NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

For the 20th consecutive year participation has risen in high school sports.  The National Federation of State High School Associations.  Despite the poor economy the percentage of high-schoolers playing a sport rose to 55.2% from 54.8%. Football remains the top sport with 1,112,303 participants nationwide, while track and field passed basketball as the second most popular sport with 558,007 participants.  Swimming and Lacrosse showed the biggest percentage increases with 11.6% and 6.7%, respectively.

What does this mean for recruits?  Its pretty simple.  There is more competition than ever before for athletic scholarships.  Despite having an incredible amount of tools to aid their recruitment, athletes that aren’t proactive in the recruiting process face the danger of being left behind.

If you are looking for a recruiting edge, I suggest checking out NCSA’s Recruiting Profile and building your own FREE profile now.  It gives every recruit a tool to proactively reach coaches now.

The University of South Florida Football team has come a long way in a very short period of time.  The program was created in 2007 and now it is knocking on the door of Florida’s Big Three; Miami, Florida State, and the University of Florida.  They have built the program quickly by recruiting so-called second tier local recruits that just missed out on offers to big-time programs.

A great example of this type is quarterback B.J. Daniels.  Daniels missed out on Miami and FSU when they signed players just ahead of him on the recruiting board and Florida red-shirted a quarterback.  Do he headed to South Florida where he added the opportunity to play basketball as well.

Sports Illustrated profiled the program’s rise:

Every spring, men in green and gold polos fan out across the state of Florida to recruit football players. At high school after high school, the gentlemen in green and gold run into men wearing garnet and gold, orange and blue and green and orange. For the past 12 years, the men in green and gold have had to live with one rock-solid certainty: If any of those other coaches wanted the same player, the green-and-gold guys could cross him off their list.

That could all change on Saturday.

If you don’t live in Florida, you probably think Florida State’s win at BYU last week was the Seminoles’ most important game this season. In fact, it’s not even Florida State’s most important game this month. When South Florida comes to Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday, FSU will be guarding the door to an exclusive college football club. The Bulls, meanwhile, will have a chance to knock down that door forever.

“To change history and do things like that, I think you have to win,” USF coach Jim Leavitt said this week.

For years, Florida’s Big Three (Florida, Florida State and Miami) have dominated recruiting in the nation’s most talent-rich state. By the time USF started its program out of a trailer in 1997, the Big Three had all won national titles. In the 12 years since, the trinity has combined to win four more. And despite a recent dip in fortunes for Florida State and Miami — this week marks the first time since 2006 all three have been ranked in the same poll — the Big Three still have pitched a near-shutout against USF in recruiting.

Daniels, who also wanted to play basketball in college, wound up choosing USF over Memphis. On Saturday, he and defensive end George Selvie — who grew up in FSU stronghold Pensacola — will play for the honor of all those ignored by the Big Three.

The reality is that many talented recruits across the nation get ignored or passed over by many schools. Recruits have the option of either expanding their search or ending their athletic career.  That is why EVERY recruit needs to be in contact with schools at every level.  You can’t rely on the top programs to choose you.  If you involve enough schools in your recruiting search, you can end up doing the choosing.

One of the first things that we teach our student-athletes at NCSA is to be as personal as possible in all their correspondence with college coaches.  Whether it involves writing a letter or email, making a call, or taking a visit, the message is clear:  do your research and personalize your approach.

We know how much recruiting information is sent to your office as coaches and most likely it all looks pretty similar.  Our goal is to teach our recruits how to stand out.

What we have realized is that the same principle applies the other way around.  Your recruiting will improve exponentially if you can find a way to differentiate your recruiting materials.

I was recently speaking with a recruit in the class of 2011.  As you all know, September 1st was an important date in the recruiting process for this young lady.  We were discussing the correspondence that she received and she seemed excited to have heard from some great Division I programs, but a little turned off by their content.  I asked her to send me a few examples and she forwarded me  the two emails I mentioned earlier (copied again below):

Email 1

(Name of athlete has been removed) – If our computer delivers what it promises, you should receive this email right around 12:00am! And if you’re reading this the moment it arrives: why aren’t you in bed? It’s finally here!  September 1st!!! We’ve been waiting for the day when we can finally start communicating directly with you and now it’s here! We’re looking forward to getting you lots of information about the University of  XXX and our program over the next few months.

I thought this was a pretty good email at first.  Its casual, friendly, and timely.  Until she sent me her next email:

Email 2

(Name of athlete has been removed), HELLO FROM XXX UNIVERSITY! If I did this correctly, I’m hoping this is the first email you’re receiving on September 1st.   If you are reading this at 12:01 a.m. on September 1st, it should be a school night, WHY AREN?T YOU IN BED? haha. Since you may not know a lot about XXX University, I just wanted to list a few quick facts as to why XXX is the perfect fit for you.

