NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

Coach Taylor – What are the tax implications of receiving an athletic scholarship?

There aren’t many tax implications since grants are not considered as income. An athletic scholarship is the same as any other grant you would receive from a school and that money is directed toward costs, so there is no income. The only indirect implication is that the more grant money you receive, the less you spend on college and the less you can deduct from future tax returns.

Send your recruiting questions to askcoachtaylor@ncsasports.org

If you would like to speak with a NCSA Recruiting Coordinator about your personal recruiting situation, call 866-579-6272.

This week NCSA was proud to be an NCAA approved exhibitor at the 2010 NCAA Convention in Atlanta.  Our Director of Recruiting Coaches, Lisa Strasman, and Recruiting Coach Manager, Andrea Emmons, had the chance to meet and reconnect with hundreds of Athletic Directors from across the country.  Thanks to the NCAA for a fantastic event.

With all the news this week of Pete Carroll leaving USC and replaced with Lane Kiffin much has been made of the recruits that had previously committed to USC and Tennessee.  We asked our resident expert on this situation to weigh in.

I was Stanford University’s #1 Recruit in the HS Class of 2002. Tyrone Willingham called me almost every night to make sure I hadn’t changed my mind, and that I was still committed to Stanford University. He was a big part of the reason why I chose to attend Stanford. He spoke of the unique Stanford experience, with it’s rich winning tradition in athletics and academics and its beautiful weather and palm trees. A leading black coach of integrity, focused and depicting the will to win, he convinced me that he would be a “lifetime” coach that would build a legacy at Stanford University. I was also considering Notre Dame, Miami, Michigan, and Penn St, who all had offered full scholarships at the time. One day I got a call from Tyrone Willingham saying he was taking the Head Coaching job at Notre Dame and he wanted me to get on board with the FIghting Irish. I was torn, but I was set on going to Stanford because I had already visited and fell in love with the school, not the coach. Although it would have been great to have played for such a great coach and mentor, I chose to go the route that would be the best for me academically and athletically. College-bound student athletes need to find a best-fit school where they can flourish academically, athletically, and if they so wish to indulge, socially. Stanford was that place for me, even without my hero coach.

Julian Jenkins was recognized as the Gatorade Player of the Year in Georgia, named to the Sports Illustrated and Rivals top 100 in addition to being a 1st Team All-American.

He ultimately decided on Stanford University where he was a three year starter, 2 year captain, 2nd Team All Pac-Ten honoree and named the team MVP in 2006. Julian’s outstanding collegiate career resulted in a 5th round draft selection by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After spending two seasons with the Bucs, Julian played for the Denver Broncos before finishing his professional career with in the CFL as a Grey Cup Champion with the Calgary Stampeders.

Meet Mark Titus, better know as Mr. Rainmaker and the Leader of Club  Trillion.  Mark has gained popularity by chronicling his experience as the 12th man on the Ohio State basketball team on his blog Club Trillion – Life views from the end of the bench and his Twitter feed.   He was even recently featured in the New York Times.  The name Club Trillion comes from Mark’s typical box score, all Zeroes.

His typical blog post topic ranges on anything from pop culture, to free throw contests in practice to his recent all-time record for minutes played in a game (5).  Check out this entry describing the definition of scrub time.

As far as why four minutes is the designated scrub time, it’s pretty simple – the last media timeout takes place at the four minute mark. In case you don’t know what that last sentence means, college basketball games are broken into segments of four minutes so that the broadcast companies can take breaks to show commercials and keep their sponsors happy. The last media timeout is the last guaranteed time in which teams will huddle around each other and discuss strategy, which is why it signifies the start of scrub time. Coaches don’t want to have to talk over the offense and defense with scrubs (or look us in the eye for that matter), so they wait until the last media timeout to sub us in, and expect us to run out the clock. If a coach puts a player in before the last media timeout (like Coach Matta did with me against St. Francis), he is saying that he wouldn’t mind discussing strategy with said player and is basically taking away the player’s status as a scrub for that game. It’s a complicated science that few people fully understand.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying in any way to come down on Mark for his decision to play at Ohio State, even though it means he probably will never log a meaningful minute in a game.  He made his decision and by the way his blog reads he made a great decision to attend Ohio State.

