NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

Describe what sort of work you put into the process to be successful.

Prior to signing with NCSA, we tried to do our homework. The reality was, our son attended a small, private 2A school that was not known for being a “hotbed” for athletes. We knew that we would have to work very hard to get him noticed by coaches and colleges. We also knew that he had real D-I potential and this was confirmed after our evaluation with NCSA. Here are some of the things we did PRIOR to signing with NCSA:

• We purchased a magazine that listed the rosters of every D-I school in the country. We examined the rosters to see which schools were likely to be recruiting people at his position. (Which ones had graduating seniors or primarily upper classmen at his position).

• We registered for national competitions in his sport so that he could be seen more broadly and receive specialized training for his position.

• He made a list of the schools he would like to play for – dream schools and more realistic options

• He made a list of schools he might want to attend for their educational programs

• He made a priority list of what was important to him in a school and ranked them in order from highest to lowest priority. (Some things to consider: how far are you willing to travel from your home? What climates are you willing to play in? How large of a school are you willing to go to? Is the quality of the football team more important than the education you will get? How important is it for you to play your first year?) These items often moved around in the rankings as the process got more intense.

• We created a Recruiting Sheet for every school he was interested in and every school that contacted him. On this sheet, we included school contact info, school size, whether or not the school offered his intended degree, team mascot, tuition, conference, coach’s names and contact info. The recruiting sheets contained check boxes where we could keep track of what we sent each school and when (questionnaire, highlight film, etc.) All of these sheets were kept in a loose-leaf binder in alphabetical order by state.

• We actually purchased a folding table that became the “recruiting table”. Files, binders, media guides, letters from schools, etc. were all kept on the table so that we could have easy access to all materials.

• We created a packet to be able to send to interested schools with a cover letter. The packet was a nice linen two-pocket folder with a die-cut for a business card. We created professional looking business cards that had all of his contact information on them. In the packet, we would include a highlight DVD, contact information sheet with his contact information and his coach’s contact information, resume, transcript, press clippings, stats. We probably sent out over 150 of these packets from the beginning of his junior year until he committed.

• We hired a professional videographer to film all of his home games and collected film from the away games usually filmed by the coaches. We worked with the videographer to edit this raw footage into his first highlight DVD. We did the same thing during his senior season to create a second highlight DVD.

• We kept a scrapbook of all of his stats, honors, press, etc.

We signed with NCSA around the middle of his junior year. Their website really helped us to organize things even more. We were able to keep track of all coach contacts on the website. We were able to view when coach’s looked at his profile. NCSA took our highlight video and made it more accessible through a link and they periodically sent information on our son to coaches who might be interested in recruiting him. Some of these were the same coaches that we had already sent information to, but I think having NCSA put their stamp of approval on his talent gave him more notice. NCSA was always there if we had questions. We totally enjoyed and learned a lot from their Educational Huddle Sessions. These alone were worth the price of joining NCSA.

One other thing that we did that was successful was to keep in constant contact with the coaches primarily through email. Our son had terrific junior and senior year seasons and he garnered lots of press and honors. Each time he was in the press, we sent a link to the article to every coach who was recruiting him. We also sent updates after each game with his stats. Very few coaches responded, but some did consistently. We always wondered how many of them really looked at this or if it made a difference. But we did this until the very end.

We were very good about sending thank you emails as well. Whenever we went on an unofficial visit, (and we made over 30 visits to schools) our son sent an email to every coach he had contact with to thank them for their interest.

Email was a great way to communicate. Phone calls were more difficult because he was in school from 7:30 am until 3 pm each day. Since he played dual sports, he had practice or games almost every day after school and many days would not get home until after 6 pm.

What was the most challenging part of the recruiting process?

The most challenging part of the process was seeing how really unfair this whole process can be. Recruiting is a tough game and it is extremely stressful. Many of the schools that were recruiting our son had total staff changes in the 2 months before signing day. We were not sure if offers were still there. It was often difficult to get in touch with the new staff and you felt like you were starting over again. You spent time building a rapport with a coach and all of sudden, he is no longer there. We also had some very unfair and disappointing things occur. There were many things that happened that were obviously “political” and made no sense. Much of this process reinforced the statement that “Life is not fair.” Our son actually seemed to handle it all in stride. And our motto throughout the entire process was: “Everything happens for a reason.” And through all the twists and turns, positives and negatives, he ended up with a great deal at the best place for him. Another thing that was proven true through all of this was that coaches do listen to what someone they know and trust tells them. Most of them do not “do their homework”. They do not go out of their way to seek out talented athletes. They rely on known commodities. They trust the opinions of coaches they know and they do not often venture out of their “comfort zone.” This can be challenging for a student who is from a small town, a small school, or a school with few athletic honors. Even though our son was a 5 star athlete ranked #5 in the country at his position, we had to work very hard to get coaches to “see” him. We had NO connections.

