statement wrong, their standards are still high, just not as high as for the rest of the admitted class.  As an example, my child received offers from 3 highly selective academic colleges.  One of those was an Ivy League school.  The coach at that school told my child that the previous year, 600 students applied who had perfect SAT scores and were not accepted.  My child had no where close to perfect SAT score and was accepted.  Why?  Because the college coach was an advocate. 

If you’re a great student and a decent athlete, find out how the athletic door can get you into a highly selective college.

Evaluating a potential recruit’s recruiting potential is extremely difficult.  Due to the process moving earlier each year, coaches have to make difficult decisions without the luxury of sitting back and seeing a player will develop.  A huge part of that process is how a player will develop academically.  The Columbus Dispatch took a look at how Ohio State tries to gauge a recruits academic ability.

When Ohio State recruit Carlos Hyde failed to qualify academically for this fall, it was a surprise.

“All indications were that he was going to make it,” said Bill Kurelic, a recruiting analyst for Bucknuts.com and ESPN.com.

What’s equally surprising, though, is that it doesn’t happen more often. Hyde was just the fifth OSU recruit to fall short in coach Jim Tressel’s nine recruiting classes — out of 178 signees.

Evaluating high school players is a complex process. It’s tough enough to watch game video, or see a player perform drills at a camp, and try to project whether he is talented enough to be worth a precious scholarship.

But evaluating whether he can meet academic standards is an even thornier process.

“It’s very different when you have to look into the hearts and minds of these kids,” said Allen Wallace, national recruiting analyst for Scout.com. “There’s a certain amount of guesswork involved. It’s subjective.”

Ohio State offensive coordinator Jim Bollman said the key in determining a recruit’s academic potential is to talk to as many people as possible who know him — parents, teachers, coaches and counselors.

Recruiters ask about the player’s character; how motivated is he to work to make the grade?

These days, the job is even tougher, Bollman said, because the trend is toward recruiting players at a younger age.

“You don’t have near the perspective that you had 10 years ago,” he said. “You’re recruiting juniors who haven’t even taken a (college-entrance) test yet.”

Student-athletes should take their academic reputation very seriously.  Taking extra steps like taking the PSAT early in high school or participating in extra curricular activities can go a long way to proving that the student-athlete takes academics very seriously.

While this video is completely over the top, it makes a very valid point.  Most recruits have a standard set tools that they use to promote their ability to college coaches.  Thousands of highlight DVD’s float through coaching offices throughout the year.  Many of the videos end up  in a garbage can well before the coach can find time to watch all of the unsolicited video.

Recruits need to take the extra steps necessary to stand out from their competition.  In short they need to “Be Remarkable!” to stand out from the crowd.  There are a number of different strategies to do this, but one of the easiest is to learn from the pros.  NCSA specializes in helping our athletes stand out from the crowd by providing our 3rd party verification stamp and actively guiding recruits through the various recruiting scenarios that are bound to arise.

One of the most common questions we get in the football department at NCSA is, “What are the timelines for football recruiting, specifically about when should I expect to receive scholarship offers?” The curiosity stems from recruits seeing so many other prospects getting offers and committing on Rivals or Scout.com.With that in mind, I thought it would be helpful to provide a timeline of football recruiting that will offer some perspective for recruits and shape their expectations.

Division 1-A offers technically can be offered at anytime in a recruits career, but for the most part a majority of them will come during the May Evaluation period of your Junior year. Whether it comes by phone call, letter, or in-person contact, we have seen most D1-A schools offer around 10-20 players during this time. The remaining 5-15 offers typically occur during the camp season in June-July.

Those recruits who did not receive an offer during either of those periods most likely had some sort of question mark surrounding their ability to play at that level. For example: is he really 6’5? Can he compete against top level competition? Is he a high character recruit?

August is usually a very slow month. Part of this is due to the month being a quiet period, but more importantly this is often time the only opportunity a coach has free time for their family and vacations, etc. Not to mention the beginning of two-a-days and practice.

