Some recruits for next years team
Hunter Krajewski 6’1 275 OL Timber Creek(nj)
Rob Schulgen 6’4 270 DE transfer from DVC (Pa)
Hunter is a strong two way lineman, with good speed and is a hustler.
Schulgen should see playing time right away, a former division II recruit, has very good footwork, strong upper body, and speed. He is the total package.
Looking out D3 world Wesley future is looking pretty solid.
For the past few weeks, the NCSA blog has had a poll question answered by readers over 500 times. The question was regarding the National Letter of Intent and how long athletes have to sign it once it is issued. Of over 500 answers, under 20% of the answers were actually correct.
While this question is very specific, it is this kind of expert knowledge that can help a family successfully navigate the recruiting process. Can you ever really know enough about recruiting? The NCSA team is firmly dedicated to providing this education to student-athletes and their families in an attempt to change lives through athletics. Get started today, get educated, and create your own recruiting game plan.
To speak with an NCSA scout and recruiting expert, call this number today!
866-579-6272
Coach T- What is the difference between a camp and a combine?
Great question and one that often confuses many student athletes and their parents! Before you spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars during the summer, it’s important to know what camps or combines you should be attending.
If you are simply looking to improve your skills or overall athleticism then an on-campus camp may be very beneficial. The most beneficial camps to attend are those held by colleges where the camp instructors are those you may play for one day. Many coaches use camps as another way to evaluate prospective student athletes. While some camps do focus on getting an athlete exposure, others specialize in training and giving instruction to get them to the next level.
Combines are usually for the strict purpose of assessing performance skills and attributes through sport specific conditioning drills. An athlete’s strength, speed, skill level will all usually be evaluated. Combines will usually have more of a competitive focus.
However, most experts still agree that no matter how talented or skilled a player is, they should never relay on any one camp or combine to get discovered or receive an athletic scholarship. Remember, the best way to maximize success is to be proactive. Start the process early and become known by as many sources as possible!
If you have any further questions or would like more information on camps and combines you can always call (1-866-579-6272) to speak with a national recruiting expert!
Coach T- If a coach sends me an invitation to camp, does that mean I am high on his recruiting list?
Keep in mind, college coaches send camp invitations to a lot of athletes each year so I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. Though it can mean that you are high on a coaches list, camps are a big money maker for a school and coaches are always trying to get as many players at their camps as possible.
There are essentially two ways to receive camp information from a particular school. If you are someone the coach is recruiting or interested in recruiting, a coach will send you a camp brochure or invitation. If the coach has no idea who you are or your talent level but you are in some type of database or list you may also receive camp information.
College coaches contact tons of athletes to invite them to camp. Just because you were invited doesn’t mean the coaches are going to offer you a scholarship on the spot if at all. However, if you are interested in a school that has invited you to their camp; it might be a good idea to attend to find out if it is a realistic fit or even just to get a better feel for the school and the campus. Otherwise, if you are looking to be evaluated but have no interest in the school; be sure to invest your time and money wisely.
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NCSA Verified Member Chad Kelly, nephew of Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly, is bursting on to the scene of college football recruiting. ESPN’s Corey Long wrote a recent article summarizing Kelly’s recruiting outlook so far. Kelly is 6’3, over 200 lbs, and runs a 4.56 40 yd dash.
Chad’s profile on NCSA’s Recruit Match Database has been viewed by over 50 Division I Universities. Accordingly, he has 15 scholarship offers that Kelly has narrowed down to 7 top choices.
Florida State
Alabama
Clemson
Purdue
Michigan State
Buffalo
Syracuse
Playing out of St. Joseph’s Collegiate institute in Buffalo, NY, Kelly has been a huge surprise to most of the big guns of the recruiting world. Even his uncle did not realize how much Chad would be recruited. Coming from a small catholic school, Kelly stuck it out through the recruiting process to gain the exposure and looks he has proved he deserves.
The NCSA team wishes the best of luck to Chad Kelly as he makes his college decision in about a month or so.
JUNE RECRUITING CALENDARS
Division I
Football, Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball: Quiet Period.
Baseball, Volleyball, Women’s Lacrosse, Men’s Lacrosse: Contact Period.
