NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog
Archive for March, 2011
NCSA Leadership Grants Awarded
March 31st, 2011 - byOn Wednesday, two NCSA Leadership grants were awarded to student-athletes that have shown exceptional examples of leadership in the classroom, on the playing field, and in every day life.
At San Leandro High School CA, Julian Jenkins presented Osa Aihie with the award
Osa Aihie, Junior, San Leandro HS CA
-3 Years of Football, Soccer, Track
-3.8 GPA
-Honors & AP Classes
-Member of Key Club
-President of Black Student Union (BSU)
-Student President of San Leandro High School Academy for Business and Finance
-Sunday School Teacher at Local Church
At Parowan High School UT, Paul Putnam awarded the NCSA Leadership Grant to Michael Barrett.
-Michael plays Goalkeeper for the Parowan Soccer team
-He has been a two year captain of the varsity team
-His coach describes him as unbelievably hard working, dedicated, and willing to push to his personal boundaries for success
-Michael also excels in Drama around the school and community
These student-athletes show the kind of dedication, work ethic, and character that make athletics the amazing thing that it is. College sports produces leaders and young people with strong will and character. NCSA wants to make sure that this opportunity is available to as many qualified student-athletes as possible. Changing lives!
Ask Coach Taylor: Unofficial Visits
March 30th, 2011 - byHey Coach, do I have to be invited on an unofficial visit?
You do NOT have to be invited to go on an unofficial visit. Unofficial visits are great ways to get aquainted with schools and coaches more personally and early on. In a survey of more than 1,000 college coaches, almost 60% said that they would rather meet a recruit in person on an unofficial visit than by any other means.
Remember the basic rules regarding visits. On an unofficial visit, the coach is only allowed to provide the following:
.3 sporting event tickets valued under $100
.Transportation to an off-site venue
.The student-athlete may stay overnight with a member of the team
All of the other costs of unofficial visits lie with the student-athlete and his or her family. Taking a lot of unofficial visits, early in the recruiting process, is the best way to really get an idea of certain schools that a student-athlete may be interested in.
Meeting the coach in person may also provide a great means to initiate further contact and talk about a possible official visit or scholarship offer.
Good Luck!
If you have any further questions you can always call (1-866-579-6272) to speak with a national recruiting expert.
To get connected with the College Athletic Recruiting Network, go to http://www.ncsasports.org/
5 Star Athletes Don’t Need Help…Do They???
March 30th, 2011 - byTom Lemming recently announced his Top 100 prospects in the class of 2012. Check it out here.
Of the Top 100, 55 prospects are currently listed in the NCSA Network and 8 of them have been verified by our Scouting Team.
Think about that…55% of the Top .1% of the players in the country are in the Network!
If the top prospects in the country are joining the network, shouldn’t you?
Too Much Madness?
March 30th, 2011 - byIt is almost every college fans favorite time of the year. The NCAA will be running ads featuring athletes “Going Pro in Something Other than Sports” all weekend. Are these ads hypocritical? More and more the media seems to be shouting enough is enough. Jason Whitlock writes:
The kids are disposable. They’re totally controlled by the NCAA rule book and dictator coaches. They have little value to the media. We in the media can’t resist exploiting them. We’ve wasted two decades of energy pushing college presidents to add a playoff system to college football.
Could we spend a year or two pushing college presidents to do the right thing for football and basketball players?
I’m hoping this week is the start of that process. I’m hoping the HBO and PBS shows change the collective conversation about the NCAA. Amateurism is an outdated concept. It was blown up by television and its money 35 years ago. It’s now time to blow up the NCAA rule book and start from scratch.
Smart people need to figure out a way to financially compensate the football and basketball players who generate the cash. Title IX is not a legitimate excuse to maintain the status quo. This is America. The people who produce the profits are supposed to benefit from those profits.
Room, board, books and tuition are no longer remotely a fair exchange when coaches and administrators earn lifetime financial security every one to four years.
Even PBS put out a scathing new special. What do you think? Comment away!!!!!!
Watch the full episode. See more FRONTLINE.