What was the best part of the recruiting process?

The best part of the recruiting process was seeing our son develop and mature mentally, physically and athletically. He became a true hero in our community and a mentor to younger athletes. He worked extremely hard to reach a goal and he exceeded all expectations. He earned a terrific offer from a top-notch University where he will play his freshman year and be able to contribute to a team.

How did NCSA impact your recruiting process?

NCSA helped us to organize the recruiting process. They also offered many resources through their newsletters and Educational Huddle sessions. They were always accessible and helpful if we had questions or concerns. NCSA was a true partner in helping our son earn a full athletic scholarship to further his education while playing a sport he loves.

What advice would you give student athletes going through the process?

Set goals and dream big. Nothing is out of reach with hard work, dedication and talent. Be true to yourself. Be a good citizen and follow the rules. Study hard. Be a team player. Be a role model. Learn your craft. Never be satisfied…there is always room to grow and become better.

We are native of Brazil, born and raised in the land of soccer. When we moved to the U.S. we witnessed our son, Nigel, become an awesome basketball player and always thought he would one day play basketball in college. Time goes by and things turn the other way, he suddenly started playing football as a Latin that had never paid attention to football. We had to trust other peoples comments, fortunately it was always extremely positive. During his junior year we started thinking about what we were suppose to do to help him find a college for him to play football, what and when were we suppose to do it, how to approach coaches and schools, etc. That’s when we found out about NCSA and we believe we made the correct move getting NCSA to help. With the expertise provided Nigel finished his senior season with several options to choose from, and we mean a lot. He was able to choose the college that he felt best academically and athletically speaking, which was Wagner College located in Staten Island, New York. Thank you NCSA!

By the way, Nigel was selected to the county first team and played in the state final championship game (Belen Jesuit first time ever) and also played the Public x all star private game.

On February 3rd my son Mike signed a NLI as scholarship athlete to play football at D2 Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). His signing put an exclamation mark on the partnership between us and the NCSA that began in the summer following Mike’s sophomore year.

Unless you have been through the recruiting process, you have a big learning curve ahead of you. The NCSA provides everything you need to reduce the learning curve to a manageable level. Use all the resources made available by the NCSA including the all information in the recruiting toolbox. Take advantage of the group huddles, they are an extreme wealth of timely information on varied topics related to the recruiting process. By all means use the monthly coaching sessions. They are a half hour a month where you have the undivided attention of a recruiting expert within your athlete’s sport to answer specific questions and provide you with support and encouragement. Follow the NCSA’s assessment of where your athlete’s best athletic fit lies. They are an independent source who will give you and college recruiters a third party assessment of athletic fit. As such, recruiters know they can trust the NCSA because the NCSA has no biased opinion. The NCSA will be your trusted partner through the recruiting process and they will prepare you if you use the resources they make available to you.

Here is brief synopsis of our recruiting journey. Around the summer preceding senior season, the recruiting email really picked up because the NCSA had distributed highlights to a large number of schools. This is the time where we started focusing on best fit. We live in Northern Virginia with all our extended family in Western Pennsylvania. On advice of a friend, I asked Mike if I gave him a round trip ticket to any place in the U.S. where would he go. He responded “Pittsburgh” without any hesitation. So, Mike’s best fit priorities were established as: proximity to extended family yet within a reasonable distance from immediate family and familiarity with the surrounding region. I added a strong curriculum in Mike’s major, athletic fit based on the NCSA’s assessment, and cost.

