NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

Two main events happen over the next week in college football.  With the season over coaches are either fired or go into their final push to lock in next year’s recruiting class.  Notre Dame coach Charlie Weiss had planned to stay on the West Coast following their game at Stanford.   However, with the program’s recent nosedive he was summoned back to South Bend where he will in all likelihood be fired.

His situation is happening all over the country and recruits need to be aware of this critical time period.  If a coach who was recruiting you is fired, you need to be on the phone as quickly as possible with the university to see who will be taking over recruiting efforts on the interim.  Many times when there are coaching changes, the class quickly spreads out and new slots open.

The more common scenario is that the coaching staff finishes their regular season.  As soon as a little time opens up on the schedule coaches go into recruiting overdrive.  They know they need to take every step possible to seal commitments on this years class.  Auburn Coach Gene Chizik is one example of a coach shifting priorities.

Auburn finds out its place in the postseason bowl hierarchy one week from today.

Until then, and even after the fact, Gene Chizik’s focus will be elsewhere.

He’ll be recruiting.

“That’s what I’m worried about right now, and that’s what I’m going to do,” Chizik said Saturday, one day after Auburn lost in dramatic fashion to Alabama at Jordan-Hare Stadium, 26-21.

“We’re hitting the road starting ASAP. The bowl committees are going to do their thing, and administratively we’ve got great leadership, and those guys worry about those things.”

Along with a sellout crowd of 87,451, the Tigers hosted more than 100 high school prospects at Friday’s Iron Bowl. Some had already committed to Auburn, many were uncommitted to anyone and some were even committed to other schools.

All, Chizik said, left with a strong impression of Auburn — a place he’s repeatedly said has established a foundation, especially after Friday’s closer-than-projected result, for good things to come in the future.

“It’s overwhelming the response that their parents and they have felt by our fan base,” Chizik said. “It’s overwhelming, and it’s been unbelievable just listening to them talk about everything from Tiger Walk to the gameday atmosphere to how they stayed after the game.

“And our fans realize how important they are to us, but I think they also realize how important they are to recruiting.”

The final point I want to make is that all of this attention is being paid to players that have already been offered scholarships.  If you are a senior hoping to play college sports and don’t have a division I offer yet, its probably time to start looking for other opportunities.

As the new movie, The Blind Side, is set to hit theaters this Thanksgiving weekend, the story of Michael Oher hits home to the struggles that many high school student athletes have faced with the college recruitment process. While Michael was one of the lucky few players who was able to excel in football and become a stand-out among college coaches, many student athletes aren’t so lucky, and many times can fall through the cracks of the college recruitment process. Yet, there are resources to ensure all student athletes have privy to the same success as Michael Oher.

The Blind Side follows the life and story of professional football player Michael Oher. Born into poverty with no opportunities or support, Oher had the fortune of being adopted by a wealthy family as a teenager and later went on to become one of the most highly coveted prospects in college football. One contributing factor to Oher becoming a notable recruit in high school was due to his recognition by Tom Lemming, the editor of Prep Football Report, one of the most reputable source of high school sports prospects in the country.

Lemming, who makes a guest appearance in the movie, says students can also excel to college athletics with the proper dedication and exposure to the proper resources. “It’s crucial for student athletes to put in equal effort both on and off the field. Student athletes should be proactively reaching out to college coaches, posting their athletic resume and highlights video online and should be evaluated by a reputable third party source that can vouch for their academic and athletic performance.”

On the heels of last week’s news that Division I athletes had reached their highest graduation rates ever is another statement from the NCAA that further destroys the myth of the dumb jock; The NCAA says that the latest federal graduation rates show that athletes in the biggest college-sports programs continue to graduate at rates higher than those of their non-athlete peers.

Said Walter Harrison, chairman of the NCAA’s D1 Committee on Academic Performance, “There’s a lot of evidence now that there is a sea change going on culturally in college athletics. Academics is a far more important focus for our coaches, our athletics staff, and our athletes than ever before.”

In my three years at NCSA I have talked to a lot of families across the country who want to know more about playing college sports.  From those conversations I have learned, “The biggest things stopping athletes from playing in college is a lack of recruiting education.” I have talked to far too many families desperately needed this education, but unfortunately learned the rules of the recruiting game too late.

