NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

Dear Coach T,

I was  injured last week, should I tell the college coaches that are recruiting me?

Dear Coach Taylor,

My high school team is not very good should I transfer high schools to play on a better team? I’m afraid college coaches won’t recruit me because my team is bad.

Alison Schmalz

Sport: Women’s Soccer
Position: Left Defender, Central Defender, Right Defender, Stopper
High School: Schaumburg High School ( Schaumburg , IL )
Graduation Year: 2012

Committed: University of Texas

C.J. Irvin

Sport: Football
Position: Center, Offensive Tackle, Long Snapper
High School: Manteno High School ( Manteno , IL )
Graduation Year: 2012

Committed: Illinois State University

Congratulations to both Alison and C.J. not only on their commitment for the next four years of their lives, but for the next 40 years!

Signing day is about a week away and many athletes out there are wondering what Coaches look for when they offer student athletes scholarships. Coach Bob Chmiel discusses the three things he uses to evaluate players. Coach Chmiel spent seven years as Notre Dame’s Director of Football Operations and Recruiting Coordinator/Assistant Coach. Prior, Chmiel was the University of Michigan’s Football Recruiting Coordinator, where he also served as an assistant coach. He was named one of the “Top 11 Recruiting Coordinators of All-Time” in Tom Lemming’s book Football’s Second Season: Scouting High School Game Breakers.

What is the National Letter of Intent?

The NLI is a binding agreement between a prospective student athlete and an NLI member institution

• A prospective student athlete agrees to attend the institution full time for one academic year (two semesters or three quarters
• The institution agrees to provide financial aid for one academic year 

Penalty for breaking this contract

• Student athletes have to serve one year in residence at the next NLI member institution

• Sit out for one season of competition in all sports

What is Signing Day?

• Signing day is the day you actually sign the NLI

Does every division 1 and 2 athlete sign an NLI?

• Most people will say that every D1 and D2 athlete will sign an NLI, but this is not the case.
• It is not so much about being in a certain division as it is whether or not the school is a member of the NLI program.
• There are 600 schools who participate in the NLI program
• All D1 schools are involved with NLI except for service academies and Ivy league.
• A majority of D2 programs participate in the program
• No D3, NAIA, Prep schools or 2 year colleges participate
• For a complete list of schools who participate in the NLI, visit the NCAA’s website (more…)

By: Callie Hemming (Former D1 Soccer Player, DePaul University)

Those four words every athlete dreads hearing. They are the four words you have nightmares about, and at times, they are the reason you are just not in the mood to practice.

“Get on the line!” (more…)

There are many factors that go into nailing the College Athletics Recruiting Process and finding the “right fit” as a student-athlete. One of the most important is Playing Time.

How important is Playing Time to you? I was watching ESPN’s coverage of National Signing Day in College Football this past February. Former Florida Coach Urban Meyer was on and stated that playing time has never been more important than it is to the athletes of today. Driving to Indianapolis to deliver NCSA Recruiting  Education at a High School there, I happened to be listening to former College Basketball player and coach Dan Dakich on his radio show. He shared how, during his playing days at Indiana University, he was happy as he could be a season when he was playing a lot but they weren’t winning in a bigtime way. He then said he wasn’t as happy the next season when they were championship contenders yet his playing time had been cut. Not that he wasn’t a team player. He just wanted to be out there.

NCSA Athletic Recruiting Network Speaker Charlie Adams

When delivering recruiting education, I often share the example of  Sarah Hall when it comes to the playing time factor. Sarah was a Gatorade Player of the Year candidate in Soccer in Indiana.  She was unanimous First Team All State and Player of the Year in her Conference. All kinds of D1 programs recruited her. Western Illinois got her. She told her local newspaper that one of the major factors was finding a place where she had the chance to compete for significant playing time as a freshman. As she put it, she “had to be out there” as soon as possible.  All athletes want to play but for some playing time is like oxygen. They have to have it!

Regarding playing time, it is important to know there are different levels of all divisions. D1 has the major powers like Florida, North Carolina, Stanford, the mid levels, and the lower levels. All D1, but different levels. At Western Illinois, a fine D1 University that would be more mid D1 level in athletics, Sarah has shot out of the gate right away, assisting on a goal against the University of Iowa and starting 3 of their first 5 games. It’s speculative, but had she signed with a Penn State, Ohio State or Boston College – all Top 25 women’s soccer powers – she most likely would not be seeing near the playing time early as she is as fellow D1 Western Illinois.