However, come September 1st, coaches are allowed to start calling prospects again, and student-athletes can start taking official visits. Therefore, most D1-A programs are finished recruiting by the beginning of a recruit’s senior year, but might have a few holes to fill depending on their efforts.

If you want to know if you are one of those guys still “in the mix,” I suggest you call the coaching staff and ask if you can setup an official visit. More times than not, a program will invite 35-50 recruits for an official visit (most of them already with offers).

D1-AA offers are not necessarily going to be given out as early as DI-A. Remember, those schools are trying to get the best of the D1 caliber players that “fell off the map”. Not receiving an offer right away is not the biggest problem in the world, just be sure to keep in contact with them. However, an official visit offer would be a must if you want to be considered a legit recruit.

DII /NAIA throw a wrench in the mix. These are the only levels of play that are allowed to host tryouts. These tryouts are after the season (October, November, December) with offers soon to follow (November, December, January).

DIII schools are last to finish the process. NCSA had over 50 DIII coaches respond as late as May letting us know they were still in the market for senior prospects.

I hope this timeline gives you some insight as to what level of recruitment you should expect based on your ability. Remember, these timeframes are not absolutes, but rather general rules of thumb to follow for recruits.

Yesterday ESPN’s Ted Miller wrote in his Pac 10 blog about the escalation in recruiting competition amongst the 10 programs.  The additions of Dennis Erickson, Jim Harbaugh, Rick Neuheisel and Steve Sarkisian.  But one point I found extremely interesting:

As for Arizona, my feeling is that Mike Stoops, ever since getting burned by a few high-profile recruits who fizzled out, has re-emphasized evaluation and beating the bushes for undervalued recruits, much like the process Mike Riley has used to built a top-25 program at Oregon State. That’s also the approach that is going to get Washington State back on its feet.

His take should resonate with recruits who aren’t from high profile high schools.  Recruits should realize that this means that more than ever coaches are willing to do the extra work to really evaluate a prospect.  They aren’t satisfied just using an Internet sites Top Prospect List.  However, in order for a coach to really evaluate a prospect they need to find out about them.  The country is too big and recruiting budgets are way too small for a coach to actually comb through each school.

That is why recruits need to take advantage of the Internet and work to build relationships so that coaches identify them as a legitimate prospect.  Then its up to the recruit to make sure the coaching staff has enough quality full game footage to allow a thorough evaluation.

Luke Trudnowski has been a prototype for all other student-athletes trying to find a program to play college football, and get an education while doing so.  Luke and his dad Steve are consistently following through with NCSA’s guidelines, and strategy in maximizing Luke’s exposure.

Luke’s done his share on the field and classroom as well.  At 5’10″ 190 this All Conference SS is one of the most intimidating Defensive backs in Southern Cal.  He is a true football player who lets his film, rather than track numbers tell his story.  Luke is doing all this while carrying a 3.4 cumulative GPA.

Luke’s family has been in on 3 one-on-one coaching sessions with their personal coach, not to mention over a dozen calls to make sure Luke is on track.  He has also participated in 15 group huddles, on topics ranging from coach communications to Visits prep.  Speaking of visits, Luke is loaded up for next week.  He will be visiting Tufts, Middlebury, Williams, Trinity, Amherst, Dartmouth, St. Anslem, and Stonehill.  And sure enough the Trudnowski family will be talking with their recruiting coach before they go, to go over last minute prep.

Luke is a terrific individual, who will make a great college football player.  We are looking forward to see more to come out of Luke.

NCSA caught up with rising basketball athlete Brianna Reigstad to talk about her basketball recruiting.

 
NCSA: What are you doing to stand out in the recruiting process?
Reigstad: Playing on a high level AAU team that participates in exposure tournaments, responding to all inquiries from college coaches, and keeping my NCSA web site up to date. The web site is a huge help in keeping you organized.

NCSA: Have you taken any unofficial visits yet? Tell us about them.
Reigstad: Yes, several. They have been very informative and helped me to understand what I am looking for in a college. I have been able to talk to players, coaches and students at the school. I have watched a practice and several games. One thing that stood out was that every college campus has a different feel.

