NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

In this article by Curtis Eichelberger found on Bloomberg News today, you can read about the advantage students who play sports in college receive in employment after college.  You should read the entire article, but here’s the money quote:

“Athletes can bring something extra that’s necessary for success in finance, Werner said.

“In a business where it tends to knock you down a lot, they tend to get back up,” he said. “That drive, that level of discipline, the rigor they have in their own personal lives and their willingness to take on hard challenges; a lot of that gets taught to you on an athletic field.”

NCSA is THE Athletic Recruiting Network.  We empower our student-athletes in their chosen careers through our network of employers who hire student athletes.  You can find out more about that here.

If you aren’t here is exactly why you should.  Coach Taylor received the following note from one of his former recruits last night:

Dear Randy,

I’ve written this recommendation of your work to share with other LinkedIn users.

Details of the Recommendation: “I was a high school All-American football player, who was recruited by top Division 1 schools, including UCLA. Randy was the recruiting coordinator at the time, and was very influential in my decision to sign with UCLA. Randy is an honest, caring, and loyal friend, who I still try and keep up with today, now 12 years since we first met. I would recommend Randy to any prospect and the prospects’ family looking for knowledgeable and honest advice about the process and what the outlook might be.”

If you aren’t hearing from Coach Taylor, here is your chance to opt-in!

NCSA Athletic Recruiting’s Collegiate Power Rankings assess the academic and athletics standards of all NCAA and NAIA athletic programs across the country. The Power Rankings were developed to help prospective student athletes and their families evaluate the particular strengths of the top colleges and universities at the Division I, II and III levels. Fewer than 6% of colleges and universities earn a spot in NCSA Athletic Recruiting’s Top 100 for 2010.

Chris Krause, CEO and Founder of NCSA Athletic Recruiting, says, “The Power Rankings are an objective tool to empower student athletes to find the right fit in a college or university, not only for its athletics, but academics as well. Our hope is to educate these student athletes and their parents on the importance of evaluating schools that will provide the education for an enriched, successful career after college, in addition to athletic success.”

The Collegiate Power Rankings from NCSA Athletic Recruiting are calculated for each Division I, II and III college and university by averaging student-athlete graduation rates, academic rankings provided by U.S. News & World Report, and the strength of athletic departments as determined by the U.S. Sports Academy Directors’ Cup ranking,

1 Amherst College

2 Williams College

3 Middlebury College

4 Massachusetts Institute of Technology

5 Stanford University

6 Washington University in St. Louis

7 Princeton University

8 Duke University

8 Tufts University

10 Harvard University

11 Emory University

12 University of Notre Dame

13 Carleton College

14 Cornell University

15 Yale University

16 Haverford College

17 Claremont McKenna College

17 Johns Hopkins University

19 Harvey Mudd College

20 University of Pennsylvania

21 Northwestern University

22 Scripps College

23 University of California — San Diego

24 Carnegie Mellon University

25 Wellesley College

26 Bowdoin College

27 Brown University

28 Colby College

28 Washington and Lee University

30 Pomona College

31 Wesleyan University

32 Brandeis University

33 Bates College

34 Pennsylvania State University — University Park

35 Georgetown University

36 Boston College

37 Illinois Wesleyan University

37 New York University

39 DePauw University

40 Kenyon College

41 Pitzer College

42 United States Naval Academy

43 University of Chicago

44 St. Lawrence University

45 Stonehill College

46 College of William and Mary

46 Columbia University

48 Vassar College

49 St. Olaf College

49 Vanderbilt University

Be sure to check out our advanced Division by Division Breakdown as well as the scores behind the rankings!

Coach Taylor,

My team recently went through a coaching change, and the school did not renew my scholarship.  If I choose to transfer, will I have to sit out an entire season, or will they make an exception for someone in my position?

Darius Hill

This is a great question, and it concerns a situation that affects many college athletes every year.  Transferring can be a complicated and often frustrating process, and it only further underscores the importance in choosing the right college from the start.

Many conferences require a student-athlete who transfers to sit out for a year or more.  This is true of most sports at the Division I level, and is also true at many lower level institutions.  Some conferences, like the Big 10, prohibit you from ever receiving an athletic scholarship if you transfer from one school in the conference to another. Some exceptions to this rule exist, particularly when an athlete has already fulfilled his or her undergraduate academic requirements, but most athletes are forced to sit out an entire season. 