Look similar?  Despite a few subtle differences, it’s almost the exact same email with the same message.

While there is certainly nothing wrong with either email, if you were this particular recruit, how would you feel?  We certainly do not expect every single one of your emails and letters to be personalized down to the sentence, but when they are almost the exact same as another University’s, it becomes more apparent that thousands of other recruits received the exact same letter.

The point is that every email counts and first impressions mean a great deal.  How much of an advantage would the schools that sent something different have?

Click Here to learn how you can use NCSA to personalize your efforts.

The National Letter of Intent has historically been the way a scholarship becomes “official.”  The NLI has always been run by a third party that is actually independent from the NCAA.  That may all be changing very soon.  Last week Kelsey Evans successfully sued Western Carolina University for refusing to release her from her letter of intent after the WCU coach left for a different job.  The lawsuit alleged that since Ms. Evans wasn’t 18 the letter was not binding.

Susan Peel from the NCAA made the remark, “We have a lot of research to do. There is no need to hit the panic button yet. We don’t know if this law is applicable only in North Carolina or elsewhere.”

Her remark is extremely telling in that no one know the potential implications. I can only speculate, but I would place my bet on the NLI disappearing in favor of school award letters, similar to what is currently used at Division II schools.  Would this be a significant difference from the current NLI?  Would athletes “officially” sign even earlier?  Would signing mean anything?  Could recruiting continue up until the first day of class?  All eyes are on the situation.

NCSA recommends applying to schools fairly early in senior year. It’s going to show the coach that you are really interested in the school and program, get you the most favor with admissions, and help you secure the maximum amount of scholarships and grants. You should begin to write your essay portions during the summer after junior year.  

Talk to your guidance counselor, your admissions officer, and the coach about their application process. He/She should have more information for you.  The deadlines will vary by school so you need to check out each one.  As a general rule the higher the academics of the school, the earlier the admission deadline.  Sometimes schools will also have some leeway with admission deadlines.  If a coach really needs a recruit, they may be able to bend the rules.  So if a coach finds you in February, they should still be able to get you in.  This policy varies by school and does not apply to all of them!

Most colleges request 2 recommendation letters along with your application.  Ask your teachers at least a month before they are due.  

Here are your choices when is comes to applying:

Early Decision is mostly used for high academic schools.  The deadline is usually early fall around November 1st or 15th .  If you are accepted you are bound to that school for one academic year. It is very important that you are certain the school is your top choice before you apply early decision.  Many high academic schools will put pressure on you to go ED, but you should not feel that you have to.  With ED you may not know your financial aid package when you apply, so it’s important to talk about it beforehand with the coach and financial aid office.   Remember that if you have made a commitment, there is no more room for bargaining or leverage.  Students can ask for a release from an early decision obligation in the case of financial burden, but aside from that it is binding.

Early Action is usually due by November 1st or 15th. Early Action is non-binding and a great option.  With Early Action you hear back from admissions a lot earlier than the regular applicant pool. They also let you wait until late spring (May) to decide if you are going to attend.  This allows you to compare final financial aid offers that come in the spring. When available, this is generally the best option.

Early Admissions deadlines are in Mid-Winter (December-January) and you don’t hear back until April.

Regular Admissions are generally due between January to April, although some schools continue to accept applications later.  You generally hear back in April. 

Rolling Admissions mean that you can apply anytime and will hear back about your application within about 6 weeks. Most schools use rolling admissions now.

Athletes who have relationships with college coaches often times have a huge advantage over their non-athlete counterparts in the admissions process!  The coach may be able to waive the application fee if you are a recruited athlete (which can save you hundreds of dollars). They may also support your application with admissions to help you get accepted if it’s a more selective school. Talk to the coaches and ask the following questions.

When should I apply?
Do you want me to fill out an application?
Do I meet the academic admissions requirements at your school?
Should I submit my application to you or should I send it directly to admissions?
Is there an application fee waiver?
Are you supporting my application with admissions?
When should I hear back from admissions?

Make sure that you apply to schools that might be a possibility.  Most athletes apply to more schools than their non-athlete counterparts.  You should apply even if you aren’t sure about the school or haven’t visited yet.  Remember, even though you should be contacting as many as 200 colleges initially during your recruiting process, on average that will return about 20 realistic options.  As an athlete it’s common to apply to 5-10 of those schools. 

The key is to talk to the coach about the application process.  You should work together to decide the best route for you to take.

Lastly, you should always apply to at lease one safety college.

When it comes to applications there is no right or wrong answer, and every student-athlete and family has their own needs and priorities. Whatever you decide, make sure you are educated about the pros and cons.

Most importantly, make sure to take all the right steps during the recruiting process so you will be able to take advantage of your relationship with the college coach and their connections with the admissions office.  It might make all the difference!