NCSA: Have you received a call from a coach yet and how did it go?
Reigstad: Yes. One in particular I thought went very well. The coach was very nice and at the same time very honest about what they were looking for. We talked for about 20 minutes.

NCSA: How do you handle nerves before a big game or tournament?
Reigstad: I usually listen to music on my I pod and/or joke around and have fun with my teammates. Then 20 minutes before game time I start game prep and warmup.

NCSA: How do you deal with disappointment in the recruiting process? Can you give an example?
Reigstad: It is something that you learn early in the process to deal with. You have to understand that every team has different needs. I have had a couple coaches state they liked my game but were looking for a different type of player. I appreciated their directness and honesty, sometimes you learn something about yourself that will help you in the future.

NCSA: Why should college coaches recruit you?
Reigstad: I believe that I have a lot to offer both on and off the court. I am a dedicated and hard working player and student that will bring energy and enthusiasm to their program. I love the game of basketball and will never stop learning.

NCSA: What are your summer goals?
Reigstad: Keep improving my skills, take advantage of as many college exposure opportunities as possible with my AAU team, and take a few more unofficial visits to narrow my choices before the fall.

NCSA: Who do you look up to the most to stay on track?
Reigstad: My Dad, he has taught me to work hard, never give up and to always believe in myself and my lifelong dream to play college basketball.

NCSA: What is your biggest take away so far in the recruiting process?
Reigstad: That there are many options out there and all have their advantages and disadvantages. Not to give up because one college doesn’t want you, another is always there the next day. There will be a right fit. You must find what is meant to be.

NCSA: Overall, how has the recruiting process been for you so far? Has NCSA made a big impact for you?
Reigstad: It has been a learning experience, nothing is handed to you. You have to work hard, be organized, make contacts and follow-up. It is an experience that I know I will repeat after college when I enter the job market. NCSA has been a big help in getting me organized and moving me forward. It is like having a coach just for the recruiting process.

Most student athletes are confused on what to stay focused on during the summer months of their recruiting process. There are typically several options that present themselves to most student athletes across virtually every sport. It’s important that you not only take advantage of the options for exposure and training, but you also understand the timeline of the process in order to effectively take advantage of this time of year.

I would advise most families to seek out two camp opportunities over the course of the summer. Make sure to visit at least one schools camp that is actively showing interest. Make sure you read the signs to gauge just how interested a school is before you commit to any additional camps for the summer. If they’re reaching out on a personal level, whether that be phone (if NCAA rules permit, according to division level), email or personal hand written communications, make sure the coach wants you to be at his camp!

For the second camp or any other additional camps it’s ok to reach a bit to go see a higher level school, as long as you do the recruiting prep work before you attend the event. Most of the larger level schools will have smaller programs work their camps as well. Make sure to identify which additional schools may be at the larger camp you are planning to attend. That way you can reach out and introduce to those coaches before the camp and visit with them during the event..

I encourage every family to be fully educated on how to select a camp and recommend reading additional posts on this blog for more info.

In addition to selecting a camp, I recommend that each recruit understand what the normal recruiting pulse is for the summer. July tends to be a spotty month with contacting coaches. Coaches tend to have several obligations outside of the office during the summer months, so they may not be by their office phone or email account. I recommend that players remain patient when reaching out to coaches and leave plenty of time for follow up on the coaches’ end.

Once we leave July and head into August, recruiting will drastically slow down. Most fall sports will begin preseason camp at some point during the month, and naturally most coaches will focus their attention almost entirely on working with their current players to get them ready for the start of the season. I recommend that each high school recruit understand that it’s normal to have a slow August. During this time of the process you need to stay focused on having a tremendous preseason camp yourself. Stay healthy and help the younger players on your squad adjust and prepare to have a great year. If you and your teammates are playing well in the Fall, that will most certainly have a positive effect on your process.

Remember. The summers a great time to not only work on your game, but work on your recruiting process as well. Invest your time wisely, prepare to be a champion today!