NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

Morgan Sparks is currently an Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach at Dominican University.  Before coming to Dominican, she was an Assistant Coach at Eastern Illinois University.   Sparks joined the EIU Women’s Basketball coaching staff for the 2006-2007 season. On the court, Sparks was responsible for the guard play, helping develop a backcourt that started two freshmen guards that combined to average over 26 points per game.

We recently caught up with Coach Sparks and had an opportunity about what she looks for in recruits.  Her answers are provided below.

1. What do you look for when evaluating potential recruits?

• Skill level
• Academics
• Interest
• Position
• Stats
• High School
• Money Situation

2. How do you initially reach out to a recruit?

Depends on their interest level.  Normally, an email will go out to everyone on our potential recruits list.  From there we will narrow it down to our top recruits which will get handwritten notes and phone calls.

3. Discuss your 1st call strategy for a recruit:

Primarily to gauge interest.  Push for an unofficial visit to familiarize the recruit with our program.  I also try to get to know the kid to make them feel comfortable in the conversation.

4. How often do you communicate with your recruits?

Email: At least every two weeks

Notes: Two times a month

Phone Calls: Once a month but picks up as year continues

5. How do you a ‘close’ a recruit when you want them to commit?

Push for an official visit.  hard follow ups with notes, emails , and phone calls.

6. What tips would you give coaches just getting started with recruiting?

It is all about relationship building.  Kids go where they feel the most comfortable and with coaches who they like.  Won/Loss record is not as important as environment and likability.

Getting recruits excited (especially younger ones) about your Division 3 program can cause hesitancy in some coaches. Whether it is worrying about starting too early, thinking that D3 contact rules are the same as D-1, or spending time with recruits who ultimately might not be interested; coaches seem hesitant about contacting recruits early.  However, there is an unknown advantage inherent to coaching at a D3 school which is in the following paragraph.

NCSA has previously hosted “Division 3 Recruiting Simplified” webinars.  It was a very beneficial webinar to what encompasses 50% of the NCAA.  To sum it up, NCSA relayed information from surveys our student-athletes filled out.  The information was anything from what the prospect wants to do on visits, to how early they would like to be contacted.  An overwhelming 57% of the survey respondents answered “As early as possible” to how early they would like a D3 program to contact them.    The answer wasn’t nearly as shocking as response by D3 coaches.  Almost half of the college coaches on the Webinar did NOT know D3 has a built in advantage in the recruiting process—there are no contact rules regulating how early you can write, email, or even call a prospect at the D3 level. Thinking about it, you can literally get a jump on some of your “larger” competition the earlier you start.

Please see the excerpt from the D3 Manual below:
13.02.9.1 Timing of Telephone Calls. There are no restrictions on the timing of telephone calls to prospective student-athletes. See Bylaw 13.1.3 for information on permissible callers. (Adopted: 4/20/09)

13.02.10.1 Timing of E-mail and Facsimiles. There are no restrictions on the timing for sending e-mails and facsimiles to prospective student-athletes. (Adopted: 4/20/09 )

With the data provided (kids wanting to be contacted early) this may be your best advantage in landing that potential D1/D2 prospect.

Bottom-line: If you are a D3 program make sure your entire staff, and your other sports know you do NOT have calling/emailing limitations to your prospects, put together a plan of contact, and get the jump on some of those upper level recruits you used to wait to contact!

One of the toughest things that coaches encounter is managing multiple graduation classes in recruiting.  Developing a plan of attack for each class can be a daunting task.  Below are some tips for juggling multiple recruiting classes.

Start early!
The earlier you can identify recruits, the earlier you can get them in your recruiting cycle. Taking advantage of times when school is on break or down times to begin identifying new recruits.  Surveyed student-athletes at NCSA have let us know that the earlier you correspond, the more interest they will have in a school!

Create general email correspondence to send to underclassmen
Having a form email monthly to send to unevaluated/secondary recruits can keep them in your recruiting cycle and can gauge interest in your school via responses.  Student-athletes are often confused when they fill out a questionnaire or send an introductory letter and then do not have a response from the coach, so this basic response can keep them interested in the school.

