NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

Before I jump into the FAQs, I wanted to point out that understanding official visits is critical for student-athletes of ALL ages, not just seniors!

What is the definition of an official visit vs. unofficial visit?

By definition an Official visit is paid for by the college, an unofficial is paid for by the family.  On an official visit, the NCAA allows a school to pay for lodging, transportation, meals, and entertainment.  That includes airfare, rental car, and three meals a day.  Be aware that the school is NOT allowed to pay for your parents.  The school may only pay for expenses related to the student-athlete.  So for example, if you and your parents stay in a hotel the coach is able to pay for it.  If you stay overnight with a member of the team on campus, the coach may not pay for your parents hotel. Official visits cannot be made until the opening day of class senior year.  So, that date will be different depending on your school.  The NCAA allows 5 visits to D1 and D2 schools combined.  You are allowed an unlimited number of unofficial visits to all divisions.  You may only take ONE official visit per institution.  Each official visit may be up to 48 hrs.

Are all D1 & D2 schools able to offer official visits?

No.  Remember that each school differs in policy.  Just because official visits are allowed by the NCAA does not mean each school offers them.  You should always ask the coach.

Can you visit a D3 school officially?

There is a common misconception that D3 schools do not offer official visits because they do not offer athletic scholarships.  That is false!  You are allowed an unlimited number of official visits to NAIA & D3 schools.  Unfortunately, D3 schools tend to have a limited recruiting budget and therefore aren’t usually able to offer paid airfare, hotel, etc…Some D3 schools do not offer official visits at all.  It’s a case by case basis.

What does it mean if the coach doesn’t offer an official during senior year?

As a general rule, you are not likely a top recruit if it’s a D1 or D2 school.  Always ask questions and find out where you are on the recruiting list before visiting a school.  Also ask what the schools policy is on official visits.  Many schools are not fully-funded enough to provide airfare, but will offer to pay for meals and lodging.  If they do, that IS an official visit.  Always clarify with the coach whether it’s an official and unofficial.   

Are student-athletes allowed to tryout or practice with the team?

As an NCAA rule, D1 and D3 schools do not allow tryouts.  On an official or unofficial visit you may participate in workouts that are not organized or observed by coaching staff.  They must not be designed to test your athletic ability though.  D2 schools are allowed to conduct one tryout in the off-season of your sport.

Are there any times when visits are not allowed?

Yes.  There is a Dead Period in which it is not permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts or evaluations on- or off-campus or permit official or unofficial visits.  Dead periods generally fall right before the singing periods. 

When should visits be scheduled?

You should be trying to schedule visits right away.  The best time to make visits is between now and the initial signing date.

Should a student-athlete bring up a visit or wait until a coach offers an official?

You should always bring it up!  Many NCSA athletes are far ahead of others in the recruiting game.  You should really let the coaches know what YOUR recruiting timeline is.  This is your recruiting experience and college choice; you have every right to inquire about how it’s going to work.

How do these students and parents schedule these visits?

The key to setting up visits is coordinating with the coach.  You must call or email the coach to inform him or her that you are coming to campus and would like to set up a meeting.  Always contact the coach well in advance. If you do not let a coach know about your visit you are not maximizing your time and you will miss out on opportunities.

Next week I will explain how to set up official visits and provide an example itinerary of what recruits should expect!  If are a senior and have not yet taken an official vist or even spoken with a coach about the potential, click here.  If you are an underclassmen who would like to put yourself in the best possible position to be offered official vistis when you are a senior, click here.

Reason Number 5,359 that we love college sports: When LeMoyne Happens!

Congratulations to the LeMoyne Basketball team for their incredible upset of the Syracuse Orangemen.

“If I’m good enough, they will find me.”  This could be the single most damaging myth about the college recruiting process.  The country is too spread out.  There are too many teams.  Players blossom at different times.  Evaluating players is too hard. Recruiting Budgets are too thin.

These are just a few of the reasons that great players ending up getting missed by big-time schools and miss out on the chance of a life-time.  Yet, despite seeing multiple examples on TV every weekend recruits fail to apply the lesson to their own recruiting process.

The latest example of an under the radar players bursting onto the national stage is Dallas Cowboys Wide Receiver Miles Austin.  He didn’t start playing football until his junior year of high school and ended up at tiny Monmouth College.  Despite setting school records he wasn’t drafted and toiled on the Cowboys practice roster until getting an opportunity this season.  He now has 21 catches for 482 yards and five touchdowns in his last three games.  He overcame obstacles by working extremely hard and finally catching that lucky break he needed.

Austin’s story is the lucky exception.  There are thousands of Miles Austins across the country playing all types of sports.  If they wait around hoping for scouts to find them, chances are their stories wont end with the Dallas Cowboys.  Athletes need to be realistic about their options early on, and relentlessly pursue every opportunity.  Otherwise, they just might not find you.

The other week, this article was posted on Rivals about who is the best college basketball coach under 40.

GERRY AHERN SAYS …

It would be easy to attribute Brad Stevens’ stunning success at Butler to the players he inherited from Todd Lickliter when Lickliter left for Iowa after the 2006-07 season.

In his first season, Stevens led Butler to a school- and Horizon League-record 30-4 mark, 19 consecutive weeks in the AP Top 25 (including three in the top 10), a first-round NCAA tournament victory and an overtime loss in the second round to fifth-ranked Tennessee.