Sarah Hall, freshman at Western Illinois

The most important factor for Sarah is being a true student-athlete and majoring in Biology for her education, but she spent a lot of time thinking of how important playing time was for her, and that was a factor that Western Illinois was the right fit for her. Some kids are so bull headed that it would be “Big Ten or major D1 or nothing.” I remember talking to a Dad about his talented soccer son who was adament about playing major D1. A coach at that level reviewed his tape and clearly saw the athlete did not have the lightning quick reaction time required to play at the highest level of D1. He said he might get on the team, but would mainly be on the sidelines. Miffed to a degree, the young man did not even play college soccer and went to a major University to be a student.

Having done thousands of interviews with parents and athletes, and delivered many Talks, the thing that I have come to understand is that every athlete is different in what is important to him or her. You can’t get caught up in comparing your athlete to another on your team, or conference, or state. Some athletes, regarding playing time, are more motivated by being a part of a major program where they realize they may not play as much. For example, an athlete that grows up in Wisconsin and adores the Badgers may be fine with being a walk on in that program. Personally, is that the way I would go or agree with, no, but everyone has an internal fire and if it means the world to them to be a part of a program, then I get it. The thing is, if an athlete overshoots and gets with a bigtime program and doesn’t play much, then they can’t be squawking about lack of playing time. They have to be respectful of team chemistry.

What gets a lot of athletes into playing time hot water is their competitive nature. They are confident that if they go to ol’ State Power U that they will rise to the top and play early and often. It’s their wiring as competitors. For some, the right fit is where they will be challenged the most. They may end up their third best at their position, but they want to know inside that they competed against the very best.  It’s like when they are looking at programs. Do they want to go to an established program and help it get to another level or are they motivated by going to an up and coming program and helping it get to places it has never been. One problem with going to programs that have been losing most of the time is that an optimistic athlete can find themselves in a culture of losing and cynicism and suddenly have their love of a sport snuffed out. Not always, but something to consider when looking…

Many really good athletes today play year round and play a lot. They get into Club or Travel season and they are out there all the time. They play 90% of the time in their High School games, so for them it can be somewhat of a shock to get to big ol’ College U and suddenly find a 22 year old gobbling up their playing time. They may think they were prepared for it going in, but it is still somewhat of a shock to their system. That’s why it is important to spend a lot of time in thought about playing time and to discuss it with your parents and coaches along the way. Along the way they may say something like, “Your head would blow up if you weren’t out there competing,” which is a humorous way of putting it that you may want to look for places where the College Coach will give you a serious chance to compete early.

Closing in on turning 50, I am from a generation where a lot of High School athletes were pretty much fine with signing with a powerhouse program knowing full well they would pay their dues until junior season where they would play a good bit and then start as seniors. There used to be a day where there weren’t the scholarship limits there are today in D1 football, and powers like Alabama would sign every good player they could get, not so much to play for them but to keep rivals in the SEC from getting them. The 7th string running back for them at the time would probably be the first string star at Wake Forest. That 7th string running back was fine with that because, by golly, they were playing for Bear Bryant and the University of Alabama and they were part of a team that would probably play for the National Title twice in their four or five years there.

Regarding playing time, it is always best to connect with the College Coach that doesn’t promise playing time right away, but the one that says you will have every chance to compete for playing time early on. There is a difference.

To Talk with a former College Coach or Athlete on Factors in Successful Recruiting, Click HERE to Set Up your Evaluation

As always, I hope these perspectives have been helpful to you in finding the “right fit.” Share your thoughts and experiences below, as we all learn from each other.

Charlie Adams

NCSA Athletic Recruiting Network Senior Speaker, cadams@ncsasports.o

As I drove north from Los Angeles to Lancaster, CA this past weekend, I was excited to educate families on the recruiting process and to talk to college coaches about what they are looking for when they award scholarships.