The most commonly known scholarship, also referred to as a “grant-in-aid,” is the full scholarship, or “full ride.”

The term “grant” is literal. This is not a loan, and students do not have to pay the money back. A full ride normally covers tuition, books, room, board, and associated fees. Bottom line: It’s a free education, which with today’s higher-education costs, is an extraordinary package. The average debt for typical students after college is about $20,000; imagine the foundation established by a student-athlete who plays sports for four or five years and emerges from college without owing a single penny!

Full ride athletic scholarships are generally reserved for high-level athletes. Approximately 70 percent of the decision to award an athlete with a full ride scholarship is based on the athlete’s ability and projectability (the athlete’s potential and expected future abilities) while about 30 percent of the decision is based on academics, character, work ethics, and intangibles.

But full-ride scholarships are only one of the two types of athletic scholarships a school might offer. The NCAA breaks sports into two categories—head count sports and equivalency sports. Students who are offered a scholarship to play a head count sport are being offered a full scholarship, while students who play equivalency sports might receive only a partial scholarship.

<<Fast Fact
An athlete who receives a scholarship to play a “head count” sport is always given a full-ride scholarship. An athlete who receives a scholarship to play an “equivalency sport” might receive only a partial scholarship.

Head count sports are those sports that generally bring revenues to the school. For men, revenue sports include basketball and Division IA football. For women, head count sports include basketball, tennis, volleyball, and gymnastics.

Any other sport is considered a “non-revenue” or “Olympic” sport, meaning the sport does not produce revenue for the school. Indeed, most non-revenue sports are at least partially funded by football and basketball revenues. In non-revenue sports, coaches typically divvy up their allotment of scholarships using the equivalency method. While head count sports have a set number of scholarships that must be awarded in full to one student, equivalency sports have a set number of scholarships that can be divided among athletes. A head count sport with five available scholarships will award five students five full rides, while an equivalency sport with five available scholarships might offer one student a full scholarship, divide the second scholarship among two students, the third among three students, the fourth among four students, and the fifth among five students. In other words, fifteen students must share the equivalency of five full-ride scholarships.

Equivalency scholarships are generally split so that the more important players receive a higher percentage of the scholarships. For instance, the top-flight softball pitcher might receive 95 percent of one scholarship while the back up outfielder receives only books. Students from out of town also fare better with equivalency sports than local students. Because in-state tuition is not as costly, most coaches in these sports prefer in-state students to pony up for tuition so they can save their resources for high-level out-of-state students.

This information was taken from Athletes Wanted - The Complete Game Plan for Maximizing Athletic Scholarship and Life Potential.  To learn more about Athletes Wanted or order the complete Game Plan, Click Here.

Be sure to keep an eye out for the next E-Book from Athletes Wanted:  Scholarships, Financial Aid, and Admissions

I heard 1995 Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George of Ohio State speak this week at the College Football Hall of Fame in downtown South Bend as part of the Key Bank Gridiron Legends Luncheon Series.

When asked about a memorable recruiting experience, George chuckled as he thought back to when Ohio State was recruiting him. He had attended Fork Union Military Academy for the 10th to 12th grades. He stayed an extra year (13th grade, so to speak) which helped his recruitment.

When Ohio State brought him in for an Official Visit that winter, they had some of their most serious Buckeyes host him for his 48 hour visit. Their logic was that they thought he was a very serious guy since he went to a Military Academy. In reality, Eddie was an outgoing guy who was hoping to get out and at least meet some girls while on his visit to Columbus. He joked that at Military Academy he hadn’t seen girls in months.

The serious Buckeye players, however, took him back to their apartment. On a Friday night he said they watched old movies like “Yentl.” Eddie eventually asked them if they were going out since it WAS Friday night. They said they usually stayed in.

The next day while being shown around campus, Eddie ran into other recruits. They said that they had been up all night having fun with their hosts.

Despite his lack of fun on his Official Visit, Eddie signed with Ohio State. His story is one of overcoming adversity. As a freshman, he got off to a good start as he scored 3 TD’s over Syracuse. However, against Illinois early in the season he lost two fumbles.

He was relegated to the deepest part of the bench for practically two seasons.

“That was devastating,” he said. “I would be in the cafeteria and people would say, ‘Don’t drop your food.’ Some people voted me as the worst running back ever to come to Ohio State. I thought about quitting or transferring, but really that’s when I won the Heisman. I didn’t quit. I worked harder. I stayed in the weight room longer. I did extra film study. I stretched more. I even took ballet class. By the time I was a junior they had recruited other good running backs. People said that at 6’3” I was too tall and wouldn’t be able to get through the tackles and that I wasn’t tough enough.”

