NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

If you are not playing right now chances are you already have your sights set on next season, whether it’s with your HS team, or with a college.  With that said, you are probably thinking the sooner you get back in the weight room the better.  This may not actually be the best course of action.  As of right now you have about 8 months before you have to be in peak condition, starting too early may hinder your progress.  Instead of hitting the weights, stay away from that kind of training at least a month.

Don’t get me wrong—stay active, but not in the sense that you are getting ready for next season.  I would recommend what is termed “Active Rest”.  Active rest is a phase in your conditioning cycle recommended immediately after your season.  In it you do not condition for football (including lifts).  Instead concentrate on activities outside of football, such as a pickup basketball game, or maybe even a racquetball/tennis match.  You want those muscle groups you are going to train hard in the off season a little time to recoup, but at the same time, you do not want to put on any unnecessary weight/relatively maintain your stamina level.

Bottom line: You just went a whole season, with nicks/bruises, give yourself sometime to recover.  It will make your gains the next month, and more importantly your peak condition in August that much better.

Hey guys!

Okay listen up. I know that you have been told all these different things when it comes to being recruited. You have heard these ideas from coaches, parents, and other players. Well let me just tell you from my point of view since I have recently completed this process. I am not a patient person. I will let you know that up front. So if you and I are similar in this characteristic, then you will cherish this knowledge. Yet, I will not go further and call it wisdom for I am young and only experienced in this once, even though it was at first hand.

I hope by now that you have figured out that I also don’t sugar coat things. I am very honest. That’s what I call it. Others say I am blunt as a butter knife. Call it what you must but I will keep my advice short and to the point.

Things you must keep in mind throughout this process:

• Grin and Bear it…This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Cherish every moment of it!

• Swallow the pill called Pride…Keep your good behavior at all times. ALL TIMES!!!

• Don’t Act your Age… Use your mind and not your mouth. Don’t be a TEEN!!!

• Talk the Talk… Even if you aren’t interested, keep on talking. It’s part of the game and manners!

• Patience is a Virtue… Believe me! I had to learn that the hard way. Just go with it!

• Go to Boot Camp… Hate to tell you, camps are your number asset. I don’t like them either!

• Take a Chill Pill… Don’t worry about anything. Things will work out for the best!

Okay, okay. I know what you are thinking… this all sounds like the place with fire and brimstone. Well, all I can respond with to that idea is… yeah it can be a true pain some times. But, don’t let the negative attitude drag you away from something that could possibly and probably will turn out to be amazing! I am not bitter toward the conclusion of this process whatsoever. There are not enough words to express my enthusiasm. Therefore, I know that you will succeed in this. No doubt!

Good Luck and Best of Wishes!

All or Nothing,

Casey… a MTSU Blue Raider

Interested in bringing an NCSA Recruiting Expert to your school?  Contact NCSA Today!

I speak on Recruiting to families at Dunes Volleyball Club, one of the top Clubs in Indiana. Lindsey Miller is an alum of Dunes.

At 6’2″ and skilled in Volleyball, Lindsey was a college prospect at Penn High School. I remember talking to Lindsey and her Dad at a Banquet during her 12th grade year, where I was speaking on recruiting. We were standing in the banquet food line (a good place to be) when her Dad mentioned that he had encouraged her not to get caught up in the “Division Thing” of College sports. That’s where kids get locked in on D1 and don’t consider other possibilities. Sure enough, Lindsey considered other possibilities and is having a tremendous experience in college.

Lindsey is now a junior volleyball player at Ferris State in Michigan, a Division Two University. She is carrying a high GPA in Pre Pharmacy. I have interviewed her a couple of times to get her to share her insights on recruiting so that it would help the readers of this newsetter. Although her sport is volleyball, there are principles here that apply to recruiting in all sports:

“Charlie, High School Volleyball is great. I loved it, but you are seen more in Club Volleyball. I played for Dunes, which was very good. A lot of Coaches saw us. It’s important to get your schedule out to them so they know where to see you. I encourage young players to never waste a day of practice. We had 3 days of Club practice and I got the most out of them.

Also, College Coaches look closely at work ethic. I always assumed it was what athletic abilities you brought to the floor. I didn’t realize how hard they looked at your work ethic. I relied on my High School and Club coaches at first in recruiting, and then I became more proactive.

For me, it came down to Butler University and Ferris State University because they were strong in my major of Pharmacy. Academics were first for me. Butler would have been a full ride, but, to me, I sensed that Volleyball would be first there and school second. What I liked about Ferris State was that, to me, it seemed as if they would work with me more in academics. They also said that after four years there would still be scholarship money for my post grad work if I worked with the volleyball program after my playing eligibility was up. So I chose Division 2 Ferris State. I am getting 3/4 of my scholarship money from Athletics scholarship money here, and 1/4 from Academic Scholarships. I was able to get more money as a freshman here because of the leverage of the offer from Butler. Ferris State knew that I had other options.

The competition is very hard. I had limited playing time as a freshman. We had six seniors that season. The way I look at is is that they have worked very hard to get to where they are and this is their time to shine. I was fine with my role then. I knew my time would come.”