NCSA Senior Speaker Charlie Adams

The prestigious Cal South Soccer National Cup attracted over 3000 top soccer players and about 150 college coaches from places such as Indiana University, Penn State, Oregon, UCLA, Army, and all over. To give you an idea of the prestige of Cal South Soccer, 25% of the U.S. Women’s National Team roster for the 2003 World Cup were Cal South alumni and 26% of the U.S. Men’s National Team roster for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa were Cal South alumni. Landon Donovan is among those that have played in the Cal South programs.

NCSA provides the recruiting education at events such as this so that families fully understand the recruiting process and how to connect with scholarships, and more importantly, the right fit for their son or daughter to be a college student athlete and develop into a leader for life.

NCSA's College Recruiting Simplified

Before speaking twice on Saturday, I met with many college coaches as they checked in, got a manual from Cal South with info on players, and headed out to fields. My Talks and my Writings are based on thousands of interviews I have done with college coaches, athletes and families over the years.

While this will be more soccer specific, there is wisdom below that will help families with athletes in all sports.

I spoke with one Big Ten University assistant soccer coach about what they are looking for:

“We are looking more at the 2013′s (sophomores) and some 2012′s,” the coach told me. “I will come back with a Yes or No opinion on these players that I will report to the head coach. Some of these players have contacted us. I will go see them to see whether we like them or not. I want to see a kid that no matter whether they are winning or losing is playing hard. Effort! You can’t teach heart! I can usually tell within five minutes who the best players are on the soccer field.”

The coach continued as we walked to the first field. She had a list of certain players she wanted to see there. She had built that list through a variety of trusted sources. While talking, she talked about the value of families with properly evaluated athletes taking unofficial visits.

“In the last few months alone we have had fifteen to twenty unofficial visits. With some the family will say ‘we were in the area and wanted to set something up.’ We will at least meet with them for thirty minutes. With visits that are set up in advance we can do a campus tour, lunch, things like that.”

Like many of the college coaches there, she had traveled 2000 to 3000 miles to get there. Cal South Soccer and California in general has so many great players. While a University in a midwestern state will have good in-state players, they know a state like California has top star players and not all of them are staying out there. Many want to stay in state but many are very open to going away for college.

“They often want to try something new,” the Big Ten coach added. “We have one kid from Surf (prestigious soccer Club in California) and she spreads the word. Once they get to the campus and see how beautiful it is they seriously consider it. Some California kids want to go someplace with four seasons.”

I talked with the head coach of a University from the mountain states. He had two key pieces of advice for parents:

1) “Be involved, parents. This is your child’s decision but your job is to make sure they have all the information they need to make the right decision.

2) “Keep options open. Don’t just settle on a few schools. There are amazing schools out there that families don’t know about because they don’t reach out.”

I asked this coach to share advice in a variety of areas. Because his University is located up near Canada, he does not get to many Showcase events and depends on Video for initial evaluations of prospects.

“I like to see video to see if it sparks an interest. Before we sign a player we will see them in person and get them on campus, but video helps. At Club matches you need to shoot video that is a little elevated. Use a good stable ladder or something. I want to see players that make good decisions on the field, how good they are on the ball, are they winning tackles a lot?

I then caught up with a coach from a D1 program in the Los Angeles area that was anxious to get out to the field. Like the other coaches she had a List of players to evaluate but was open to discovering someone.

“I am always open to a player catching my eye,” the coach said. “If the player is too young for me to personally contact because of NCAA rules I will get word to their Club or High School Coach. I like to see speed and athleticism as well as technical skills. Do they keep the ball for their team? What do they do special? Also, try not to stand out in the wrong way like passing the ball to the other team.”

“As far as how scholarships are divided up,” the coach added, “it is everything from a full ride to tuition and fees to $10,000, $5,000. We can mix and match athletic, academic and needs based money.”

Because this was an elite event, there were mainly D1 coaches in attendance. I talked with the coach of a mid level D1 soccer program.

“We really like the good players that express a sincere interest in our program,” the coach said. “We are happy to look at them. We don’t want anyone to slip by.”

Regarding video, the coach echoed what others said is a common mistake. “They will show someone passing the ball and the video will cut off before the pass reaches the next player. At least have two or three seconds leading up to the pass and after it has finished.”