Have a plan for each class
Having a plan for each graduation class can help you effectively communicate with recruits a gives you a structure to work off of

◦     Sample Plan
▪     Seniors

• Calls weekly to top prospects
• Weekly email correspondence with second tier prospects
• Form email correspondence monthly with unevaluated recruits
• Film/statistical review of prospects

▪     Juniors

• Identify potential recruits
• Email correspondence with top recruits
• Form email correspondence monthly with unevaluated/secondary recruits

▪     Sophomores

• Identify potential recruits
• Correspond via camp brochures, questionnaires and admissions material

▪     Freshman

• Identify potential recruits
• Correspond via camp brochures, questionnaires and admissions material

Following these tips can help you effectively communicate with and manage multiple graduation classes in recruiting.  Taking advantage of communicating recruits early can expose more people as to why they should be interested in your program.  The NCSA database is filled with over 20,000 recruits for you get in your cycle and start communicating!

Outside the Lines on ESPN aired a revealing segment on College Football Recruiting Jan. 28th. And, the latest issue of ESPN the Magazine is dedicated to “Recruiting Confidential” with extensive coverage of the recruiting process in many sports.

Below is what “Outside the Lines” and host Bob Ley of ESPN reported from their poll of elite high school football prospects on recruiting at the high level of D1 in College Football:

In the high-powered and pressurized numbers game that is college football recruiting, schools elbow each other verbally if not literally to ingratiate themselves with the blue chip high school players.
“ESPN the Magazine” polled 50 elite high school football players, young men hearing the pitches and promises from all the major schools reveals much about the process.
When asked what percentage of what they’re told by college recruiter is a lie, the average was an astounding 61.5%.
In the wake of Cecil Newton’s pay or play pitch for his son, Heisman winner and national champion Cam Newton, we posed the question, if you knew no one would ever find out, would you accept $50,000 from a recruiter?
Even with the cloak of anonymity more than 20% of these young men said yes, they would take a recruiter’s cash.
So who does make the call for a young, elite football player?
Among those we polled, more than 2/3 of those said they’re on the same page with their parents over their college selection.
When we asked for the single person most influential in that decision 52% said their fathers, 38% said mom and only 10% cited their high school coach.
As for that high school experience to the question, did anyone there in high school take performance enhancers?
More than a 1/4 of those elite athletes said yes.
When it came time to travel to universities for an official visit, 57% of these high school stars (Division 1 football prospects) said drugs and alcohol were available to them on that visit.
The NCAA is investigating the University of Tennessee’s football recruiting practices with a big part of the probe sitting on so-called recruiting hostesses.
There’s recruiting by coaches and then recruiting hostesses.
63% Of the players said they believe schools used hostess es to influence their decision and of those, 70% of the players said the tactics simply did not work.

*********

You can view the segment down below.

The Recruiting Confidential issue of “ESPN the Magazine” is out Friday January 28 . The magazine covers such subjects as:

* South Pointe (S.C.) High’s defensive end Jadeveon Clowney and 24 other top preps from 1986 to present weigh in on what it truly means to be the nation’s No. 1 high school football recruit.  “At first, it’s a big thrill when coaches like Nick Saban and Steve Spurrier call. But by the middle of the year, that feeling wore off. Now I just let the calls go to voicemail. What else can they tell me? I would say, though, that Alabama and South Carolina have done the best job of recruiting me.”

* In “Unhealthy Climate,” The Mag writers Luke Cyphers and Kate Fagan investigate the veiled homophobic language some women’s college hoops coaches allegedly use to sway recruits from going to certain schools.

* The magazine says it will also get into subjects such as how College baseball coaches divide fewer than 12 scholarships among 27 players, and a reporter goes behind the scenes at the NCAA Eligibility  in Indianapolis to see how the 57 employees in that building handle all the eligibility and amateur status of thousands of prospective recruits.

To see ESPN Outside the Lines host Bob Ley’s report on the results of the ESPN the Magazine poll click here

Charlie Adams, NCSA Senior Speaker

cadams@ncsasports.org

           Most people are unaware that of the 1700+ colleges in the U.S that sponsor collegiate athletics and are able to offer financial packages, 24% of those schools are members of NCAA Division III, more than any other NCAA Division.  Many high school athletes, when starting the recruiting process, are quick to avoid Division III for reasons such as cost and what they believe is a low level of competition.  Division III is a great choice for many athletes because it offers superior opportunities in playing time, a high level of competition, and a great education.

