NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

Coach Taylor, What is oversigning?  I have read a lot in the news lately about schools turning away committed athletes.

Oversigning, mostly heard about in Division I FBS College Football, is when a team accepts a number of NLI signed recruits than a team actually has room for under the 25 scholarships per recruiting class limit or the 85 scholarship-per-team limit.

The conferences most known for having the worst oversigning problem is the SEC.  The Big Ten is the only large conference that actually has rules in place to combat oversigning.  There have been numerous cases in the last ten years that schools sign over 30 players in one year.  This means that AT LEAST 5 players must have their scholarships removed in those recruiting classes.  Keep in mind, these are top flight recruits that have all committed to some of the best schools in the country to play football.

Some coaches in the SEC openly defend Oversigning, claiming that the conference’s success on a national scale is a testament to its recruiting practices.  They see oversigning as insurance that there will be 85 top skilled scholarship athletes on the team every year.

The fact is, oversigning is a reality, and it is one that recruits must all be prepared for.  Every recruit about to sign a National Letter of Intent should first confirm with the school’s athletic department that they are under the required number of scholarships and that the student-athlete’s future is secure.

Coach Taylor, do colleges hold tryouts for sports?

 Programs at the NCAA Division II level are permitted to hold tryouts, but Divisions I and III are not.  The NCAA also has some strict rules regarding these tryouts:

The prospective student athlete MUST be a senior in high school enrolled in a term other than the term(s) in which the sport being tried out for does not occur.  This means that a fall sport athlete must try out in the spring and vice versa.  Two-year college students are also allowed to tryout pending their season has concluded or they are ineligible to play at that period of time. 

No more than ONE tryout is allowed per student athlete per school and sport.  Prior to trying out, the student-athlete must undergo a medical exam within six months of the date of trying out, or the exam can be part of the tryout.  Tryouts can include evaluation of basic skills and, except in football, ice hockey, lacrosse, and wrestling, competition.  In a football tryout, student athletes are not allowed to wear helmets or pads.  Lastly, the maximum length of a tryout is 2 hours.    

That is some basic information regarding the tryouts that are allowed at the NCAA Division II level. 

In some Division II sports, such as hockey, some teams may conduct highly competitive tryouts.  In other sports, tryouts may be comparable to walking-on in Divisions I and III.  If this is the case, all of the decisions relating to a walk on athlete must be considered in the recruiting process.

Good Luck!

Of all stereotypes thrown around daily in modern media, the image of a lazy, everything-handed-to-him, selfish college athlete is one of the largest.  Many people who view college sports from the outside believe that every athlete is handed his or her education on a silver platter, coasting through a college education that is much more difficult for non-athletes.

This week, ESPN ran an article on its website on allegations that Stanford University distributed a list of “easy classes” to its athletes.  This list supposedly contained a large list of classes for each major requirement that demanded a minimal work load and produced easy A’s for the students.  In the article, administrators defended the list stating that it had more to do with classes that fit athletes’ strict time schedules than difficulty of courses.

It is true that there are probably some athletes in college sports that coast through college academics, star in their sport, and go pro.  Contrary to popular belief, the number of these certain athletes is very small.  On average, 2.4% of college football players go on to the NFL.  The other 97.6% of athletes finishes with sports after college and enters the job world.

Especially at schools like Stanford, there are bundles of athletes that are very focused on academics.  Tunde Oshinowo, former Defensive Linemen for Stanford, said, “The vast majority of student-athletes at Stanford are serious about their studies and put forth the effort to match”.  Oshinowo graduated with a degree in electrical engineering, one of the hardest majors at Stanford.  He then played in the NFL from 2006-2009 before becoming a web designer for NCSA.

The story about Stanford, having gone viral in the news over the past few days, makes the assumption that information about which classes are easy and difficult is some big secret only available to athletes.  This information is actually available for many different schools, from many different sources.  College Confidential is an informational admissions counseling website.  On its blog, students from colleges all over the country post questions about which classes are easiest to coast through, and these questions are answered by older students.  There are also countless facebook groups devoted to developing lists of easy classes and teachers, even some school newspapers have run articles displaying what classes to take and not to take.