Regarding how their scholarships are given out (in D1 sports like football, volleyball and basketball there are full athletic scholarships – in D1 soccer the women have 14 they can divvy up and the men 9.9):

“Our philosophy is to sign the best class and give the most money to the best players, then to take care of the seniors and then the ones that play a significant role,” said the coach. “In soccer many times it is the players in the spine of the field that get the most athletic scholarship money – the strikers, the Center Mid’s, Center Back’s. The Goal Keep’s. Those that score and prevent scoring are critical in wins and losses in soccer.”

About an hour before my first Talk to the families, I talked with another D1 coach.

“I watch for decision making on the ball,” the coach said, “speed, touch on the ball. With Goal Keepers, a good commanding presence.”

There is tremendous soccer played at all levels of college sports. I talked with the coach of a NAIA power that was moving up to D2. He said families don’t understand all the opportunities out there.

“It depends on the institution,” said the coach, “but if your college has exemptions and a recruit has a 3.5 GPA then there are really good packages that can be put together at D2. There are all kinds of things that can be done, including needs based, but the 3.5 thing shows why recruits need to focus on their academics.”

“Regarding my List of prospects to see, a priority goes to the player that has a way of contacting me. If they take an interest in me, I take an interest in them. There are two things I really look for. One is your work ratio. Do you work hard all the time? The other is how you interact with your team, how you react to questionable calls. Your character is just as important as your ability in my opinion.”

Audience asks questions after NCSA's College Recruiting Simplified

Each year I speak at this Cal South event, I spend time talking with Cal South staffers that have observed their players being recruited.

“It is all about fit,” said one veteran observer of families who have succeeded in finding the right fit for their player, and those that have failed. “We had a really good player here that was in love with going to Seattle Pacific. It was the right fit for her. Some others said why are you settling for that? She wasn’t settling. It was right for her!”

A year ago this same lady told me of a talented soccer player there that had major D1 schools but that had fallen in love with a smaller school. Pressured to go to a Pac 10 (now Pac 12) school, she relented and did. After two years, she transferred to the smaller school that was the right fit for her.

A College Coach tells Charlie Adams what they look for in recruits

Of course, at an event like this, many of the players want to go major D1 and have the skills to do so, but as always it is vital they find the right fit for them!

The more educated parents and athletes are about recruiting, the better experience they will have in recruiting. Make sure to have one of NCSA’s Recruiting Experts come to your School, Club or special Event to inspire and educate everyone on the 5 Things You Need to Do and the 5 Things You Must Know to have success in recruiting and connecting with scholarships. Under the director of former Dallas Cowboy Izell Reese, NCSA has a stable of speakers made up of former College Coaches, Athletes and Journalists ready to come educate and motivate your people in 27 sports. Because of a partnership with the NFL Players Association, these presentations are presented at no cost. Go to the link below and set the wheels in motion to bring in recruiting education.

To bring a NCSA Recruiting Expert in

Every family and every athlete needs professional third party evaluation to help them in understanding how to connect with the right fit to play college sports on scholarships:

To Get Started on Your Third Party Evaluation of Where You Realistically Fit at the Collegiate Sports Level Click Here!

Charlie Adams

cadams@ncsasports.org

Follow Charlie Adams’ Recruiting Insights on recruiting on facebook

My thanks to Bill Lewis and everyone at Cal South that made this event such a success!

While most 9th and 10th grade athletes in High School are facing the typical challenges of 14, 15 and 16 year olds, soccer standout Ellis Whitt was dealing with something much more serious. His mother, Angela, was in a battle with Breast Cancer that would take her life during his sophomore year.

“Ellis went through a period of his life after that where he didn’t care about much,” said his grandfather George. “He missed his mother that much.”

NCSA Educational Speaker Charlie Adams

“Ellis was the oldest of her children,” said Becky, his grandmother. “Even though things were rough Angela was always there for him, even in the final two years when she was always in bed or the recliner and worn out. He would come in after school or a soccer game and plop down on the bed next to her and tell her about everything that happened. They were so close. She loved jelly beans and this one time she caught him sneaking out of her room with jelly bellies. Here she was, just 84 pounds at that point, and she was chasing him around the house!”

Becky laughed, and she cried, as she reflected on Angela.

“She was a good Christian woman,” Becky added. “She was always concerned about where he was spiritually, and would ask him not to listen to certain music. She was a concerned, loving parent.”