Ask Coach Taylor: Camps, Showcases, Combines
March 30th, 2011 - byCoach Taylor, my son attended a camp at a Division I school this past summer, is there anything else he can do for his recruiting?
Over the years, the belief has continued to rise that coaches discover talent at camps, combines, and showcases. These events are great to obtain measurable scores in different testing events, have basic skills evaluated, and get to compete with some other possible recruits. While these events are great, coaches do not discover talent at them.
Most coaches, if they attend a camp or showcase, will arrive with a predetermined list of athletes. This list will contain all event attendees that the coach is already recruiting. The event becomes a way for the coach to further evaluate the prospect in person.
Remember, coaches are online. College coaches evaluate thousands of recruits online every year. This is where the majority of “initial recruiting evaluations” will happen. Get your recruiting information online for college coaches to see, make yourself available to be evaluated.
Good Luck!
If you have any further questions you can always call (1-866-579-6272) to speak with a national recruiting expert.
To get connected with the College Athletic Recruiting Network, go to http://www.ncsasports.org/
Tom Lemming Announces his Top 100 Football Recruits in America
March 30th, 2011 - by5. ••••• OL Mario Edwards 6-3, 270, 4.69 Denton-Ryan, TX
6. ••••• OL John Theus 6-6, 301, 5.1 Jacksonville-Bolles, FL
8. ••••• RB Jonathan Gray 6-0, 195, 4.4 Aledo, TX
11. ••••• RB Rushel Shell 6-0, 215, 4.45 Aliquippa-Hopewell, PA
17. ••••• OL Andrus Peat 6-7, 280, 4.9 Tempe-Corona Del Sol, AZ
18. ••••• DT Eddie Goldman 6-4, 295, 5.2 Washington D.C.-Friendship
20. ••••• DB Shaq Roland 6-2, 180, 4.39 Lexington, SC
21. ••••• QB Jameis Winston 6-4, 196, 4.56 Hueytown, AL
22. ••••• ATH Nelson Agholor 6-2, 180, 4.5 Tampa-Berkeley Prep, FL
27. ••••• OL Jordan Simmons 6-5, 300, 5.2 Encino Crespi, CA
28. ••••• QB Connor Brewer 6-2, 195, 4.7 Scottsdale-Chaparral, AZ
30. ••••• QB Zeke Pike 6-6, 230, 4.7 Edgewood Dixie Heights, KY
31. ••••• LB Kwon Alexander 6-3, 215, 4.5 Oxford, AL
33. ••••• DB Terry Richardson 5-9, 170, 4.4 Detroit Cass Tech, MI
35. ••••• CB Tee Shepard 6-1, 190, 4.5 Fresno-Central, CA
36. •••• OL J.J. Denman 6-6, 310, 5.1 Fairless Hills-Pennsbury, PA
37. •••• LB Derek David 6-4, 230, 4.5 Rockdale, TX
39. •••• DB Shaq Thompson 6-1, 185, 4.5 Sacramento Grant, CA
40. •••• ATH Joel Caleb 6-3, 205, 4.55 Midlothian Clover Hill, VA
42. •••• DT Malcolm Brown 6-2, 280, 4.89 Brenham, TX
44. •••• DL Quay Evans 6-3, 318, 4.9 Morton, MS
45. •••• OL Evan Goodman 6-5, 280, 5.0 Lakeland, FL
51. •••• RB Trey Williams 5-9, 178, 4.4 Spring-Dekaney, TX
52. •••• LB Josh Clemons 6-5, 200, 4.5 Valdosta-Lowndes, GA
53. •••• DB Trae Elston 6-0, 180, 4.4 Oxford, AL
56. •••• DL Eli Harold 6-4, 220, 4.6 VA Beach-Ocean Lakes, VA
57. •••• DL Chris Wormley 6-5, 255, 4.8 Toledo Whitmer, OH
59. •••• OL Jessamen Dunker 6-5, 315, 5.0 Boynton Beach, FL
60. •••• DL Darius Hamilton 6-4, 255, 4.7 Ramsey Don Bosco, NJ
62. •••• DB Chris Black 6-0, 175, 4.4 Jacksonville First Coast, FL
63. •••• DL Sevon Pittman 6-5, 240, 4.7 Canton McKinley, OH
64. •••• DL Jonathan Taylor 6-4, 295, 4.8 Millen-Jenkins Co., GA
65. •••• DB Deon Bush 6-1, 180, 4.4 Miami-Columbus, FL
69. •••• OL Freddie Tagaloa 6-8, 290, 5.3 Richmond-Salesian, CA
71. •••• WR Leonte Carroo 6-2, 200, 4.4 Ramsey Don Bosco, NJ
86. •••• ATH D.J. Foster 6-0, 185, 4.5 Scottsdale Saguaro, AZ
87. •••• DL Javonte Magee 6-6, 260, 4.7 San Antonio-Houston, TX