At NCSA we have made it our mission to combat the myths and explain what it really takes to get recruited.   You can learn more by:

1. Reading this Blog
2. Subscribing to our newsletter
3. Joining us on Facebook and Twitter
4. Reading our book, Athletes Wanted
5. Talking to an NCSA  Recruiting Coordinator at 866-579-6272
6. Reading College Recruiting Simplified
7. Inviting an NCSA speaker to your school or team
8. Seeing if you qualify for NCSA’s extended services

I urge every family to take advantage of all of these different options to ensure your student-athlete has the best possible chance to play in college.

For years I have often heard, “I thought it was the job of the coach or athletic director to get my kid a college scholarship.”

As I speak on how to get recruited, I spend a solid amount of time in presentations going over that particular point.

Former New England Patriot running back Tony Collins is one of our Senior National Speakers at NCSA. Tony was on that Patriots team that got steamrolled by the Bears in the Super Bowl Shuffle Year. Tony is a great guy. His knees are too shot to coach because it’s hard for him to stand for long periods of time , but he can stand long enough to deliver College Recruiting Simplified, which he does very well. He has a passion for educating and inspiring families and athletes to find the right fit for their son or daughter to play college sports. Not only did Tony go through recruiting. He is also a Dad who has gone through it as a parent. I asked Tony to share insights on the Role of the Coach in Recruiting for this blog:

“Charlie, my oldest son was a 4 star football prospect when we were living in Miami. His High School Coach was really involved in recruiting. The Coach made sure my son was getting things done. If a college coach came to the school, he would even get my son out of class to meet the coach. So I thought the Coach really did take care of recruiting.

Then, with my youngest son, we were living in San Antonio. We all know Texas is a football hotbed, so I am thinking the Coach there will take care of recruiting. I know for a fact there were five D1 caliber players on that high school team, and none played in College like they could have. That particular coach didn’t do a thing with recruiting, even though it was Texas.

So three weeks before Signing Date I start scrambling and get my son to Nicholls State. My son’s a receiver, and they ran the wishbone offense! It wasn’t a good match. He was unhappy, so he transferred to my old school, East Carolina. He had to start at walk on at the bottom of the pole, and pay huge out of state tuition the first year. Things settled down, but it was a bad experience for him because I was thinking his High School coach was going to take care of it. To be honest, I was upset at that man. I never got mad at him in person, which I am glad about now. That’s good because I came to realize it’s not his job to get my son a scholarship.

As I deliver College Recruiting Simplified around the country, there are a lot of parents out there depending on the High School coach – more than we probably realize. After my Talk, many come up to me and say, ‘I am going to take charge now. I understand what you are saying, Tony.’”

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Thank you, Tony, for those insights. That is a powerful example of how important it is for families to understand it is not The Job of the Coach to get their kid a scholarship. Generally, there are 3 levels of HS and Club/AAU Coaches involved in Recruiting

• 1 The Coach who does have some contacts and who is very involved in Recruiting. This is often a veteran coach. Many of those have been retiring in recent years.

• 2 The Coach who is pretty involved and will do what they can to help, but has a lot on their plate.

• 3 The Coach that just doesn’t know what to do, doesn’t particularly care to be involved, or is simply too swamped with family and other issues, such as not even being in the school building.

The bottom line is you can’t blame your coach for not getting you a scholarship. It is your job as a family and athlete to be proactive in the process. You want to have a good relationship with your Coach. You should meet with the Coach and share your aspirations of playing College. You could find out things such as if you can have access to video. Make sure you are on the same page.

At some point the College Coach is going to want to visit with the HS or Club Coach. THAT is why it is important to have a good relationship with them. If you have an “issue” with your coach, now is the time to meet and clear that up.”

Again, it is YOUR responsibility to do everything possible to get a college athletics or athletics/academic scholarship. The Coach plays a role. By being proactive, you will get the college coach to your HS or Club coach.

The average high school coach has contact with fewer than 5 college coaches and most of them are local. College Coaches change over at a rate of 30% per year, so it’s impossible for HS and Club Coaches to stay up on who is coaching everywhere in College.