Soccer player Ellis Whitt of Bremen, IN

His grandparents took physical custody of Ellis and his two younger brothers. All of this happened as he was emerging as a potential top soccer talent. The Bremen (Indiana) High School student was blessed with remarkable speed and had all kinds of potential as a soccer player with the realistic ability to possibly be a  College soccer player. He was a successful High School player but for any young person that is serious about becoming a College Soccer player, Club Soccer is critical for many reasons including skill development and caliber of competition. Ellis’ Club Tryouts with the NIFA Premier/Junior Irish U 15 team were just a week after his mother had died.

“I didn’t want to go,” said Ellis. “But my grandmother said I should and that if I wasn’t good enough to make it then I wouldn’t. In the end, I felt my Mom would want me to do it.”

“I remember it like it was yesterday,” said Roy Roelke, his Club Coach. “They had buried his Mom like three days before. I did not know that at the time. I saw a very quiet, removed kid and recognized he was nervous at that first tryout. He had raw, unrefined talent. He was very fast. I encouraged him to relax and he did well. Two days later, at the final Tryout, a lot of the kids were really nervous because this would determine if they made the team. I took him aside and told him I wasn’t supposed to do this but I told him he had already made the team. He got tears in his eyes and told me his mother had just died and that he really appreciated the way I had handled this.”

“His Coach took him under his wing,” said George, “and we appreciated that. It gave him that male presence that was so important for him at that time.”

“That first year he was very unrefined,” said Roy. “He hadn’t had high level coaching coming from a rural community. One of the things I told him was that if he wanted to play College soccer he would have to work on his weaknesses, and that is what he did.”

Ellis’ academics suffered during that time because he was so low.

“That is something we told College coaches later,” said his Grandfather. “They needed to know why his grades went down. Families have to communicate those kinds of things during recruiting. During this whole time his life didn’t settle down until his senior year.”

“His grandfather,” said Becky, “had been a Middle School Principal in Culver, Indiana. He went in to talk to his teachers, especially in Pre Calc. Sometimes people look at an athlete like Ellis, who is muscular and works out, and think he isn’t motivated as much academically, but George taught him that you have to talk with your teachers and not just assume they will come to you. That will serve him well in College because you have to have relationships with Professors.”

Deep into his junior season, Ellis was not being recruited much. He had played in Club Tournaments (TFA Cup in Cincinnati and the Scott Gallagher Tournament near St Louis) and his team won both, but nothing was coming from the College coaches.

“We were a good Club team,” said his coach, Roy, “but not a national caliber team and unless you play on the national scale you won’t be in front of a lot of College coaches.”

Although Club sports are very important, you cannot assume they lead to scholarships. College coaches go to showcase events and tournaments primarily to evaluate players they already have a relationship with, and not always to discover kids.

Then two things happened that are important in recruiting. Ellis and his grandfather came to hear NCSA’s College Recruiting Simplified in May of his junior year. Junior Irish makes the presentation possible each year at their huge Junior Irish Memorial Day Tournament that draws teams from all over the Midwest. I delivered the Talk in their big white tent. We had a bunch of chairs set up and I poured out the education and the inspiration! I felt like a Tent Revival preacher. Parents walking by the Tent to games came into the tent to listen to the powerful content of the 5 Things You Need to Know and the 5 Things you MUST Do in recruiting. Ellis and his grandfather listened intently. They later talked with NCSA Senior Recruiting Coordinator Doug Vose. Here are the observations Doug made during that talk with his grandmother:

“When I first spoke with Becky Irvin in regard to her grandson Ellis back in June, it was apparent fromthe beginning that Ellis was the sort of athlete that coaches dream of – he eats, sleeps and breathes soccer. Although Ellis is a talented athlete, it was clear that Becky was new to the concept of helping to navigate a student-athlete through the recruiting process. In June, Ellis was receiving mail from some schools due to his solid grade point average, but the family had only seen athletic related contact from one or two schools. The notion that many of Ellis’ peers of similar ability were already being recruiting was a foreign one for Becky.” Doug Vose, Senior Recruiting Coordinator, NCSA

Doug set up an Evaluation Call with NCSA Senior Scout Jenny Goodpaster.