George’s resolve paid off. He had a strong junior season and then exploded as a senior, rushing for a school record 1927 yards and 24 TD’s. Against Illinois, the same team he had lost 2 fumbles to as a freshman, he rushed for 314 yards in 3 quarters. He went on to win the Heisman Trophy. “I had gone from two fumbles that sent me into a spiral of self doubt,” he said, “to becoming the best player in College Football. That’s how I knew God was with me the whole time.”

George had compelling insights about teamwork. In 1994 Ohio State was loaded with future NFL talent. Still, Penn State beat them 63-14. Can you imagine!?

“We could have spiraled downward or propelled higher,” George said. “That’s when we realized we had to play as a TEAM. We had guys who were thinking about pro football and about getting agents. Forget that crap. We made a decision to be a team.”

The next year, with their emphasis on team, Ohio State was almost unbeatable.

George said something young people can draw inspiration from as far as setting goals. In 1988 he watched an ESPN show on Barry Sanders, who won the Heisman that year. He said he taped it and watched it over and over. That week he made up his mind he would win the Heisman one day, and started practicing his speech as a kid. He visualized his future success.

Jerry Rice is going to be the next speaker at the College Football Hall of Fame Gridiron Legends Luncheon series on October 29th. For tickets you can go to Collegefootball.org

Today’s Sporting News released some extremely interesting statistics about where most NFL players come from.  California leads the way with 205 players in the league and is closely followed by Texas.

STATE TOTAL

California     205

Texas             179

Florida          176

Ohio                90

Georgia          80

Miami is the top hometown with 31 players in the NFL and DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, MD led all high schools with 7.

It should be no surprise that these states, cities and high schools also lead the way in college recruiting.  However, times are changing.  Even though many high school programs still churn out players in huge numbers, smaller schools are gaining ground.  The Internet has shrunk the country allowing any athlete the chance to get evaluated.  However, one major stumbling block remains for a large number of talented athletes; college coaches don’t have the time to review every email, website, and DVD sent their way.  Most of the time they need to rely on reliable sources to shrink their prospect lists.

What is the best way to get on a Verified Recruiting List?  Contact NCSA.

Getting quality advice and guidance is a huge part of the recruiting process.  Most parents have never been through the recruiting process and obviously student-athletes only get one chance to earn  a free education and play collegiate athletics.  It should be no surprise that athletes have historically looked to anyone with experience, which many times meant a family friend or the high school coach.

Top baseball prospects have had the advantage of being able to consult with an attorney when they were selected in the MLB amateur draft.  Over the last year a legal battle has taken place between the NCAA and former Oklahoma State pitcher Andy Oliver’s right to counsel.  Ultimately, the court sided with Oliver.

“The court ruling said a player is allowed to have representation like anyone else in America,” said Scott Boras, baseball’s most prominent agent and an active presence as an adviser in the draft. “Why should an 18-year-old kid not have the benefit of counsel when dealing with a professional franchise? It makes no sense.”

The NCAA is understandably concerned about the blurred line between agent and advisor.  It’s their right to do so.

The point I would make in response is that every high school athlete looking to play in college NEEDS the proper guidance if they want to maximize their options.  The very best drafted athletes can battle the NCAA, but every recruits should understand that finding the right college requires the proper advice.  NCSA has provided that advice to thousands of athletes over the years.  If you are looking to gain a better understanding of your recruitment, I suggest you contact our scouting center.

On Saturday legendary football Coach John Gagliardi coached a record breaking 600th game.  Never heard of John Gagliardi?  That is because he coaches at tiny Division III St. John’s University 70 miles northwest of Minneapolis.  However, in many circles Coach Gagliardi is revered as a coaching genius.  He sports a .782 winning percentage and has won 4 national championships over an incredible 61 seasons.

Even more impressive and unique than his record, is the manner in which he won so many games.  Coach Gagliardi is famous for his winning with no’s philosophy.  Tackling is not allowed in practice. He has no playback. Yelling and whistles are both banned from practice.  Player’s are not required to participate in off-season conditioning.  His quarterback calls most of the plays.

“We don’t have no mission statement’s, no big  philosophy,” Gagliardi said.  “We just do it.”

He developed his unique philosophy when he was handed his first coaching job at the age of 16.  He simply cut out the parts of practice that he disliked.

Many more well-known coaches, like Joe Paterno, have the utmost respect for what he has accomplished.

“John is what the coaching profession is all about,” Paterno said in a telephone interview. “He’s loyal to his institution. He’s loyal to his players. He’s had a tremendous influence on not only the people that have played for him, but the people who have played against him. He’s been a wonderful example.”

There are unique stories about college programs like St. John’s all over the country. Unfortunately, many recruits don’t take the time to discover the opportunities that are available.  The reality is that these opportunities are real and the education offered at many of these schools tops their better known competition.  If recruits are truly serious about finding the right fit for them, they need to find out about schools like St. John’s.