After establishing the region where Mike wanted to live and attend college for the next four years, we were able to focus on the colleges in the Western PA area. We were honest with recruiters outside that area and let them know of Mike’s preference either in emails or in person when they called. We made it a point to explain that it was no reflection on their programs – rather it was Mike’s preference. We took advantage of a few game day visits to tour the campus and facilities. We tried to visit the varying type of campus sizes – rural state small enrollment, suburban private small enrollment, urban large enrollment, and semi-rural moderate enrollment. Each type of campus offered differing environments for learning and living. It was important to see the colleges in person, because an on-line tour doesn’t capture the ambiance of the school like being there in person. In mid October I began sending game films to several Western PA schools. Two colleges started a recruiting relationship immediately and few others didn’t start until right after the New Year. The invitations for official visits started the second week of January. One of the colleges that had started recruiting Mike in October cancelled the official visit because they had “changed direction”. That was disappointing to here, but following the NCSA’s advice we had other excellent schools lined up for visits. At this time, there was no clear number one; rather we had two schools that offered what we were looking for in best fit. We also had three other schools, now two, that in my opinion where not quite as academically strong as the others, but still a good fit. IUP was always my number one, but I left it up to Mike to choose which school he wanted to attend. As it turns out IUP was also Mike’s best fit. Now all our relatives that could only see Mike play once a year can follow him through his entire college career, he can go to Penguin, Steeler, and Pirate games, and hang out at his grandfather’s mountain camp. All that with the finest education in the Pennsylvania State University system while playing in a football program steeped in a rich proud tradition. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Mitchell Shaws Story,

The recruiting process for me began after the end of my sophomore year. I as many other high school football players had the dream to go on and play college football. One thing I didn’t know though about the recruiting process was that you have to find coaches and not wait for them to find you! This is one of the many tasks I learned during my time working with NCSA.

After my sophomore football season, I realized that I wanted to focus mainly on football and decided not to play basketball my sophomore year to train for football. During one of the combines I went to, I saw a sign for NCSA, and me and my parents decided to research it further.

After a couple phone calls we as a family decided to join the NCSA group. This was the best decision we could of made. Along with having a personal coach for recruiting questions, you also have your own scouting report and a team ofwonderful people who are willing to help you with anything you need.

Now NCSA can only help you so much, but then you have to become “pro active” in the recruiting process. This had to be one of the hardest task for me as an athlete to understand. You have to call coaches and learn about their programs and school. You shouldn’t wait for a coach to call you because most of the time they are waiting for your interest. Another difficult part of the process is trying to figure out where you stand on a coaches recruiting board. This goes back to being “pro active” and having a relationship with a coach so that you won’t seem forward when you ask a coach where you stand with them!

The best part of the recruiting process had to be the game day visits, unofficial visits, and official visits. You get to see a game, meet the players,meet the coaches, and get a feel for what the campus life is really like. Take it all in because you may only visit that school once. Another great part is signing day when you sign with the college you love and you realize all your hard work has paid off!

NCSA impacted me in a great way. They educated me on the whole recruiting process, helped me with any questions I had, and exposed me to hundreds or different colleges that I never even knew existed. Without NCSA I might of only had 5 or 6 schools interested in me but due to their help when I had to make my final decision I had over 10 different schools to choose from.

My advice to future recruits is to be as “pro active” as you can, never tell a school you aren’t interested because you never know when they will hand you a free education. Also do as much research as you can on the school itself and treat every trip like a business trip and you are selling yourself to this college.

I hope you find this story and advice very helpful, I learned that in order to achieve your dreams theirs a price to pay, and with NCSA you can achieve that goal or dream. I would highly recommend NCSA to any student athlete…best of luck to all future recruits and I may your dreams come true.

Sincerely

Mitch Shaw

Saint Francis University

(Division 1)

Class of 2014

The Watkins’ Family

Describe what sort of work you put into the process to be successful.

The recruiting process is just that —- a process. You must be willing to put in time and effort from the start. The more you work it the more it yields favorable results. While NCSA gets your name out there it is your responsibility to take the contacts that result from the exposure and respond. You need to treat each contact as if it were the best offer you are going to get. Recruiting is about building relationships and if you burn bridges by not responding you will lose out. We responded to any coach who requested information no matter what division. If we were truly not interested (because of distance or for whatever reason) we let them know up front —–we didn’t just ignore them.

What was the most challenging part of the recruiting process?

Probably the most challenging part is when things start really heating up and you have several requests for tape, questionnaires to fill out, etc. Response to these requests must be done in a timely fashion and sometimes that can get tricky when you have others things on your plate (like running a household, a job and school and sports activities).