I remember clearly the day I did Ellis’s evaluation after my colleague, Doug Vose, had set up the meeting.  In talking with Ellis’s Grandparents, George and Becky, I could tell they really cared about finding the “Right FIt” for Ellis.  Becky mentioned, when I asked, ‘what are you looking for in a college for Ellis?, she answered, ‘Jenny, we want the professors to know Ellis and have it be personal.’  I knew right then that it was about him being happy and getting a great education.  That is what is important to me as a scout in helping families and changing kids lives.  While soccer
is an added bonus, him searching and discovering a perfect environment to be for the next four year whiles he gets his degree is a true blessing.  Albion College snagged a good one” Jenny Goodpaster, Senior Scout, NCSA

After that thorough Evaluation they then joined the NCSA family.

Wham! This unknown talent from tiny Bremen, IN was now in the data base of College soccer coaches.

“I hadn’t even started recruiting,” said Ellis. “I didn’t know where to start. As soon as I heard your message I got going. Being with NCSA made it so much easier. You don’t have to present yourself everywhere. The College coaches come to you. I had a lot of really good schools come after me because I was in the NCSA data base.”

The other thing that was pivotal was the involvement by his Club Coach. As I always say, it is not ‘the job’ of your High School or Club Coach to get you a scholarship, but there are many that do everything they can, like his Coach. Roy did have connections and one of them was Jerry Block, the Head Coach at Albion College in south-central Michigan. Jerry and Roy both had played for DePauw University (at different times) and knew each other from working camps. Roy let Coach Block know about Ellis. In this case it was the NCSA Profile and the Club coach working together that led to the right fit for Ellis.

“Coach Block loved my NCSA profile,” said Ellis. “The video really made a big difference and he liked that he could see exactly what my grades were.”

The video showed the amazing speed Ellis possessed as a Right Midfielder, Left Midfielder or Forward. NCSA’s Video team put an arrow on Ellis at the start of every play on his tape, making it easy for the College coaches to identify him. You can’t make College coaches play Detective trying to find you on a tape. Their time is too valuable.

“He is brutally fast,” said his Club Coach. Ellis was the Most Valuable Freshman Sprinter for Bremen.

“He has got some wheels,” said Jeff Schlicht, NCSA’s Soccer Recruiting Coach and former College Soccer player at Western Michigan University. Schlicht evaluated Ellis and got his information sent out to Colleges that were the right academic and athletic fit.

Ellis Whitt loves soccer and wants to play it at the next level

Ellis and his grandparents took three visits to Albion. “I liked that it was smaller and I felt very comfortable there,” said Ellis. “The guys on the team were all very nice. They’d let me know about the program and other things than soccer. Albion is 2 ½ hours from home so my family can come see me play. At first, I kind of wanted to go far off to College, but now I like the idea of being 2 ½ hours away.”

“I told him to invite us up,” said Becky. “They have really good food in that cafeteria at Albion! I really liked the Coach. He is a nice young man and I could tell he is a man of character. It is a beautiful campus.”

Becoming comfortable at D3 was a process.

“It took him a while to get there,” said his grandfather. “He had some contact with some D 1’s but didn’t get much interest from them. After talking with lots of people he came to realize he probably could land at a D1 or D2 but sit awhile. If he really wanted to play, he needed to look at D3. He really grew up through this process and came to draw his own conclusions.”

“People don’t understand how competitive D3 soccer can be,” said Roy, his Club Coach. “There are loaded teams with all kinds of kids that were All Conference in High School, Player of the Year in their Conference and State. People should go see Ohio Wesleyan play DePauw sometime.”

“I was surprised at how much talent they have at Albion,” Ellis, who was Offensive Player of the Year twice for his Bremen High School team, said. “I thought I would be one of the better players.”

Ellis went to two games and one practice during his three visits to Albion. It is so important that families take those unofficial or official visits. When you hone in on one school, visit again. Make sure it is the right fit.

Ellis is a young man that loves his sport, and couldn’t imagine being in College without being able to play it. Because of his speed, and how his skills have grown from his excellent coaching in Club, his dream is to play professional soccer after College.

“With all that happened to him,” said Roy, his Club Coach, “it would have
been easy for him to turn into a punk or throw in the towel, but he didn’t. He has faced a ton of adversity with the death of his Mom. I think his story should be shared in the newspapers and on the local TV News.”

