NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

If you are not playing right now chances are you already have your sights set on next season, whether it’s with your HS team, or with a college.  With that said, you are probably thinking the sooner you get back in the weight room the better.  This may not actually be the best course of action.  As of right now you have about 8 months before you have to be in peak condition, starting too early may hinder your progress.  Instead of hitting the weights, stay away from that kind of training at least a month.

Don’t get me wrong—stay active, but not in the sense that you are getting ready for next season.  I would recommend what is termed “Active Rest”.  Active rest is a phase in your conditioning cycle recommended immediately after your season.  In it you do not condition for football (including lifts).  Instead concentrate on activities outside of football, such as a pickup basketball game, or maybe even a racquetball/tennis match.  You want those muscle groups you are going to train hard in the off season a little time to recoup, but at the same time, you do not want to put on any unnecessary weight/relatively maintain your stamina level.

Bottom line: You just went a whole season, with nicks/bruises, give yourself sometime to recover.  It will make your gains the next month, and more importantly your peak condition in August that much better.

Hey guys!

Okay listen up. I know that you have been told all these different things when it comes to being recruited. You have heard these ideas from coaches, parents, and other players. Well let me just tell you from my point of view since I have recently completed this process. I am not a patient person. I will let you know that up front. So if you and I are similar in this characteristic, then you will cherish this knowledge. Yet, I will not go further and call it wisdom for I am young and only experienced in this once, even though it was at first hand.

I hope by now that you have figured out that I also don’t sugar coat things. I am very honest. That’s what I call it. Others say I am blunt as a butter knife. Call it what you must but I will keep my advice short and to the point.

Things you must keep in mind throughout this process:

• Grin and Bear it…This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Cherish every moment of it!

• Swallow the pill called Pride…Keep your good behavior at all times. ALL TIMES!!!

• Don’t Act your Age… Use your mind and not your mouth. Don’t be a TEEN!!!

• Talk the Talk… Even if you aren’t interested, keep on talking. It’s part of the game and manners!

• Patience is a Virtue… Believe me! I had to learn that the hard way. Just go with it!

• Go to Boot Camp… Hate to tell you, camps are your number asset. I don’t like them either!

• Take a Chill Pill… Don’t worry about anything. Things will work out for the best!

Okay, okay. I know what you are thinking… this all sounds like the place with fire and brimstone. Well, all I can respond with to that idea is… yeah it can be a true pain some times. But, don’t let the negative attitude drag you away from something that could possibly and probably will turn out to be amazing! I am not bitter toward the conclusion of this process whatsoever. There are not enough words to express my enthusiasm. Therefore, I know that you will succeed in this. No doubt!

Good Luck and Best of Wishes!

All or Nothing,

Casey… a MTSU Blue Raider

Interested in bringing an NCSA Recruiting Expert to your school?  Contact NCSA Today!

NCSA has sent dozens of our athletes to the service academies.  We wanted to take a minute to applaud their decision to serve and salute all of the veterans across the country

At NCSA we work with thousands of athletes every year.  As a result many of their teams don’t fare as well as they would have liked.  This often brings us the question, ” Will my recruitment be hurt because of a lack of team success?”

My answer is always the same, “Not if you don’t let it!”

Yes, recruits playing in the posteason have some advantages.  They have more time for a coach to get to a game to evaluate them in person.  They get to play against other top-competition.  They get to show what they can do when the pressure rises.

However, recruits on teams whose seasons end early suddenly have extra time on their schedule.  Suddenly, a game day visit that was once impossible now is feasible.  Making calls to coaches at night also becomes a lot easier without juggling practice and homework.

Ending your season earlier than expected is never fun, but it shouldn’t be a road block in the recruiting process.

Coach Taylor – Do summer camps help with exposure?

I strongly recommend that all high school level athletes consider attending summer camps because they can be very beneficial…as long as you are aware of a few key points.

The most valuable outcome you should expect from a summer camp is to make you a better player.  Unfortunately, many recruits attend summer camp with the expectation of being discovered by the college coaches.  One of the best Recruiting Coordinators of all time, Bob Chmiel, has told families that he discovered only TWO players at summer camp in his 30 years of recruiting.  Typically, the only athletes who receive true evaluations at summer camps are the recruits that the staff was already aware of and actively recruiting.