What was the best part of the recruiting process?

The best part of the recruiting process is seeing the fruits of your labor. A scholarship to an institution that is the perfect fit academically and athletically makes the whole experience worthwhile.

How did NCSA impact your recruiting process?

NCSA provides abundant support. They are there every step of the way. They have an archive full of invaluable resources to help guide you through the process and they are just a phone call away should you have question about anything. They will be honest with you and if they don’t know the answer they will find someone who does know the answer. The recruiting coaches are approachable, knowledgeable, and are willing to do what it takes to help you through the process. The scouting report was a great tool for us to use when coaches wanted to get information quick. If they were really interested after viewing the report they would request further information and start the recruiting process.

What advice would you give student athletes going through the process?

Begin early and stay with it. There will be times when you feel overwhelmed but stick with it because it will pay great dividends in the end. Remember that you are in control about contacting coaches, they are restricted by more rules than “warts on a toads back” so they cannot always get back to you. Review contact periods and times so you know when you can expect a call or other communication from the coaches or staff of the colleges you are interested in. If they can’t call—call them. We also found that email is a great tool when communicating because both parties can answer when they have a few minutes and it breaks the ice in getting to know each other. One other thing, KEEP YOUR GRADES A TOP PRIORITY coaches like knowing they have an athlete that they are recruiting that isn’t going to have a problem qualifying to play because of poor academic standings. Keep up with your TO DO LIST it is an excellent way to see if you are on track.

I would highly reccomend NCSA. The tools such as the coach calls are very beneficial. I hopped on a call one night with the Elmhurst coach just to hear about the recruiting process and what college coaches look for and little did I know I found the school I ended up at. The way NCSA makes your report and your profile really gives you a platform for colleges to see you and start contacting you. I had many coaches regularly calling me and emailing me along with sending mail. If you have the desire to play at the next level and put in the work NCSA will elevate you above the rest of the normal high school athletes and get you looked at. I had numerous NAIA and D2 athletic offers however I decided to go to Elmhurst based on the great education, the beautiful facilities, and the classy, personable people. I would say you have to get out and visit at least three of your top schools that you are considering so you can get a good fit for where you belong but NCSA has done great things for me and I’m sure it would for you. I’m leaving the great state of Texas and going to play in Elmhurst, Il.

Trevor Spaulding 2010 kicker

Ncsa really helped me to get recruited without them I would have never been notice and I would be paying for college next year. Now I dont have to pay anything because I was offered a full ride. The best part of the whole process was seeing what schools were interest in my talent.

Protect Your Dream

By Brandon Pechloff

I knew since I was six what I wanted. I wanted to play college football as a quarterback. My parents and I chose my high school based on it’s strong football program and the probability to start as quarterback as a junior. The coaches were aware of my goals before I registered. I was the quarterback of my Freshmen and Sophomore teams and back up Varsity quarterback in my Sophomore and Junior year. In April of my Sophomore year I had a profile on Rivals, I thought I was all that. I heard about NCSA in May of my Sophomore year. At that time I had a lot of colleges interested in me. My parents and I decided that based on the early interest I did not need to join NCSA.

By the end of my Sophomore year I was on Rivals, Scout and Espn. We read every book and article on how to get recruited and followed every guideline. I was voted the NUC National Ultimate 100 MVP QB in the summer before I was a junior. Before my Junior season I had over 65 D-1 schools interested in me. I filled out every questionnaire and responded to every email. I had a professional looking profile that had my picture and all my information for the coaches.

I did everything that was requested of me prior to my Junior year by my coaches. I gained 70 pounds, I increased my speed, and my strength. I competed on a national basis and won. I had every reason to believe that I would be the starting quarterback through-out the summer practices. I found out that I was not the starter at practice one day when the other quarterback (a returning senior) was being interviewed by the press. I did not start one game as a Junior, our team went 11-1, and I went in occasionally when the outcome of the game was already determined.

I was chosen to go to the US Army All American Combine without playing my Junior season and I was one of the 70 quarterbacks in attendance that was honorably mentioned for my performance. NCSA was present at the combine and did a presentation. After returning home my parents and I decided to join NCSA in February of my Junior year. Thanks to NCSA, sending out my highlight video and profile link, I once again had a lot of schools interested. I went to 10 Junior days, 12 spring camps and 11 Senior one day camps in 5 states (I chose only schools that came to my school and called me requesting I come because they were very interested). I always made sure that the coaches knew I had not started in my Junior year. They all said they were still interested. I competed nationally again. I won the NUC Midwest Ultimate 100 QB MVP and was third place in the National competition in Oklahoma.