Cross Country/Track and Field: Contact Period, except for below:
• June 9 (12:01 am) to June 12 (12:01 am) Dead Period
Softball: Contact Period, except for below:
• June 1 – 9 (noon) Dead Period
Division II
Football: June 1 to the beginning of the s-a high school or 2-year college football season (as determine by the first regularly schedule practice immediately preceding the start of the regular season): Quiet Period
Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball:
• June 1 – 14 Quiet Period
• June 15 – August 1 Evaluation Period
PHONE CALLS:
Juniors, 2012 Grads (Division I):
• Men’s Basketball, Men’s Ice Hockey: 1x per month.
• Women’s Basketball: 1x from June 1-20; 1x from June 21-30.
Juniors, 2012 Grads (Division II):
• All Sports: 1x per week, starting June 15.
Sophomores, 2013 Grads (Division I):
• Men’s Basketball, Men’s Ice Hockey: 1x per month, starting on June 15.
EMAILS & LETTERS
2011 Grads (Seniors) & 2012 Grads (Juniors)
• All Divisions: All Sports – Unlimited.
2013 & 2014 Grads (Underclassman)
• Division I/II: Not Allowed.
• Division III/NAIA/2-year: All Sports – Unlimited.
*Please Note: Some DIII/NAIA/2-year programs have institutional or conference rules prohibiting the college coach to make contact before the student-athletes senior year.
*Reminder: The student-athlete can call or email any coach at anytime.
JUNE RECRUITING TIPS
Golfers: Recruits should be playing in national (i.e. AJGA, USGA, FCWT), state, and local tournaments.
Softball: Recruits need to play on a travel team that attends tournaments, like the following in June: Las Vegas, Pennsbury and Colorado. Attend camps once you have a relationship with the coach.
Basketball: Recruits should use the summer to focus on their game by attending camps, showcases and playing AAU/Club. DI coaches can only attend NCAA certified events in July.
Football: June is the best time during the summer to reach out to coaches, as coaches’ head out for vacation in July and August to get ready for pre-season. Recruits should attend camps and combines.
Baseball: The draft is from June 6-8; expect recruiting to slow down over these dates. Recruits should attend 2-3 camps and 1-2 showcases over the summer.
Soccer/Lacrosse/Field Hockey: Recruits should attend 1-2 camps, tournaments and showcases.
Tennis: Recruits should attend USTA National tournaments and college tennis exposure camps.
Fall Sports: Recruits should reach out to coaches during June and July, as fall sports will be getting ready for their seasons in August.
!!!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 this late need to look at walk-on spots, junior colleges and understand that they may need to tryout.
*Recruits can set tryouts at DII, NAIA and 2-year programs.
*Top Academic DIII programs will want to secure their recruiting list by the fall.
Camp Information – NCSA recommends that all high school level athletes consider camps, which can be very beneficial as long as they are aware of a few key points:
• What are the pros & cons of camps?
o Pros (fun, campus visit, networking, instruction, evaluation/assessment)
o Cons (expensive, crowded, exposure, location)
• Camps are a source to make money for the organization, coach and/or school
• Don’t plan on getting discovered, prepare to get evaluated
o Coaches may or may not be scouting
o Make sure a relationship is already established
o Know where you stand on the coaches list before you go
• Camps purpose is for getting the best overall training
• Camps are good to learn new skills and stay conditioned
• Receiving camp brochures
o Means you are being recruited
o More commonly you are on a list
Student-athletes may attend combines, showcases, college camps and/or instructional camps. Sometimes programs will have camps for just seniors; they might hold an advanced/elite camp, and/or one-day camps. These are really important to attend if the student-athlete has built a relationship, as the coach might only select a few recruits and not just invite anyone to come.
This webcast was originally broadcast live on June 2, 2011.
Finding Contact Info
Research is the name of the game when it comes to setting up contact with a coach. Go to the school’s athletic website, find the names and contact info of the coaches for your sport. Figure out which coach is the recruiting coordinator. If there is a specific coach that recruits your region, get their information. Learning as much as you can about the school and program is key even before reaching out.
Email Communications
A solid introductory email is the perfect way to initiate communication with a coach. Send a link to your recruiting profile and give the coach a brief idea of who you are and why you are interested in that coach’s school.
Phone Calls
A phone call is really the first way to develop a true relationship between coaches and recruits. Every recruit should prepare extremely well for any call with a coach and have a specific script prepared for the talk. There are also many tips and strategies, such as standing up and moving around while on the phone… that will help recruits when talking on the phone.