            Many sport stars for various Division III colleges are undoubtedly D-I caliber athletes, but they chose to play D-III for one reason: playing time.  Countless players attend Division I schools with hopes of athletic stardom and end up sitting on the bench for four years, or making it onto special teams at best.  Athletes who attend D-III schools usually have the opportunity to play for four years and enjoy massive athletic success.  Pierre Garcon, a wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts, attended Division III powerhouse Mount Union.  In four years as a starter, Garcon averaged over 60 catches, over 1000 yards, and 15 touchdowns per season, earning two-time D-III All American honors.   

            With over 400 colleges offering school-sponsored athletics, Division III provides a highly competitive athletic system.  Many D-III athletes have the opportunity after one or two years of success at their school to transfer to a D-II or D-I program, but instead choose to stay with their respective school.  Division III athletics are home to some of the most dedicated and hard working student-athletes in college sports.

                Possibly the biggest draw of Division III sports is the academic opportunity that comes with them.  Schools with D-III programs such as Johns Hopkins, MIT, CalTech, Emory, Carnegie Mellon, University of Chicago, Williams, Tufts, Amherst, and many more, boast the top academic reputations in the country.  Division III athletics  provide an opportunity for student athletes to obtain a level of education that they may not have had without sports, getting into these top colleges.  Athletics at these D-III schools provide smaller class sizes and more academic assistance than large public schools, resulting in academic success.   If the student-athlete chooses to end his or her athletic career after college, he or she will have a degree from a top academic college providing great opportunities in the working world, along with all the skills and values learned from college sports.

            Division III athletics provide opportunities for a student-athlete to play all four years, compete at a very high level, and obtain a high level education that he or she may not have had the opportunity otherwise.  It is a great athletic and academic opportunity that every high school recruit should seriously consider while going through the college sports recruiting process.

Check out our latest NCSA Live Recruiting Webcast ‘Women’s Athletic Scholarship Opportunities” presented by our team of experts.

More than 800 families tuned in live and chatted with the NCSA Recruiting Team!

If you are a serious female high school athlete, call 866-579-6272 to schedule a Recruiting Evalutation to find out what opportunities you qualify for.

            Social Media is a wonderful tool in college sports recruiting for college coaches and potential recruits, providing abilities to communicate and familiarize faster and more conveniently than ever.  Often times, however, it is not only coaches that are interested in contacting student athletes. 

           In the past year, it has become a hobby of many college football super fans to use networking sites like Facebook as an attempt to sway recruit’s decisions in favor of their choice university.  There have been numerous cases, involving top flight recruits, in which the recruit has received messages, wall posts, tags, etc… from random sources trying to convince him or her to attend certain schools.  Andy Staples of Sports Illustrated reported in a SI.com article Wednesday on a specific case involving C.J Johnson, the top ranked prospect in the state of Mississippi.  Johnson committed to play for Mississippi State as a junior, but decided to reevaluate his decision before Signing Day.  People on Facebook began sending him messages attempting to swing his decision in favor of certain schools and anger about his decision to de-commit.  After enduring loads of frustration and stress as a result of all the pressure from Facebook members, C.J eventually decided to attend Ole Miss, but not before quitting Facebook entirely.  His final status read:

” I will not be a Mississippi state bulldog and I’m not considering Mississippi state anymore bc you have constantly comment on my page and send me crazy inboxes and has made my recruiting experience a living nightmare, goodbye facebook.”

            Social Networking and uses of other technological resources is extremely beneficial for the recruiting process, but all recruits making their information available on networking sites must be sure to be secure about whom is allowed to access their profiles and send messages to them.  There are Help Center Pages on Facebook strictly dedicated to privacy settings available to help student athletes regulate who is allowed to view their page, comment or post on their page, and send them direct messages.

            By controlling their privacy settings, using networking sites responsibly, and following the Social Media rules set forth by the NCAA, student athletes in the recruiting process can use social media as a great tool for both exposure and communication.  Just make sure you don’t let some random fanatic in his basement try to influence your decision.

FEBRUARY RECRUITIN REMINDERS
Financial Packages:
Starting in February student-athletes can start to receive final financial packages from filling out the FAFSA. Need to compare award letters and packages from each college and review the appeal process. We recommend to research and apply for outside scholarships.