Some specific sports and conferences will offer scholarships to transferring athletes without requiring the forfeit of an entire season, but this will depend on the sport you play and the school from which you are transferring.  My advice is to work with an expert recruiter familiar with the transfer rules and regulations for every sport, division and conference.

To join the most trusted athletic recruiting network and make sure you cast a wide enough net, click here or call 866-579-6272.

Send your recruiting questions to askcoachtaylor@ncsasports.org

Hey Coach Taylor,

My son is a sophomore in the class of 2013, and he has begun receiving contact from college coaches this summer. Should we be getting a lot of mail right now, or is it still too early?

A. Wise

Generally speaking, it’s never too early to receive correspondence from college coaches. During a student-athlete’s freshman and sophomore seasons, coaches may send general communications (questionnaires, camp brochures, admissions materials, etc), but may not yet call or send personal emails.  Much of this correspondence is sent in the form of requests for information, so the amount you receive may depend somewhat on if or how often you responded to previous mailings.  Although an abundance of mail from coaches and programs does suggest a great deal of interest, an athlete and family shouldn’t necessarily be discouraged by a lack of contact during this time.

It’s important to remember that the amount of contact and attention you receive from coaches is largely a function of how much effort you put into recruiting.  Respond to EVERY piece of mail you receive, even if you aren’t certain you’re interested in a school.   Because coaches aren’t permitted to contact underclassmen personally, it’s the athletes’ responsibility to cultivate relationships with coaches and to update them on any relevant information.  
To join the most trusted athletic recruiting network and make sure you cast a wide enough net, click here or call 866-579-6272.

Send your recruiting questions to askcoachtaylor@ncsasports.org

Hi Coach Taylor,

I just received an email from the Director of Football Operations at a college, who I met earlier this year. He invited me to attend a game (with 3 tickets), watch a pre-game warm-up, and tour the facilities. I sent my film and info to them earlier this year, but hadn’t heard anything from them before this. Should I treat this as a totally generic invite and not waste my time flying to Texas (I live in CA), or should I go? I would appreciate your advice.

Thank you,
Connor O’Modhrain

Great question, Connor.   The correct answer depends both on your level of interest in the school and on your family’s ability to afford the trip.

Invitations for “unofficial” visits like this one are very common in football, but are made in the context of many other sports, too.    In many instances, unofficial visits are scheduled at the request of the student-athlete, so the fact that you were invited to come and experience game day means that you are, at the very least, on the school’s recruiting radar.  With that said, similar invitations are typically offered to far more recruits than will ultimately receive scholarship offers.

If you’re genuinely interested in attending a school, unofficial visits are a great opportunity to express you enthusiasm to the coaching staff and learn more about the program.   Unfortunately, these trips can be very expensive, particularly in situations like yours where air travel is required.   If you haven’t had much contact from a coach or program, and a potential scholarship opportunity hasn’t been discussed, making such a trip could cost you and your family more than it was worth.  I would suggest you contact the coach or program in advance to discuss the level of interest in you, so that you can better judge the value of such a visit. 

If you can afford to make the trip, and this school is one of your top choices, by all means go and enjoy the game.  Remember, though, that your presence or absence is not likely to determine whether or not you receive a scholarship offer, so don’t feel pressured to make the visit.
To join the most trusted athletic recruiting network and make sure you cast a wide enough net, click here or call 866-579-6272.
Send your recruiting questions to askcoachtaylor@ncsasports.org

Hi Coach Taylor,

I just had ACL surgery on Friday and will be out for 6 months. My high school soccer season is over, and my club team isn’t playing this season. Is there still a way for coaches to see me in the spring?  I am a senior and I don’t know if my only possibility is as a walk-on.  Kindly advise.
 
L. Hunt

I’m sorry to hear about your injury; I realize how frustrating that can be for an athlete in the midst of the recruiting process.  The keys to dealing with an injury are staying focused, maintaining relationships with college coaches, and working even harder to market yourself and your talents. 