Visits
Once a recruit has made contact with a coach and hopefully developed a good relationship, the next form of contact is to visit the school and meet in person. Meeting the coach is huge for the recruit as it gives the coach a true chance to see the recruit’s personality for real. Just as phone conversations, every recruit should have a specific list of questions and topics prepared to talk about with a coach. Coaches are impressed when recruits prepare well for conversations, because it shows the level of interest.
Communication with coaches is a chance to build relationships, to impress coaches, and to show them how invested you truly are in playing in college and playing for their program. Every recruit should gather as much knowledge as possible when it comes to communicating with college coaches because they only get one chance in the recruiting process.
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 May.
It’s Easy to Vote:
1. Read through a quick description of the student-athlete
2. Click on the student-athlete’s link below 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 five candidates for NCSA Student-Athlete of the Month for May:
1.) Ellen Kiser: 2012 Graduate, Women’s Basketball Student-Athlete from Wisconsin
A 6’2” Center 2012 grad from Wisconsin who was named All-Conference 1st Team while obtaining a 26 ACT. Ellen keeps her NCSA Recruiting Profile looking good at all times with updates about her athletic history and statistics.
2.) Alec Ferrell: 2012 Graduate, Men’s Soccer Student-Athlete from Ohio
Alec is the goalkeeper at Westlake High School where he carries a 3.4 / 4.0 GPA. He plays club for Internationals S.C. and is talking to top academic schools in the nation.
3.) Claire Healy: 2012 Graduate, Women’s Volleyball Student-Athlete from California
Strong junior who is being highly sought after by high academic colleges. Plays club for Absolute VBC 17/18 Team. Claire has taken advantage of eight Recruiting Classes offered by NCSA as well as a couple of individual Coaching Sessions with expert volleyball Recruiting Coaches.
4.) Chris Zerio: 2012 Graduate, Baseball Student-Athlete from California
Chris is a very polite student-athlete who is working hard on his recruiting. Athletically, he throws in the mid-80′s consistently, has run a 6.8 sixty yard dash, hit .406 and had an ERA of 2.93 as a junior at Foothill High School. Academically, Chris has earned a 3.9 GPA and scored a 33 on his ACT. He has taken advantage of 7 Coaching Sessions, added 2 videos to his Recruiting Profile, been distributed to college coaches 5 times, and participated in 3 Recruiting Classes.
5.) Kellyn Nelson: 2012 Graduate, Women’s Soccer Student-Athlete from Oregon
2012 graduate from Oregon. She is a 3x varsity starter and letterman for her high school team and her current club team is Lake Oswego Soccer Club. Top Drawer Soccer ranked her one of the Top 20 2012 players in the Northwest as well. She is also strong in her academics and is currently carrying a 3.93 GPA and is part of the National Honor Society. Kellyn has had over 50 college coaches view her information through NCSA and she regularly keeps her Recruiting To Do List up to date.
Feel free to send this to as many people as possible to make sure your favorite wins this upcoming month!
From average grades to being inducted into Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society for academic success. That is what can happen when an athlete finds the right fit to grow as a student-athlete in College!
One of the great rewards with helping families with recruiting education and exposure is when it changes lives. In December of 2008 the South Bend Schools hosted College Recruiting Simplified. Among those attending was the Sanders family, whose daughter Ashlin was a senior at Riley High School. Despite being a four year letter winner in basketball, and on her way to being a 2-time All Conference player, she was not being recruited. She ended up fifth on the school’s all time scoring list with 1091 points and averaged 18 points a game as a senior. She did AAU Ball and everything but the family was frustrated about the whole recruiting thing.
“No one was recruiting her,” said her mother, Cherrie. “I wish we had become educated on the recruiting process early because the whole thing confused us.”
Frustrated, they came to the recruiting education event during the winter of Ashlin’s senior year and got into the NCSA Athletic Recruiting Network. They really worked it hard, and got results.
“In two weeks time we heard from over 100 colleges,” said Cherrie. “Amanda Rawson (Senior Recruiting Coach and former St. John’s University basketball player) and the people at NCSA were wonderful to work with.”
Ashlin’s hilite video was a hit with college coaches. Many of them had no idea she had such skills on offense. However, she would be the first to tell you that her Test scores were not top notch. An admitted shaky Test taker, her SAT scores limited her options. Her GPA at 2.7 did as well with some schools.
As NCSA always says, the better your grades, the more options you will have for scholarships to be a College athlete.
Ashlin decided the best route to go would be the Junior College route to shore up her academics. NCSA connected her with Lincoln College in Lincoln, Illinois, the only 2 year private residential College in Illinois. Abraham Lincoln christened the new town, named in his honor, with juice from a watermelon! Lincoln is about a 3 1/2 hour trip from her home. Ashlin wanted to be close enough to where family could see her play.