However, I would like all the high school recruits out there to understand what it means to be the 12th man on a team.  Many times recruits push themselves just to get a roster spot at a Division level rather than thinking about what situation will really make them happy.  If you are OK, with being labeled Mr. Rainmaker, great, I salute you.  But, if you really want to play in meaningful games in college, you need to think long and hard about what type of situation you walking into.

What is your NCSA story? How did you start working here?

It was purely a chance occurrence. Someone I used to coach HS football with ran into Izell down in Atlanta, I spoke to Izell, who linked me up with Joseph and the rest is history.

What were you hired to do? What is your current position?

I was hired to be a National Collegiate Scout. Currently I work as the Director of Scouting Operations.

What lead you to the position you are in now?

Originally I was brought in to take over the New Scout Training Program while I was still scouting. From there I was given the responsibility of interviewing candidates, then hiring and on-boarding them. That with my background in Organizational Behavior and Technology I began working with Joseph on the transformation of the Scouting Force which led me to my current role.

How long did it take for you to reach your current position?

A little over a year.

What was the biggest challenge or frustration along the way?

There really wasn’t any, I love every second of what I do here with NCSA.

What do you think was most integral in your success up to this point?

The only 2 things I know I control every day are my attitude and my work ethic. I keep my focus on that and the impact that NCSA has on people’s lives every day.

Did you have any mentors throughout your career?

I’ve learned a lot from so many people at NCSA but Joseph Curtis, Keith Babb, Carmen Bucci, & Steve Potter have really taught me this business.

What is your why? Why do you work here?

Having been a player and a Coach myself and seeing so many people get frustrated with this process over the years – I know NCSA will help people avoid being lost in the shuffle. If I can play a small role in that and change lives every day by helping a young person maximize their recruiting potential and become a leader through sports– I couldn’t imagine a better way to spend my days.

Any advice they would give to those trying to grow in the company?

Read the Standards of Excellence every morning before you start your day, live them to the letter every minute, find your niche and the rest will take care of itself.

Maximizing your financial aid award package is a top priority for countless high school students and their families. The difficult part is learning some tips for how to go about accomplishing this. Remember, you want to think of this as a business; the more revenue streams you can tap into, the more likely you are to receive a positive end result.

Families should be prepared to ask schools three important questions to help determine how affordable each college may actually end up being. Keep these three questions in mind when speaking to any financial aid office at a college or university.

1) What percent of a student’s need will you fund?
This will tell you how much of your need you can expect to have covered by the school when you receive your financial aid award package.

2) Does your school stack monies?
If a school does stack funding this means you will be able to add additional forms of financial aid from outside sources on top of what the school has already offered you. The benefit of stacking reveals itself when you can add additional aid to the point where your financial award exceeds your need exhibited. This means your out-of-pocket expenses are being cut.

If a school does not stack funding, they will replace funding. In this situation a school will look to fund only up to the need you exhibit at their school. Any outside financial aid awards will simply replace other awards you would receive from the school. In this case you will not be able to benefit as much with a decrease in out-of-pocket expenses.

3) What is your funding breakdown (packaging policy)?
This asks the school to let you know how much funding you can expect to be provided from grants, loans, and work study.

An Example:
School A:
 Cost: $30,000
 EFC: $10,000 (Need: $20,000)
 Funds up to: 100% of need
 Funding Breakdown: 50% Grants, 30% Loans, 20% Work Study
 Anticipated award in grant money: $10,000

School B:
 Cost: $30,000
 EFC: $10,000 (Need: $20,000)
 Funds up to: 100% of need
 Funding Breakdown: 80% Grants, 10% Loans, 10% Work Study
 Anticipated award in grant money: $16,000

In this example, you can see, although the sticker price of each school is equal, you can expect to receive a much different amount of grant monies from each of these schools.

By asking these questions, you will be able to learn valuable information from schools that will help you evaluate each school based on how affordable it will actually be for you. This will take you one step closer to finding the right fit academically, athletically, and financially.

If you are concerned you are falling behind, call the NCSA Scouting Center at 866-579-6272 or click here.

To answer this question, I am going to refer to Athletes Wanted – The complete game plan for maximizing athletic scholarship and life potential. 

If an athlete is initiating a first contact with a coach through a letter or email, the initial letter should include an introduction, expression of interest in the university, questions, and a copy of the student’s résumé or enhanced video, as well as a link to a highlight, skills, or enhanced video.