 I recommend that you concentrate particularly hard on creating a fantastic highlight video that fully demonstrates your skills and accomplishments over the first three years of your high school career.  Because you have fewer games to draw from than do other athletes, it’s especially important that you make the most of the footage that you have.

You should also continue to contact every coach with whom you’ve had contact, and even reach out to many new coaches to express interest. Be honest and specific about the nature of your injury, the treatment you’re receiving, and when you hope to return to the playing field. Your inability to play your senior season will limit the amount of contact you’ll receive from coaches, but you can nevertheless sustain these relationships by remaining proactive and committed.

Lastly, remember that your character and academic talents are a big factor in the recruiting process, and these qualities shouldn’t suffer as a result of any injury.  Focus your energy on improving your GPA and your test scores, and remain involved with your team in whatever capacity your injury allows. 

To join the most trusted athletic recruiting network and make sure you cast a wide enough net, click here or call 866-579-6272.

Send your recruiting questions to askcoachtaylor@ncsasports.org

When we sent out our newsletter promoting everyone to share their sports story with us, we had the privilege of getting in contact with a student athlete’s mother, who wanted to share her son Luke’s very inspirational story with us.

His story is an inspirational journey through adversity, set in a football environment. Like many of student athletes in high school who have also shared their stories with us, Luke was a high school football player anxious to finally play on Friday nights with the varsity team his junior year at Edison High School in California.

The week before two-a-days, July 2008, Luke developed a nosebleed that lasted over 2 hours. After going to the hospital, the Gane’s were told that Luke had a rare blood disorder called Severe Aplastic Anemia, which is known to be fatal. The bone marrow in your body, when you have this disorder begins to rapidly malfunction and ceases to produce more new blood cells. The Gane family saw this nosebleed as a very important “blessing-in-disguise” because if it did not occur, one big hit during football practice would have caused internal hemorrhaging, killing him.

A month later, Luke under went chemotherapy, but it became evident that he was in need of a bone marrow transplant. Coming from a family of 5 boys, they tested the family and found that two of his brothers were a match. When Jim, Luke’s father, asked who wanted to volunteer to be Luke’s donor, both brother’s hands shot up, but it was 10 year old Jacob Gane’s hand that went up first. The surgery was a success! The Gane’s community was extremely supportive in anyway they could, setting up multiple fundraisers, when the Gane family had not asked for anything.

Luke fought back extremely well and made a full recovery! He was able to play every game, both ways, his senior year.  He helped lead his team to an undefeated regular season, losing only in the CIF championships to a rival team that supported Luke during his illness.  Luke Gane then found himself accepting an offer as a preferred walk-on at UCLA for football beginning this Fall!

We are very grateful to  for sharing her family’s story with us. If you have your own inspirational sports story that you would like to share with us and countless student athletes and their families across the nation, please submit yours today on our “What’s Your Story” Facebook page! We’d love to hear your story!

If you are interested in reading more about Luke Gane’s incredible journey, here are some places to find out more:

Luke Gane Video

Luke Gane’s Blog

Coach–My boys are entering there Junior year they have attended several camps this summer and made several contacts with coaches.   My question is can they use Facebook as a way to communicate with the coaches they met or do they need to wait till after Sept. 1st.

Great question, I want to give you the exact NCAA Rule that applies to Twitter and Facebook:

Divisions I and II rules allow for coaches to contact prospects through the direct-message function on Twitter/Facebook, subject to the same rules applicable to email communication with recruits. However, publicly mentioning a recruit’s name, sending an “@reply” message via Twitter, or writing on a recruit’s wall are both considered NCAA rules violations. Coaches can “follow” recruits on Twitter – and vice versa – so long as the @reply function is not used. Any direct messages sent through Twitter/Facebook must conform to the contact-period legislation for each NCAA sport.

What does this mean?  YES! Use Facebook, Twitter or any  means necessary to contact coaches.  Just understand they will not be able to answer in a public forum and any communication.  Also, remember while it might be an easy way to connect, it shouldn’t stand alone.  Just like sending an email, making a phone call or sending a video, you need to Follow UP!

To join the most trusted athletic recruiting network and make sure you cast a wide enough net, click here or call 866-579-6272.

Send your recruiting questions to askcoachtaylor@ncsasports.org