There, the structure of being a college athlete really helped her. She became very focused and constantly had help and encouragement. “There was a lot of academic support available,” said Ashlin. “The Professors really worked with you. I took my homework on road game trips and got it done. If they felt you were slipping, they would work with you. If you had a question, they were always there.”
Ashlin made the Presidential List her freshman year, with a 3.6 GPA!
“It took a lot of hard work and dedication,” said Ashlin.
She carried a 3.4 GPA her sophomore year and made the Dean’s List. Then came one of the most special moments of her young life. Ashlin was inducted into Phi Theta Kappa, a junior college academic honor society. To be eligible for membership, students must have a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.5 or higher and have earned a minimum of 15 credits at Lincoln College. The photo below shows her proudly smiling on the front row, the third person from the right.
Ashlin Sanders honored for her academic success
“It’s all about balance,” said Ashlin. “School work, time with friends, basketball. You have to have balance. What I also liked about going off to College was that it got me used to being on my own and seeing different views on things. With the basketball I found that all of the girls could play. It was so much more physical.”
Ashlin made third team Midwest All Conference as a sophomore at Lincoln. At that point, it was time to move on from Junior College. Many schools at various levels continued to keep an eye on her including Eastern Michigan (D1), Lewis University (D2), Southern Indiana (D2), and many NAIA and D3 schools such as Franklin College. Having been almost four hours away from home, Ashlin decided she wanted to finish her College career very close to home.
“She’s a homebody,” said her mother, Cherrie.
Ashlin signed with NAIA national powerhouse Bethel College in Mishawaka, IN (photo below), which is very close to her home. Their coaching staff learned about her progress through NCSA. “I chose Bethel because of their strong academic support and the basketball program has a tradition of winning,” said Ashlin, who wants to be a Coach someday.
Ashlin Sanders signs with NAIA Powerhouse Bethel College
For Ashlin, the best fit for her out of High School was a strong Junior College where she learned what could be accomplished through focus, time management, and strong academic support. She had it in her to be a strong student. Lincoln was the right fit for her to bring it out.
“For Ashlin it was good to be in smaller class sizes,” said her mother, Cherrie. “She wasn’t just a number. A big College would have overwhelmed her. I thought she would struggle but with all the help she did it!”
At Lincoln, the average class size is 15 with many classes closed at 20 students. She also picked a school with a strong track record of academic success:
Be sure to ask hard hitting questions about the academic success rate of athletes at the particular schools that you are looking at in the recruiting process. Just like 4 year Colleges, not every 2 year school is as strong as others. Ashlin connected with a strong one in Lincoln.
While many athletes go D1 from Junior College, Ashlin really wanted to finish her College career very close to home and at a level where she had a chance to be on court a lot. I say “chance” because she will have to step it up on defense to get on the court at Bethel. “A lot of kids want to chase the dream and play D1,” said Ashlin. “That’s not for everyone. I had that dream, but you have to be realistic. Parents have to be realistic. I watch a lot of basketball games on TV and I see a lot of those D1 players riding the bench the whole game.”
“There are a lot of girls like me,” continued Ashlin, “that could be playing College on scholarship but they just don’t understand recruiting and they fall through the cracks.”
A.J. Fraser was a successful distance runner at 5-A Indiana power Penn High School. He connected with Jackson Community College in Michigan and wrote me these insights after finishing his freshman year:
“The places that we went as a team this pass season were awesome. My favorite meet was the Memphis Twilight Classic in Tennessee. That is probably the farthest that I ever traveled before in my life. I made some new friends and kept my focus through school. My academic interest there is their culinary program. When I was looking for colleges I was wanting to start out smart and less expensive. I looked for the academic program of my interest and then I looked at their Sports to see if they had mine because if I did sports I knew I would stay focused with academics. So I wanted to start out in a Jr. College. Jackson had great opportunity for me and that’s why I chose there (a few hours from his home. When I was looking for a school to go to I started looking for a Jr. college first because I believe it will be a great start for me in my career and in sports. I was also looking for opportunity. So Jackson was a perfect fit for me. The campus is great, classes, athletics, and not to mention the scholarship the coach gave me which was something I couldn’t let down. It’s also why I try to get a few guys from my high school which is Penn to come to Jackson because they don’t know what they are missing. Then after Jackson I am hoping to transfer over to Robert Morris University and continue there.