Summer camps are a significant source of income for college coaching staffs, so it is in their best interest to get as many student-athletes to attend as possible. 

However, as I mentioned, camps can be a great way to develop your skill and assess your competition…just do not always attend with the expectation of being discovered.  It is certainly possible to gain exposure from college

The best thing you can do is get on as many recruiting lists as possible and develop a relationship with the coaches before attending a summer camp.

Send your recruiting questions to askcoachtaylor@ncsasports.org

To get your questions answered immediately, call 866-579-6272 to speak with a NCSA Recruiting Coordinator.

Coach Taylor – If a Letter of Intent is offered and signed and the student changes his/her mind what are the results?  Will this hurt the student scholarships and/or opportunities at the other university?

The National Letter of Intent is a binding document. In other words, “a prospective student-athlete agrees to attend the designated college or university for one academic year (if they sign this document)” and you are held to this agreement. Therefore, you could not change your mind and participate in athletics at another college that participates with the National Letter of Intent. I recommend you read through their website to learn more about the National Letter of Intent – www.nationalletter.org.

To answer your other questions, as soon as a student-athlete signs a Letter of Intent all other schools who participate in the National Letter of Intent Program must stop recruiting that student-athlete. If a program follows up with the student-athlete because they do not know the Letter of Intent was signed it is the student-athlete’s responsibility to tell them that they have signed a National Letter of Intent.

Send your recruiting questions to askcoachtaylor@ncsasports.org

To get your questions answered immediately, call 866-579-6272 to speak with a NCSA Recruiting Coordinator.

Coach Taylor – When do DI, DII, and DIII teams typically have their rosters set?

Each division will have their rosters set at different times and even schools within those divisions will finish up their rosters at different time; it changes year by year. Division II schools typically finish up their rosters starting summer before senior year, but can go into late senior year and most Division III schools will be recruiting until late senior year. Division I school typically finish up their roster a year ahead for the most part (i.e.: D1 coaches are finishing up their 2011 rosters now and most will be completed soon), but again it depends on how that particular coach’s recruiting is going. Another factor is the level of play of that particular school. High level Division II and III schools (Saint Rose, Messiah, Williams) will go off of more of a Division I timeline and will finish up their recruiting earlier.  Unfortunately there is no easy answer and it varies quite a bit, but the best advice is to START EARLY because each year the process is accelerated for coached at EVERY level. 

Send your recruiting questions to askcoachtaylor@ncsasports.org

To get your questions answered immediately, call 866-579-6272 to speak with a NCSA Recruiting Coordinator.

Coach Taylor – My daughter is visiting a college to see if it might be the one she would like to attend.  We have been in contact with the coach already, but what are good questions to ask about the program during the visit?

There are a hundreds of valuable questions that you can ask during any sort of visit (official or unofficial) that will provide you with useful information.  It really depends on who you are meeting with during the visit, so here are some topics that you might want to brainstorm specific questions for.  I will provide a list of sample questions for each topic over the next several weeks.

-Questions for the Coach: General Athletic
-Questions for the Coach: Recruiting List
-Questions for the Coach: Application Process
-Questions for the Coach: General
-Questions for Current Students / Athletes: College Life
-Questions for the Coach: Scholarship Negotiation
-Questions for the Coach: Walk On
-Academic Questions for Admissions Office
-Questions for Financial Aid Office
-Questions for the Coach: Academic

Questions for the Coach: General Athletic
• How many seniors are graduating?
• What is the team’s record?
• How was the overall performance of the team this past year?
• Where did you place in the conference last season?
• Did you go to the NCAA tournament?
• What is your coaching style?
• What advantages are there for student-athletes as opposed to regular student body?
• What type of off season activities are expected?
• Am I allowed to participate in other sports?
• If I get hurt during season, do I lose my spot on the team or any scholarship monies ?
• If I get hurt, before I sign the letter of intent, does that affect being a part of you team and school?
• If I attend your school will I compete as a freshman?
• What is a typical day like for a student athlete on your team?
• Do you plan on being the coach at ____College until I’m a Senior in college?
• What accident/health insurance does the school offer to athletes?
• What is the procedure if I get injured?

Send your recruiting questions to askcoachtaylor@ncsasports.org

To get your questions answered immediately, call 866-579-6272 to speak with a NCSA Recruiting Coordinator.