Many also forget that slacking is not a privilege reserved for athletes and stars.  As Oshinowo points out, “Any student, at any school, can slack his or her way through college, take the easy road, and not learn very much…I worked my butt off to succeed in the classroom and on the field.  In school and in sports, you get what you put in.”  The press regarding Stanford’s class list has shed an undeserving light on college athletes.  It is unfortunate that stereotypes and false assumptions overshadow the hard work being done by so many student-athletes around the country.

“Going through the recruiting experience was a wonderful time for my family.  However, understand this: College Sports are a business.  Our son is a highly recruited football player who has met wonderful coaches from all over the country.  But… they are in the business of football.

Being there with your children throughout the process is paramount. When the hard sell comes (and it will), you can help them take a step back, take a breath and look at all of your options.

My son is fortunate enough to have several Division I offers.  He has worked hard, but honestly five of his offers came in one night, the same day NCSA sent out a distribution list to Coaches.   That is why I tell every family to at the very least, visit the NCSA website and do your all of your research for free! 

Learn about registering for the Clearinghouse, Core scores, the importance of academics, how to make packets to send to coaches yourself.   NCSA can teach you how to navigate every step of the recruiting process.

Division I isn’t for everyone.  There are excellent schools all over the country.  Do your research and connect with college coaches.”

- Saundra DeStefano, mother of NCSA Athlete of the Month nominee Patrick DeStefano

NCSA will be broadcasting a FREE live recruiting web event with Coach Randy Taylor to help all uncommited 2011 football players make the most of the remaining opportunities.

When:  Thursday, March 10th at 8 pm EST / 7 pm CST

Where:  NCSA will be streaming live online.  All you need is internet access!

Click HERE at the time of the show to watch live. 

Coach’s tip:  bookmark this link so you can find it easily and watch.

Coach Taylor and the NCSA Team will breakdown what college coaches are still looking and what YOU can do to maximize the recruiting process.

“Blue chip recruits don’t have to do any work in recruiting…”

We hear it all the time.  It is far from the truth.  Simply because an athlete receives 50-100 letters, several official visit invitations and scholarship offers does NOT mean they didn’t do any work to reach that point!

All those athletes put together tape, sent information to college coaches and spent hours developing relationships through email, phone and visits.  In most cases, their parents played a major supporting role that was critical.

Check out this note from a mother of a “5 Star” athlete the NCSA Team received today.  Did five offers from top DI programs in the country happen magically? 

If blue chip athletes have to put in time and effort…what does that mean for athletes that are flying under the radar or not taking action?  Sure, some athletes will have to do more work than others based on academics, ability and situation, but the point is that recruiting takes time and effort…regardless of who you are.

Are you putting in the work?  Share the work you have put into recruiting with our network by commenting below.  Getting educated and learning is something ALL athletes and parents need.  Let’s help each other.

The NCSA Athletic Recruiting Team is a committed, athltetic minded team whose mission is to empower leaders through sports.  We approach every day with unparalleled passion, energy, love and appreciation for everything that sports have done for us.  We call this:  THE GIVE BACK!

Learn more the Network Here

I will make two key points on recruiting. They will be about how recruiting continues to accelerate and about how truly special it is to be a college student-athlete.

I was in Indianapolis and picked up the Indy Star Newspaper both days. In there I found several references to recruiting that families can learn from. For example, in College Recruiting Simplified, NCSA speakers educate the audience that recruiting – especially at Division One and certainly at the high level of Division One – has REALLY accelerated. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong. It’s just the way it is, as they say.

NCSA Recruiting Expert Charlie Adams

Sportswriter Mark Ambrogi wrote that 9th grade wrestler Nathan Boston of Lawrence North High School had made an oral commitment to wrestle in the Big Ten for Indiana University. His High School wrestling coach Jared Williams had this to say:

“It is unprecedented, as far as I know, for a freshman to receive this type of offer from a big time program in the sport of wrestling,”

Boston went 46-0 as a 9th grader and won the 103 pound state championship. According to the report, he will get a full athletic scholarship to IU. The newspaper reported that he had already been looking at several Universities but that his visit to Indiana stood out the most. This is a young man that was already taking unofficial visits.

Recruiting is not accelerated like this at all levels of college sports. It is usually the major D1 programs finding ways to offer remarkable 9th graders like a 46-0 wrestler that some have said is so good that he is “a beast” on the mat. If anything it should alert people to start the recruiting process early. Boston was already out visiting colleges. And if you are thinking D1 in anything, you darn well understand that it is accelerated. They are identifying prospects earlier than ever before. When I was in the office of a major D1 Top 25 Volleyball Coach she and her staff were getting ready to go evaluate 9th and 10th graders at a big Club event. They had already wrapped up their 11th and 12th graders.