A.J. continues to grow as an athlete. He just ran a 16:38 5K in the off season, a personal record.
The NCSA Athletic Recruiting Network has over 250 team members helping athletes find the right fit for them. Here are some insights on the Junior College fit:
“Talking from experience, Junior College baseball was a great option for me. I played at a very small small High School in upstate NY. I felt it was in my best interest to ease my way into the college picture and stay local at a smaller school. Those 2 years were huge, and it allowed me to flourish in the classroom and on the Diamond. I was All Conference 2nd base my sophomore season, which lead to a full NAIA baseball scholarship to King College, in TN.”
Matthew Malinowski, NCSA Collegiate Scout
“Starting my collegiate career at a 2-year program was the best decision I made. From there I transferred to a DI Big East program (St. Johns University in New York) to play women’s basketball. The classes I took at the 2-year program were just as hard if not harder than some of the classes I took at the 4-year institution.”
Amanda Rawson, Senior Recruiting Coach/Training Assistant
“Softball-wise it can be a great option for some students to move into playing at a higher level. A few years ago we (NCSA) worked with a Texas player that went to Chipola JC in FL for a year (she had great grades and all – just not the right opportunity to play D1 – had some offers but wanted bigger level school).So she went for a year,-they won a championship, and then next year moved on to Texas Tech.”
“Some use the JC as a money saver (the top JC schools have two times as many Softball scholarships as do D1 NCAA schools). Some use is to gain maturity as they are not ready to leave home.Some are not sure about academics so they chose 2 year and will take that 1st year of General Education classes and explore academic options. A few for the women’s’ side use it academically so for those reasons dispel the talk that all JC schools are good for is the low academic kids. There are 4 year schools who request for JC kids at times to fill in those gaps on their roster. Softball JC’s that are very competitive are in the states of FL, TX, CA & AZ – but there are some top schools in various states.”
Joyce Wellhoefer, Senior Recruiting Coach (Softball), NCSA
“I attended North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City IA to play baseball there. I thought that a JuCo might have less talented student athletes, but that was a large myth. Everyone I played with was extremely talented; we had 4 or 5 D-1A players and one got drafted. It was an honor to play with such talented athletes. My parents also liked the idea of JuCo baseball because it was only a 2 year commitment so if I got injured or if the team wasn’t a good fit, I would be transferring after 2 years either way.”
Tim Murphy, NCSA Collegiate Scout
“The JC experience will allow athletes to:
- improve their game at the college level of competition
- live on her own (most do not have student residential housing)
- develop a list of personal and academic responsibilities
- get maximum grades
- open their eyes to the realities of the real world”
Scott Fuller, NCSA National Collegiate Scout
“I speak about Junior Colleges all the time when I do my College Recruiting Simplified talks. As a former athlete (UCLA and NFL) who has watched the type of athletes who go to certain schools I have noticed that many JuCos are just as competitive as some of the D1 schools. Growing up in Texas it was not such Taboo to see excellent student-athletes wind up at JuCos because all athletes do not have the academics that might land them in a D1 athletic program. There are more JuCos here in the state of Texas than the rest of the States so the opportunity is great, especially for Texas Student-Athletes. I like to emphasize that many D1 schools have specific JuCos that they use as feeder schools every year because they know they have great talent. When I was at UCLA, we used to get JuCo players all the time who would end up either starting or becoming contributors to the program. Chad Ochocinco, of the NFL’s current top receivers, started out at Langston University in Oklahoma then transferred to Santa Monica JuCo in Los Angeles,Ca before heading to Oregon State.”
Othello Henderson, NCSA Recruiting Expert/Speaker
Athletes that have started out in Junior College include future Hall of Famer Albert Pujois of the Cardinals, Super Bowl star QB Aaron Rodgers of the Packers, Major League Baseball All Star Evan Longoria of the Rays, the legendary Nolan Ryan, Danielle Adams, MVP of the Women’s Basketball Final Four for National Champion Texas A/M (30 points and 9 rebounds in Title Game win vs Notre Dame), WNBA superstar Sheryl Swoops, several of the key players on the Marquette University men’s basketball team that made the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in March, Ben Wallace of the Pistons, and Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers.
Charlie Adams, NCSA Athletic Recruiting Network Expert/Speaker
cadams@ncsasports.org
To Talk In Depth with a College Recruiting Expert about Recruiting Click Here