His grandfather, George, is grateful they went into the big White Tent that day during the Junior Irish Tournament and heard “College Recruiting Simplified.”

“Without the information from that Talk,” said George, “we wouldn’t have known where to go. I had no clue. We are thankful his information was sent out through NCSA and his Club coach was involved. It really helped to have his video sent out. A lot of coaches called. The thing I noticed was since his information was verified it gave coaches something to look at that was concrete. They knew exactly where Ellis stood academically and with soccer skills. He had several options, but Albion College was the one that really, really cared.

Go where they REALLY want you, where there is funding, and where if you blow out your knee you will still love the College. That’s what I always tell audiences at College Recruiting Simplified.

Ellis says he wants to continue to get better to honor the memory of his mother. “I want to be successful so I can give back to my community in Bremen,” he said. “Maybe I can inspire players to go on and do more than I ever do.”

Ellis Whitt, honoring the memory of his Mother

The College Athletics Recruiting process is not just about trying to connect with a scholarship. It is about growing up and maturing. That’s what Ellis has done.

“At the funeral,” said Becky, “his maturity started to show. He and his twin brother had not had the best relationship up to that point. It was adversarial. He was the older brother who was the soccer star. They were in the background. But at the funeral the two younger brothers were crying so much, and Ellis went over to them and put his arms around them and held them. I saw that and I cried and cried. And ever since then he has helped them. He became that big brother.”

“He is respectful to us always around the house. If the driveway needs the snow shoveled, he just goes and does it. He listens to us. He may not agree with everything his grandparents say, but he is respectful when he disagrees. He knows what he wants. He knows it won’t be easy but he is going after it.”

Ellis has completed his freshman season at Albion, playing in nine games.  Only 7 percent of High School athletes have what it takes to be a College student-athlete. Ellis is one of them…

To Talk with a College Scout about the Recruiting Process, click here

Charlie Adams, Speaker

NCSA Athletic Recruiting Network

cadams@ncsasports.org

Here are some valuable insights for you from two former Indianapolis Warren Central High School athletes. I was on a panel discussion of recruiting with them in Indianapolis.

Butler University soccer player Cara Burchett and recently graduated Northern Illinois University football player Jason Onyebuagu stood up and shared valuable information that families with athletes in all sports can learn from.

At the time, Cara Burchett was a senior defender for the Butler soccer team. She started every game her senior season, and except for a stress fracture her junior season, played a lot during her college career. Here’s what Cara had to say about recruiting:

“I have played soccer since I was 3 years old. I have always wanted to be a college soccer player. My sister played Division 3 soccer. I was fortunate to play for a great Club Soccer team (Carmel Crossfire). Club is very important. We went to big Showcases in Las Vegas and Walt Disney World. There were a lot of college coaches there, but I wasn’t getting letters from them after going to those events. I learned that you have to have ways to put yourself out there so they know to look for you.”

“I really wanted to play Division 1 soccer. There were schools like Indiana University and Mid American Conference (MAC) schools recruiting me. IU was too big. I do well with more personalized instruction, where a Professor could sit down with me after a class. Ball State was not a fit. There was just something about Butler University that was right. My parents always said pick a school that if you can’t play your sport you will still love.”

“It is important to ask a lot of questions on your visits. You can sit in on classes. Those things are important.”

ANALYSIS: Cara was a 2 time All State Soccer player, 4 year varsity letter winner, played on a state championship Club team, and yet she didn’t get much response after going to Vegas and Orlando. College coaches, although open to ‘discovering’ kids if someone does something amazing right in front of them when they walk by, were primarily there to evaluate prospects on their lists. Cara learned that she had to be more proactive in the game of recruiting. An athlete that has a profile with all their accomplishments can contact college coaches, let them know their playing schedule, and get them access to their online profile. Cara became much more proactive in getting her information out to college coaches before Showcase events, so they made sure to spend time watching her play in person at those events.

In today’s world of recruiting, many coaches use NCSA to build their recruiting lists. Having an online profile there also enables athletes to reach out to specific coaches, let them know their schedule, and then send them a link to all their athletic and academic accomplishments on their profile.