90. •••• DB Yuri Wright 6-2, 190, 4.4 Ramsey Don Bosco, NJ
91. •••• RB Jonathan Williams 6-0, 195, 4.45 Allen, TX
92. •••• ATH Justin Thomas 5-10, 175, 4.3 Prattville, AL
93. •••• LB Trey Granier 6-1, 225, 4.6 Thibodaux, LA
98. •••• DL Sheldon Day 6-2, 280, 4.9 Indianapolis Warren Central, IN
100. •••• RB Mario Pender 5-11, 188, 4.4 N. Ft. Myers-Island Coast, FL
What Did College Sports Do For You: Rachel Hernandez
March 29th, 2011 - by
Ask Coach Taylor: Handling Scholarship Offers
March 29th, 2011 - byCoach Taylor, My son has some offers, but he is still waiting on others, what do we do with the schools that did offer him?
Great question, this situation is sensitive and must be approached and handled with care.
With schools that have already offered, continue to express gratitude and appreciation while telling the coaches that you are taking some time to be sure you make the right decision. Do not hint that you might not want the offer, because you do not want the offer pulled because of lack of interest.
Regarding the schools that have not yet offered, you can ask questions such as “how many recruits am I up against?” or, “who have you offered?”, but the coach is not required to answer these questions. The best approach is to be very gracious and continue to express strong interest in the school at hand.
Most importantly, be honest and straight forward with the coach. Make sure he or she knows that you have other offers but are still very interested in their school. Who knows, maybe they will “up” their offer and make it one you can’t refuse when they learn that you have other options. An idea that often works is to let the coach know your decision timeline. While you should not be giving any ultimatums, it is always good to show a bit of structure in your plans.
Good Luck!
Send your recruiting questions to askcoachtaylor@ncsasports.org
You can also get your questions answered directly by contacting an NCSA Recruiting Coordinator at 866-579-6272.
Ask Coach Taylor: Sports Recruiting Before Varsity Sports
March 29th, 2011 - byHey Coach, Can I send out my information and highlight video if I haven’t played varsity yet?
You should start researching schools and contacting coaches as early as you can when you know you want to play in college. Making connections and contact with a coach early can be extremely helpful down the road in the process.
As far as highlight video, you should wait until you have VARSITY playing experience before assembling and sending out a recruiting highlight film. A coach cannot really judge the level of competition if he or she is viewing pre-varsity footage.
In certain sports, student-athletes may play on competitive club or AAU teams during the off season. Many student-athletes will use this footage for a recruiting highlight tape. Depending on the competitive level of the team, college coaches may accept this footage as reliable.
In certain sports, student-athletes may play on competitive club or AAU teams during the off season. Many student-athletes will use this footage for a recruiting highlight tape. Depending on the competitive level of the team, college coaches may accept this footage as reliable.
Remember, student-athletes should wait to create and release recruiting highlight videos until they have varsity experience to draw from. Aside from that, it is good to be proactive and start researching and contacting schools and coaches early.
Good Luck!
Send your recruiting questions to askcoachtaylor@ncsasports.org
You can also get your questions answered directly by contacting an NCSA Recruiting Coordinator at 866-579-6272.