I want to thank all the Athletic Directors and Club Directors that are bringinging us in to deliver Recruiting Education. NCSA can help guide you in the process. Many AD’s and Club/AAU Directors are doing their job in making sure you have an opportunity to be educated on the recruiting process. Rod Creech, Director of the prestigious Midwest Basketball Academy, said, “Charlie, I do have a lot of contacts and college coaches ask me about our kids, but I want all of our basketball players to have as many opportunities as possible to be recruited, and that’s where I see NCSA’s education and connections to be so valuable. I don’t know or have connections to all the coaches out there.”

NCSA is extremely thankful that we have had the opportunity to educate so many student-athletes in the past year.  We wanted to share a small sample of the feedback we have received from our families and college coaches.  To everyone who is connected in any way to NCSA we want to express a special thank you! You make our job rewarding every day!

NCSA Families

NCSA is great thing! I have learned so much about the recruiting process and what to look for in a college. Allie is great! I can’t wait till the time comes and I can send you all a letter of intent!

I found Rick’s insight and support to be invaluable. Some of the best money I ever spent was to become an NCSA member. The decision on whether transferring from the NAIA to a bigger Division 1A program is major both in terms of Lance’s sports career but also the social impact to his life. As Lance’s father, I want to do the best I can to help Luke make a good decision. Rick’s knowledge of the process and the issues involved with transferring will be a huge help in advising my son should he express an interest in transferring. Thanks much!

The information that i obtained was very helpful. I will use what i heard to my advantage. The coach knew what he was talking about and I rate the phone call a 10.

Brandon was very informative and patient with all of us through the coaching session. We are looking forward to working together with NCSA to meet Jacobs baseball and academic goals. Thank you, Jake, Dave and Linda

Amazing! Answered all of my questions and boosted my confidence!

Allie was very patient with all our questions and gave excellent advice tailored to Kerry’s current needs. We feel much better equipped to move forward with Kerry’s recruitment journey. Allie was exceptional. Thank you very much.

I thought it was great talking on the phone with a coach to help me with my college choices. I really appreciate it. THANK YOU. I would love to do it again.

It answered all of the questions I had. Mr. Schlicht was very polite and answered every question honestly. I am confident that NCSA is a great program.

My son was very excited about the coaching session with Matt. Overall, we enjoyed it very much.

Matt was very helpful and had great to the point advice….when parents get into this their are too many emotions flying around. thanks Pat

My coach told me exactly what I needed to hear at this time. Going into the session I suspected I was going to throw a curveball at him by breaking the bad news of a season ending injury. However, he knew exactly the steps and procedures that I needed to take in order to progress my recruiting progress. I’m very exited about what my future holds with the recruiting process.

A super job today w/Rick McDole addressing a spectrum of questions. Thanks and I’d be glad to be a reference for NCSA if/when needed. Gary

Ryan was awesome and really explained things well to us. It definitely was a very valuable learning session. Thanks so much!!!

We feel as a family that we are more informed by being apart of the NCSA, and that we are able to make the right moves when it comes to guiding our son to the collage of his choice. Thanks the Kooper Family

Annika, was very informative to all that was involved in tonight’s overview . NCSA has made us feel very good about having our son Brad be apart of their program. we are looking forward to many other good things to come and do with NCSA.

My educational huddle experience was great. I enjoyed how everything was explained in full detail and how everyone on the line was constantly being asked if they had any questions while going through everything. I feel the way everything was set up was very well done.

I think that this is a very good program and very pleased to know that someone cares about helping talented students. Bless you all.

We were thrilled to meet Jeff Schlicht by phone yesterday. We are so impressed with every aspect of NCSA. My son Mitch is extremely excited about working with Jeff. It will give him the tools he needs to navigate the recruiting process – with confidence! I was particularly impressed with the level of detail of the coaching – right down to the advice that Mitch build relationships with his teachers. This has always been a strategy for success that I have implemented on behalf of both my older boys and it has worked amazingly well on a number of occasions. You have taken it to the next level in putting that responsibility on Mitch’s shoulders so that he now can take this tool with him to college. We look forward to a great relationship with you!! -Barb

To Learn More about Joining the NCSA Family Click Here

College Coach Feedback

Thanks for your help Rick…you guys are the premier service in the business!