Sample First-Time Letter to Coach

Dear Coach Jones,

As a member of the Eclipse soccer club and a freshman varsity starter at Niles North High School, I am beginning my search for a college soccer program where I can make an immediate impact, as well as further develop my skills and strength.

My goal academically is to pursue a degree in medicine, and I am impressed by the pre-med program that Hiram College offers. I also like the small class sizes and professor-to-student ratio. I currently attend a large high school and am looking forward to a more personalized college education.

I know the process is early, but I’m hoping to be considered for your program. Would you be so kind as to send me information about Hiram and a questionnaire?

Enclosed is my profile. I am in the process of putting together a video, and I will send you a link to my video as soon as it is prepared.

As a heads up, I will be at the Disney Showcase and the Las Vegas Shootout, so hopefully you will be able to see me play. In the meantime, please let me know if you have any questions.

I look forward to continuing the recruitment process with Hiram College.

Sincerely,
Jane Student
#3 Eclipse (blue and white jersey)
A minor point—but nevertheless an important one—student-athletes need to be sure they are correctly identifying this year’s coaches. Coaching staffs have high turnover rates, so athletes should make sure that they are looking at a current roster of coaches. Student-athletes should send personalized letters and be selective about who they are targeting. Nothing should ever be addressed, “To Whom It May Concern.” College coaches receive hundred of letters and emails from interested students. If an athlete’s letter appears to be a form letter, it may well be overlooked.

Coach Taylor – How Important are stats or times in the recruiting process?

This question depends on the particular sport in question.

In some sports, stats or times are critical.  For example, in track and swimming, times are major factors that a college coach evaluates.  In a lot of ways, those times might be the determining reason for a scholarship offer.  However, even in these number reliant sports, video is now being utilized more than ever to analyze technique.

In other sports such as football, softball, basketball, stats are a smaller piece of the puzzle.  Will college coaches evaluate stats in those sports?  Sure, they are helpful.  However, the stats will be supplemented with extensive skill evaluation done on video or possibly in person as well.  College coaches are fully aware that stats are often situational and dependant on your competition.

Again, the real answer depends on the sport involved, but stats can play a role in your process and it is in your best interest to track them accurately.

Regardless of the sport you play, the stats that all recruits should pay close attention to are your GPA and test scores.  Those are vital in every athlete’s recruiting process.

Last week, I discussed how recruits should respond when a college coach asks, “What other college coaches are recruiting you?”

You can check out the right way to answer that question here.  Towards the end, I mentioned that the key to recruiting success is to acquire leverage.  While some parents understand the concept, most recruits are probably asking, “What is leverage?”  Rather than give my definition, I went straight to the dictionary:

Leverage: Positional advantage; power to act effectively

Positional advantage?  Sounds like a great situation to be in if you are a recruit, doesn’t it?

Let’s analyze the following conversation between a college coach and two different recruits of similar athletic and academic ability:

College Coach:  “How many other college coaches are recruiting you?”

Recruit A:  “I have gotten a few letters, but you are the first coach I have spoken to personally.”

Recruit B:  “I have heard from more than 50 college coaches.  Aside from hand written letters, I have talked to about 10 of those coaches on the phone, visited 5 and several have indicated a strong possibility of a scholarship.  In fact, two of the schools that have expressed serious interest are in your conference.”

Which recruit has a better positional advantage and the power to act effectively (leverage)?  Which recruit might have more ability to negotiate a better financial situation?  Obviously the answer is Recruit B.

Recruit B simply has more options than Recruit A.  When a recruit lacks options, the college coach has all the leverage in the process because they do not feel any pressure to increase or expedite their pursuit of that athlete.  They have no competition to do so.

On the flip side, when a recruit has involved dozens of college coaches in their process, their name immediately has more value and competition.  Taking it a step further, what if the schools contending for an athlete’s commitment are rivals?  If the coach at Notre Dame heard that a recruit they had been pursuing recently received an offer from USC, what do think might happen next?  Most likely they will step up their efforts to land the recruit…and probably offer a scholarship.

Recruits who start the process early, put in the recruiting work by connecting with 50-100 schools and leverage those efforts will have a better chance of finding the right school…as opposed to settling for the only school willing to offer.

Which recruit do you relate to more, A or B?  If the answer is A, you have a lot of work to do.