I was not worried, I was communicating with many colleges who said they were just waiting for my senior season. I set goals for myself and exceeded them all. I lead my team to victory winning the 5A State Championship against the most decorated school in Illinois history, Joliet Catholic. I was the MVP in the championship game, voted All State, 1st team, All Conference, 1st team, All Area Team, All Area MVP, I tied a state record for the longest TD – 99 yards from scrimmage and I am 7th on the State list for most TD’s in one season – 43. I passed for 3,200 yards and 43 TD’s, completing 60% of my attempts. In addition, I set a number of school passing records.

NCSA sent out my senior highlight videos and profile again. My numbers were as good as or better than the top quarterbacks in the nation holding D-1 scholarship offers. I am 6 feet, 7 inches and had proven that I was passionate about football and that I was able to win a State Championship. I showed when others would have given up I kept trying, I never gave up my dream. I was ready to choose my future college; I was ready for the visits and the calls.

No D-1 schools called or came by, no offers were made. I started to get endless calls from D-11, D-111 and JUCO colleges. What was never made clear by the D-1 colleges is that they make all of their QB choices with the Junior class, without exception. If someone de-commits they just offer to a QB who had gotten an offer to a different school in their Junior year. No matter what I did in my senior season it didn’t appear to matter, I had not started as a junior.

My story does have a good ending. My dad called NCSA on January 14th , several weeks before national signing day, asking that my video and profile link be sent out one last time to colleges that were having trouble with the quarterback position. On January 15th Western Carolina University a D-1AA school out of North Carolina called. I had an offer by Tuesday the 19th and was flying for an official visit on the 22nd. I loved my visit, the athletes, college and coaches. I verbally committed on Monday, January 25th. On signing day I was at my high school with my parents signing my official commitment papers.

NCSA was always very clear that a student/athlete had to keep their options open, never to say no just because it was not the college of your dreams. Thanks to my parents and NCSA, I will begin the next step of my dream, to play college football. I have a chance to compete for starting quarterback at a college that wants me and needs me. I did not get what I had always thought I wanted, but perhaps I have gotten what I need. The rest is up to me.

In conclusion, my advice to prospective student/athletes would be to choose partners that can help like NCSA. Compete whenever you can at combines and senior one day camps. This will give you the confidence to do your job on the field when your season starts. Involve your parents; they are your biggest fans. Make sure your coaches know your goals and be very clear about how they will be involved. No matter what, “protect your dream and continue working hard”. The road to your dream may take a lot of turns and twists, yet if it is your dream, you say when it is over not others.

Freshman year of High School was my first year playing football. I eventually earned a starting spot on the freshman team. I was pulled at half time because I was performing poorly. Sophomore year the coaches on JV didn’t give anybody a shot so I sat on the bench the whole year. I was a third string right tackle. My junior year we got a new coach and he gave everybody a shot. Coach Owens is the best Coach in the world. In a way he saved my life because I’ve known from a very young age that I wanted to play pro ball. He gave me a starting job at defensive end and I played all 10 games. Senior year I was moved to middle linebacker and I was the best linebacker in the conference. I signed a deal with Northwestern College (IA). I will be getting 26,000 dollars from them to go to their school. But it wasn’t all fun and games. Everyday before school I would wake up at 5:00 a.m. to go lift weights. I gained 30 pounds in the off-season (in between Junior and Senior year). NCSA helped out a lot. They were able to get my name out there. After they got my video done colleges started to recognize me. I didn’t sign with a college that NCSA set me up with but I had choices. And for all the recruits out there don’t be afraid to call coaches. You never know what might happen.

In case you were unable to watch live last night, check out Coach Taylor’s webcast about “The Recruiting Realities of Camps and Combines.”

Getting verified results from combines can be critical in the recruiting process, but the key is to make sure your measureables get in front of college coaches through trusted online sources.

If you want to get the most recruiting value out of your camp and combine experience, call the NCSA Scouting Center at 866-579-6272 or click here.