Lower levels of D1, D2, NAIA and D3 don’t move that fast in most cases, but the earlier a student-athlete starts the process of making themselves very appealing to them, the more good things can happen in 11th and 12th grade when recruiting heats up at those levels.

I came across another story in the Indy Star that captured what a special experience it is to be a college student-athlete. Columnist Bob Kravitz wrote about the final game of Indiana University women’s basketball star Jori Davis, one of the best players in school history. In the column, the senior glowed when reflecting on her four years. She never made the NCAA Tournament, which was disappointing, but not the purpose for being there. She played in front of a lot more empty seats than full ones, but that wasn’t what it was all about for her.

“No regrets at all,” Davis told the newspaper while smiling. “I just feel like there are more things to learn than just being on a winning team. A lot of people on winning teams don’t learn as much as we did at Indiana. And education is more than just about basketball.”

She then said something that I try to get across to High School athletes so that they understand how special college sports can be IF they find the right fit for them.

“These are the best four years of your life,” Davis said. “I’m with 15 girls who are my sisters, who have each other’s back through hard times, bad times, practice, preseason. But it’s all fun.

“Everyone who goes on to the next level of life says they’re going to miss these times. I’m going to hold on to this as long as I can, even the last months of school.”

THAT is what being a true college student-athlete is all about! It is a very special experience that only about 7% of High School athletes go on to ever experience. Davis called her teammates “sisters.” That is how close college athletes can become in the right situation. They will have a bond throughout life that is hard to describe. They will be in each other’s weddings. They will be there for each other when a major health scare arrives.

Davis said that they had each other’s back through the good and the bad, through the grueling practices, the last second losses and the big wins. That is what it is all about, whether you are in the Big Ten or at Hanover College. It is not easy. It is a major time commitment, but she would do it all over again, and this is a player that will play professional basketball. She’s that good.

About a year ago I was speaking at a major Volleyball showcase event in New Orleans where NCSA was brought in to provide recruiting education to families. There I met a young lady who had just finished her senior season as a volleyball player at D1 Tulane University in New Orleans. I asked her to reflect on the four years. She said her freshman year just about broke her. The time commitments as a volleyball player and a student at a top academic institution were intense and she thought about quitting her sport. But she made it through that freshman season and in the process told me she developed remarkable time management skills. She adapted and had a great four years. She told me she was very sad when it ended, but that she felt she had the life skills to go out in the world and thrive! She was beaming.

That’s how it was for Jori Davis, the basketball player. That’s how it can be for you, but you only have one shot at recruiting. It’s not like in golf where Dad hits a bad tee shot and says, “Reload! Mulligan time!” Here, you get one crack, so give it the best shot. Don’t be someone 37 years old wondering if you had what it took to be a college student-athlete…

To Learn about How to Get Into the Database College Coaches Use to Find Qualified Student Athlete to Recruit, Click HERE!

Charlie Adams

NCSA Recruiting Expert

cadams@ncsasports.org

To bring a NCSA Athletic Recruiting Network Speaker to your High School, Club, Tournament or Special Event

Vote for the NCSA Student-Athlete of the Month!

NCSA’s recruiting experts have selected some of their top recruits in different sports and we need your help to vote for the best Student-Athlete of the Month for March.

It’s Easy to Vote:

1. Read through a quick description of the student-athlete

2. Click on the link below the description to view more information

3. Click the “Like” button featured at the bottom of their Recruiting Profile if you feel like they are the best candidate for NCSA Student-Athlete of the Month

Here are the three candidates for NCSA Student-Athlete of the Month for March:

Courtney Mirabella: 2013 Graduate, Softball Student-Athlete from Florida

Click Here to Vote for Courtney!

Kelsey Clayman: 2012 Graduate, Women’s Soccer Student-Athlete from Missouri

Click Here to Vote for Kelsey!

Patrick DeStefano: 2012 Graduate, Football Student-Athlete from South Carolina

Click Here to Vote for Patrick!

Feel free to send this to as many people as possible to make sure your favorite wins this month!