Lindsey Miller, freshman Volleyball player at Ferris State University (Michigan)

Readers: When I deliver “College Recruiting Simplified” the 9th of 10 points is how important it is to get involved with multiple schools. Did you see the leverage that provided Lindsey? Because Ferris State knew Butler had offered her, they upped their offer.

There was another important point above. Lindsey sensed that at Butler, Athletics would come before Academics. That is not a shot at Butler. Butler is a tremendous school. But, Division 1 coaches are under more pressure. Sports are very serious at Division 1. They are basically a full time job. There is more stress at that level for Coaches and Athletes. Division 2 is still ferocious, but Lindsey sensed they would work with her more in Academics at that level. When you major in something like Pharmacy, that’s really important. That’s why the Evaluation Process is CRITICAL. There is no reason why College Sports shouldn’t be an AWESOME experience. However, many athletes and families totally mess up the EVALUATION process. If you have not had an objective third party evaluation, contact me today to get this done. Otherwise, you risk a subpar college experience that could lead to transferring, quitting or little playing time.

In College Recruiting presentations, I talk about how playing College sports is a 40 year decision. Do you realize how marketable Lindsey will be when she graduates with a high GPA in Pharmacy AND she was a college athlete? In today’s world, that is valuable! Corporate America often has Team Building seminars. Athletes don’t need those kinds of things. They already know about Team, Work Ethic, Sacrifice, Dedication, and Commitment. After speaking in Fruitport, MI this past week, a lady came up to me and said that she had been hired specifically because she had played college basketball and had the traits listed above.

I always encourage athletes to look at the Bio’s of college athletes on web sites to get a feel for what credentials are needed to play at that particular level. That is part of the Evaluation process. Also, go to the Recruiting Tools area of ncsasports.org to look at benchmark stats and sizes College coaches are looking for in your sport.

To Set up an Evaluation with a College Recruiting Expert

Charlie Adams

cadams@ncsasports.org

Currently we are in the midst of the early signing period for the recruiting process and with that means doors are closing and decisions are being made across the country. Below you find out about some of the commitments and to see a full list you can click here to see them by school. Good luck and happy recruiting!

University of Arizona (1)

Arizona State University (3)

University of Southern California (5)

University of Santa Barbara (2)

Florida State University (3)

University of Central Florida (1)

University of Kansas (1)

University of Kentucky (1)

Boston College (4)

University of New Mexico (3)

Syracuse University (4)

Depaul University (3)

Wake Forest (5)

University of Florida (2)

University of Miami (2)

University of Oklahoma (3)

Oklahoma State University (4)

University of Oregon (5)

Clemson University (2)

University of South Carolina (5)

University of Memphis (4)

University of Tennessee (2)

Baylor University (2)

University of Texas (1)

Colorado State University (3)

University of Idaho (4)

University of Wyoming (1)

Montana State University (1)

Injuries and tragedy have wreaked havoc on the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team this year and could very well dash their hopes for a decent run at the 2010 World Cup. This article provides a great assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the current roster. There are several gaps that need to be filled and not too many prospects on the horizon. Does this team have what it takes to bring the USA to the next level and finally earn respect as a legitimate contender or will this be yet another rebuilding year? Calling all soccer fans – please share your thoughts with NCSA!

The Recruiting process has 5 things that every Recruit Must do to get Recruited.  You must

• Get Evaluated
• Post Your Academic/Athletic Resume Online
• Create a Winning Highlight/Skills Video
• Contact 100 to 200 Realistic Programs
• Execute the Proper Recruiting Strategy

Once you understand what need to be done recruits really only have three options.

1. Wait for a coach to find you.
2. Try to go about this difficult process yourself.
3. Get the help of a trusted third party like NCSA

Remember, that this decision will affect the rest of your life.  Are you comfortable leaving it up to chance?  Are you sure you can do it yourself?

Or, you can use someone like NCSA.  You can have all of the necessary tools built by a professional.  you can follow our step-by-step curriculum and get first-hand guidance along the way. You can also leverage the relationships with built with colleges for the past 10 years.

Ultimately, the decision is yours. But if you really want to get recruited, you need to accomplish these steps.

NCSA has sent dozens of our athletes to the service academies.  We wanted to take a minute to applaud their decision to serve and salute all of the veterans across the country

At NCSA we work with thousands of athletes every year.  As a result many of their teams don’t fare as well as they would have liked.  This often brings us the question, ” Will my recruitment be hurt because of a lack of team success?”

My answer is always the same, “Not if you don’t let it!”

Yes, recruits playing in the posteason have some advantages.  They have more time for a coach to get to a game to evaluate them in person.  They get to play against other top-competition.  They get to show what they can do when the pressure rises.

However, recruits on teams whose seasons end early suddenly have extra time on their schedule.  Suddenly, a game day visit that was once impossible now is feasible.  Making calls to coaches at night also becomes a lot easier without juggling practice and homework.

Ending your season earlier than expected is never fun, but it shouldn’t be a road block in the recruiting process.