Unofficial Visits:
Spring break can be a good time to see campuses and set visits with college coaches. Need to research schools, and then get in touch with coaching staff ahead of time. Underclassmen can set visits with admissions when contacting a DI or DII program.
Spring and Summer Plans:

Below you will find per sport, what each student-athlete and family should be doing to prepare for the spring and summer months. It is important that all recruits are researching teams! Tell current and future members to talk to their teammates, and ask their coaches about local teams:

Basketball:  Find AAU team, tryouts in February/March for spring and summer.

Football:  Register for national combines. Junior day invites in Feb/March!!

Soccer:  Need to be on a club team. Research teams for tryouts.

Softball:  Should have summer schedule, if not need to find club team asap.

Baseball:  Top level clubs team holding tryouts. Set spring game day visits at colleges.

Swimming:  Teams vary by state, either high school or club right now.

Golf:  Start looking and registering for tournaments (AJGA, FCWT, USGA).

Men’s Lacrosse:  Soph. and juniors find a club team. Register for tourneys and camps.

Women’s Lacrosse:   Juniors find a club team. Register for tournaments and camps.

Tennis:  Seniors register for tournaments before the signing period.

Volleyball:  Should be on a club team now and attending tournaments.

Sport Seasons:

The following explains where recruiting is at currently. This is based on the sport season and what each recruit should expect during the coming months, in regards to coach contacts.

Winter Sports:  As seasons are finishing for both the recruit and the coach, recruits should expect coach communications and recruiting to pick back up again.

Spring Sports:  February will still be a strong communication month, but as seasons are starting, it will be a slower time for coach communications.

 Exception! Track – We are getting into the busiest recruiting time of the year.

FEBRUARY RECRUITING EDUCATION

National Letter of Intent: 

Signing the NLI is legally binding and will bind you to the school and program for one academic school year. 
Football:
 Regular Signing Period starts on February 2nd and ends on April 1st.

Field Hockey, Soccer, Track and Field, Cross Country, Men’s Water Polo:
 Regular Signing Period starts on February 2nd and ends on August 1st.

Can a college put an offer in writing before the NLI signing date?

DI Bylaw: 13.9.2.2 Written Offer of Aid Before Signing Date.
Prior to August 1 the recruit’s senior year the college/university can’t provide a written offer of athletically related financial aid or indicate in writing to the recruit that an athletically related grant-in-aid will be offered.
On or after August 1 of the recruit’s senior year, the school can indicate in writing to a recruit that an athletically related grant-in-aid will be offered; however, the school can’t allow the recruit to sign a form indicating their acceptance of the offer before the initial signing date in that sport in the National Letter of Intent program.

DII Bylaw: 13.9.3.2 Offer of Aid before Signing Date.
A school can indicate in writing to a recruit that an athletically related grant-in-aid will be offered; however, the school can’t allow the recruit to sign a form indicating their acceptance of the offer before the initial-signing date in that sport in the National Letter of Intent program.

DIII Bylaw: 13.9.1 Letter-of-Intent Prohibition.

A school can’t use any form of a letter of intent or similar form of commitment in the recruitment of an athlete. However, the school can use in the recruitment of an athlete its pre-enrollment forms executed by prospective students in general at that institution.

Before a school can put an offer on the table, what forms must be completed first?

DI and DII Bylaws: 13.9 Letter -of-Intent Programs, Financial Aid Agreements

For DI and DII the recruit must be registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center.
For DI and DII the school must have a copy of the recruit’s transcript.
For DI and DII the school must put the recruit on the institution’s institutional request list (IRL).
For DI the recruit must complete the amateurism questionnaire with the NCAA Eligibility Center.

FEBRUARY RECRUITING TIPS
Volleyball: Club tournaments in February for President Day are huge for recruiting!!

Football:  Seniors, once we hit the start of the signing period the DI door is closed unless walking on or unknown All-American.

Track, Cross Country, Swimming, Women’s Golf and Wrestling: Seniors, these sports have more availability across the division levels at this point.
ALERT:  DI coaches are always recruiting and looking at athletes, however, at this point in the recruiting process there is not always a spot available or money tied to that spot. Seniors need to be open to 2-year programs and lower levels.

ALERT:  For the following sports at this point only low major DI programs might have scholarship money available with an opening on their roster: basketball, football, volleyball, tennis, softball, baseball, soccer, lacrosse, golf, water polo, ice hockey, and field hockey.

ALERT:  College coaches continue to recruit earlier and we have received notifications from DII, NAIA and even DIII programs that they are done with the 2011 class.