Like Cara, Jason Onyebuagu had been a standout athlete at Warren Central High in Indy. At the Panel Discussion, he had more valuable insights that can help everyone go through their recruiting.

At Warren Central High School Jason was named team football captain, first team Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference, first team Indianapolis Star Super Team and 2005 Mr. Football Position Award (O-line), and first team Associated Press Class 5A All-State on 14-1 league and state champions as a senior. He was a 4 year Honor Roll student. Here is what he had to say:

“I didn’t realize what the recruiting process was all about. I landed in it. Young athletes ask me about recruiting. I say ‘enjoy it, the fact that someone wants you.’ A lot of people get frustrated.”

“I was a football-everything kid! Academics, though, came first. I always looked at it that if I wanted to play football, I had to have good grades. However, for the ACT and SAT I went in unprepared. Thankfully my core GPA was high. I got into Northern Illinois with a 19 ACT.”

“As far as my decision making process, I was good at football. However, I was the good football player that didn’t look good on paper. I never had that height that looked good on paper (he would grow to be 6’1″ and 308 pounds). I never let that get me down. I had a lot of offers. Going to Northern Illinois University was the best decision of my life. I enjoyed every second of it. Before going, my father sat me down and talked about the importance of getting a degree. I graduated early, in 3 1/2 years.”

“I remember when I took my Visit to Northern Illinois. It was very cold. After conversing with the coaches, I decided to commit. I wanted to go to a place where I would have a chance to play early (Oneyebuagu would go on to be a 4 year starter at Center for NIU and make First Team all Mid American Conference). Even after committing, other schools recruited me. Marshall came after me. I took a visit up there to West Virginia, which I felt bad about because I had told NIU I would come there. Well, they found out about it and the NIU assistant coach that had been recruiting me came right down to school the next Monday. That showed me they really wanted me. It is important to go to a school where they really want you. I had a great time playing college football. I had a chance to make the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL roster, but didn’t make it. My college coach talked to me a lot throughout that experience, which showed me again how much he cared about me, and how NIU was a school that really wanted me.”

“Find out who really wants you for WHO you are rather than just what you can do for their program.”

ANALYSIS: Great insights from Jason. At 6′ 1″ his lack of height hurt him as far as being recruited by major powerhouses as the D1 level, but he said that didn’t get him down. A realistic evaluation for him was a D1 program such as Northern Illinois (there are different levels of D1). As a result, he played major minutes all 4 years and said he loved every second of college.

Did you notice he got his degree in 3 1/2 years? He didn’t let college sports take advantage of him. He worked hard as a player and as a student, His pro aspirations ended quickly, but because he emphasized education while playing college football, he has a degree and a bright future. Sadly, many knuckleheads in college football take classes that keep them eligible, finish without a degree, get cut from the NFL, and go out into the world without a completed degree.

His point about finding the college where they really want you is big as well. When I speak, I emphasize finding the “right fit.” A school that really wants you for who you are as a person, and not just an athlete, is a right fit.

Jason is now in coaching and has the credentials to build a successful coaching career. Don’t be surprised to see this young man go on to accomplish significant things in life.

Another important point about Cara and Jason is that Division 1 was right for them. We often focus on the major time commitment of D1 and the pressures and all, but there are plenty of D1 kids that are fine with all of that, and have a remarkable experience. To be a D1 athlete is a major commitment, no doubt, but Jason said he loved every second of it and Cara is having unforgettable experiences at Butler. Their young Butler team just won the conference regular season soccer championship and they will host the conference tournament – memories she will have for a lifetime. This season they upset Milwaukee on the road, something no Horizon League team had been able to do in over 12 years. In that game Cara was given the challenge of defending Milwaukee’s Sarah Hagen the entire game. Hagen is the 2-time Horizon Conference Player of the Year. Cara did her job as Butler won 1-0.

20 years from now, Cara will have the gratifying feeling of knowing she was a college athlete. She will be able to reflect on the incredible pressure of defending a bigtime college star, and succeeding! Cara had one crack at the recruiting process, and she found the right fit. You get one shot too. You don’t get a mulligan,

What are you doing in recruiting to make sure you nail it like Cara and Jason?

For an Evaluation of where you are in the recruiting process

Charlie Adams

Senior National Speaker for the NCSA Recruiting Network

cadams@ncsasports.org