I personally want to thank you for all you do for today’s student-athletes and for making my job a lot easier when it comes to recruiting. Chris, I use your service almost daily in my recruiting efforts.

First off, let me tell you that you guys do an excellent job. NCSA has helped me get in contact with many student/athletes that I otherwise would not have known about. Thank you for sending info about these players.

By the way, I love your service above all the others. I think you guys have the best info, the easiest menus to navigate, and good kids. Plus the video is the best as well. I get several emails from other services but I chuck most of them since I don’t like them as much as you guys.

To Register Your Program with NCSA Click Here

NCSA is proud to announce that 2011 grad, Catherine Kearney, from Monroeville, New Jersey has committed to DIprogram, Liberty University. Kearney is a 6’5″ Center out of Gloucester County Christian, where she averaged 19.6 points, 12.8 rebounds and 5.8 blocks as a sophomore.

We are really excited to she her finish up her high school playing days and to see her progression throughout her college career. We wish her the best!

When Jim Harbaugh arrived at Stanford University and predicted success many laughed.  When he said he could recruit real student athletes many were skeptical.  For years the program had been unable to recruit high caliber athletes with the grades needed to pass muster at the prestigious university.  No one is doubting Harbaugh anymore After last week’s 27 point shellacking of USC.  Stanford is 7-3 and in the hunt for the conference championship and doing it the right way.

But what sets what sets Mr. Harbaugh apart is that he isapart that he’s doing all this at the Harvard of the West, where top talent is often unattainable. And unlike coaches in similar situations, who have turned to gimmick offenses to compensate for the talent gap, he’s winning with a power running attack.

In other words, in the age of “genius” coaches, Mr. Harbaugh is doing it by scouting hard, recruiting hard, putting miles on the car and coaching up his players until they believe they’re good enough. If you want the careful public persona of Ohio State’s Jim Tressel or Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops, look elsewhere.

In 2007, Mr. Harbaugh enraged many fans at his alma mater, Michigan, when he said he was discouraged from taking on a difficult major at the school because it would have taken time away from football.

“There’s nothing like recruiting,” he says. “Getting knee to knee and eyeball to eyeball. It’s never about giving a spiel. I felt I could talk to players about the school and playing for Jack Harbaugh, who I knew would have a positive impact on their lives. At Stanford, we really believe in the model of academics being first and foremost.”

With its emphasis on academics, Stanford has long struggled to win consistently. It has had its moments—the 1970 and ’71 teams started the Big Ten’s Rose Bowl jinx with a pair of upsets—but the school has appeared only once in the Rose since then. In the three years before Mr. Harbaugh’s hiring, Stanford’s recruiting classes ranked 57th, 41st and 53rd nationally, according to Rivals.com, a Web site that covers high-school recruiting.

Hat’s off to Coach Harbaugh showing that winning with real student-athletes is still possible!

The NCAA released its latest Graduation Success Rates and the news is outstanding!

• 79 percent of Division I freshmen student-athletes who entered college in 2002 earned their degrees, matching last year’s rate. The average Graduation Success Rate for the last four graduating classes is 79 percent, one percentage point higher than last year.   Both rates are the highest ever for Division I student-athletes, said NCAA Interim President Jim Isch.

• The single-year Graduation Success Rate for men’s basketball student-athletes rose from 65 percent for student-athletes entering college in 2001 to 66 percent for those who entered in 2002. Even more dramatic was the long-term improvement – up from 56 percent for the entering class of 1995 (the first year of data collection).

• Division II’s latest Academic Success Rate results show that graduation rates for Division II student-athletes continue to significantly exceed those of the general student body.  Student-athletes in the entering class of 2002 posted a six-year graduation rate of 71 percent as calculated by the Academic Success Rate, far above the 55 percent using the federal graduation-rate methodology that does not take transfers or nonscholarship athletes into account.  The 71 percent rate is steady from last year and up from 69 percent for the 1999 and 2000 classes. The four-year aggregate is at 70 percent – 80 percent for female student-athletes and 63 percent for males.

Hats off to the Student-Athletes, coaches, administrators, coaches and the NCAA for their progress!