MIKE HUGUENIN SAYS …

I’m cheating a bit by choosing Arizona’s Sean Miller, who turns 41 next month. But, hey, he’s 40 now, so I’m going with him.

He faces a tough task in following Lute Olson (well, sort of) at Arizona, but Miller has the X’s and O’s skills and recruiting ability to get it done.

To read the full article, click here.

Coach Taylor:  My son has been outstanding this year, breaking records and leading his team.  My concern is that we are from a small school.  He has yet to hear from any college coaches.  When should he expect to hear from college coaches or should he have already heard from some?

Although the real answer depends on how old your son is and which sport he plays since coaches have different restrictions, the easy answer is that he should have already heard from college coaches.  College coaches want to contact recruits on their list as early as they can (every recruit remembers their first letter) so if your son has received nothing, then chances are he has not been recognized. 

Keep in mind that college coaches can send freshmen questionnaires and brochures, so regardless of your son’s age; he would have received SOMETHING if he was on a list. 

Do not let him get discouraged.  Despite the fact that he plays for a small school, he can take proactive steps to get his name on the recruiting lists of college coaches.  Have him begin taking these five steps or click here to get started!

Send your recruiting questions to askcoachtaylor@ncsasports.org

To get your questions answered immediately, call 866-579-6272 to speak with a NCSA Recruiting Coordinator.

There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure…

Coach Taylor:  What role does the Eligibility Center play in the recruiting process?

What is the NCAA Eligibility Center?

The NCAA Eligibility Center determines if a student-athlete is eligible to compete as a freshman at the DI, (DI-AA for football) and DII level.  They evaluate your amateurism status, core courses taken in high school, core GPA, and test scores (ACT, SAT).

When to Register

It is important to have registered before you take your first official visit, so before opening day of classes your senior year of high school.   NCSA recommends that you register the summer after Junior year. 

How do you register?

You may complete the application by visiting http://www.eligiblitycenter.org/ and follow the directions.   There is a $60 fee to process which a parent will need to put on a credit card.  You will need to print off 2 forms that will authorize your high school to send official transcripts to the Eligibility Center.  It also authorizes the Eligibility Center to send academic information to all colleges that request eligibility status. 

All of the information above is outlined in the Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete found on the NCAA website.  You may also find it in your NCSA Recruiting Toolbox under NCAA Info. 

Send your recruiting questions to askcoachtaylor@ncsasports.org

To get your questions answered immediately, call 866-579-6272 to speak with a NCSA Recruiting Coordinator.

Coach Taylor:  If a player performs well in combines, camps, showcases, etc. but the high school coach does not play the student-athlete for whatever reason, can the student athlete still play college athletics and possibly earn a scholarship?

First of all, it depends on why the coach is not playing the student-athlete.  If the issue has to do with grades or behavior / legal troubles then it certainly would impact their chances of playing in college in a negative way.

However, if the coach is not playing a student-athlete for other reasons than YES it is possible to play in college even if you don’t contribute significantly on the high school team.  For student-athletes who are not playing for the high school team, it will be important to start working with a select group of colleges on a personal level so they have the opportunity to attend their camp and essentially try out for the university over the summer.  They can also start their college career at a junior college level, earn playing time to showcase their talent and then transfer into a four year school.

Send your recruiting questions to askcoachtaylor@ncsasports.org

To get your questions answered immediately, call 866-579-6272 to speak with a NCSA Recruiting Coordinator.

Coach Taylor:  How does a verbal commitment tie into the National Letter of Intent?  Is it binding?

A verbal commitment that is made by the coach or the athlete will not be binding until the National Letter of Intent is signed which will occur in the sport specific signing periods.  Before those dates, the commitment is strictly based off the word and trust of that individual.  Although it is rare, there are instances of both recruits and coaches backing out of verbal commitments prior to signing day.   Long story short, until the scholarship is in writing and signed within the NLI, nothing is official!

Send your recruiting questions to askcoachtaylor@ncsasports.org

To get your questions answered immediately, call 866-579-6272 to speak with a NCSA Recruiting Coordinator.

Coach Taylor:  My son is a junior in high school and being heavily recruited by several big DI football schools (UT, Texas A&M and OU to name a few).  I know these schools are ahead of the trend in offering scholarships to younger recruits.  My question is when is the earliest time that a college coach  can offer a scholarship and when is the earliest a recruit can make a verbal commitment?

Great question!  College coaches can offer verbal scholarships at ANY time and in many sports this has even happened before a recruit enters high school.  Additionally, a verbal commitment can be made at ANY time.  However, most commonly this occurs after September 1st of junior year when college coaches are generally less restricted in the contact they are allowed with recruits. 

I always recommend contacting the school, especially if you are being heavily recruited , and ask when they would like to have their 2011 recruit class completed so you understand their timeline.  If scholarships have not been discussed, it would be a good idea to ask if your son is currently being considered or if there are any 2011 scholarships still remaining.  When you talk about programs in the class of UT and OU, they have most likely already offered scholarships to recruits in the class of 2011. 

Send your recruiting questions to askcoachtaylor@ncsasports.org

To get your questions answered immediately, call 866-579-6272 to speak with a NCSA Recruiting Coordinator.