NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

Q: Are college coaches allowed to send you recruiting letters when you’re a freshman or sophomore?

A: This depends on the sport, below is a chart of when coaches can being sending questionnaires/camp brochures and recruiting materials.

However, an athlete may contact a coach at ANY time.

To see more about recruiting guidelines click on your specific sport here.

Q: When can you talk to a coach? Can you do it through email or in person?

A: Student-athletes can call or write a coach at ANY time. However, coaches are restricted to contacting recruits during times called “dead periods”. You can look up individual sports’ dead periods here. They are also limited in how often they can contact a recruit. To see those dates go here.

A recruit may also talk to a coach any time during an unofficial visit. An NCSA survey found that 58% of college coaches preferred to be contacted in person rather than by email, phone or snail mail. Coaches prefer to meet a prospective recruit on campus in the form of an unofficial visit. The second favored mode of communication was email, and telephone was a close third.

Q: When can college coaches start calling?

A: Here’s a list of the first dates a Division I coach can begin making phone calls to recruits.

Football:   D1 football coaches can make one phone calbetween April 15 and May 31st of  junior year

Men’s Basketball: June 15th after Sophomore year

Women’s Basketball: In Apirl on or after the Thursday following the Final Four

Men’s Hockey: June 15th after Sophomore Year

Women’s Ice Hockey: July 7th after Junior Year

All Other Sports: July 1st after Junior Year

How often the coach can call also varies. For the complete list which also gives the regulations for sending recruiting materials along with dates for official visits go here and click on the desired sport.

In an ESPN article, Andy Katz shows how ever changing practice regulations put in place by the NCAA may be shifting drastically in college basketball.

College coaches have whined for years about the lack of access to their current players in the summer.
The complaint is legitimate. Anyone — notably agents and their hand-picked workout employees — can have complete access to the players. To think there isn’t any influence over the player, especially on his game, is naive. That doesn’t mean all the advice from a third party is wrong. It’s not. But college coaches want to be in control of a player’s college career.

They might finally get their wish — with a hitch.

Next month in Indianapolis, the NCAA’s board of directors will listen to a proposal from the basketball academic enhancement committee, chaired by UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero, that would allow coaches access on the court with players as long as they’re in summer school.

The model would be that over an eight-week period the coach would have access to the player, with two hours a week in skill development and the other hours to be determined, with possible uses like watching tape, observing pickup games or weight-room workouts. The only thing the coaches couldn’t do is have a full practice.

Guerrero said the minimum for a player to be eligible to participate is three hours of summer school in the initial year. In the subsequent summers, the player must attend six hours to be eligible to work out with his coach. The NCAA won’t make this mandatory because there are a number of schools that don’t have summer school (like schools in the Ivy League). According to Guerrero, there is also a cost analysis that has to be taken into consideration.

This is obviously a long awaited change for both coaches and players. Many players enroll in summer school without this ruling in place in order to lighten their academic load during the season. Now while they are advancing academically, they can also improve athletically with coaches that know what specific skills they have to improve. Also, this is a great way to keep players out of trouble. There have been many recent examples of NCAA sanctions that have hurt the eligibility of player. If coaches have more contact with players, they can make sure they stay out of trouble and on top of their grades.

But what does this mean for basketball recruits? According to Katz:

If this is passed in the legislative cycle next year, the July evaluation period might get another tweak in 2010. If college coaches are allowed to work with their own players in July, it will lead to even more coaches and assistant coaches heading back to campus either in place of or between recruiting evaluation assignments in July.

This means that there will be even less time to get evaluated by college coaches! The recruiting world is competitive as it is and if coaches have fewer opportunities to look at potential players it’s even more important that you familiarize yourself with the Five Things You Need to Know About Recruiting and the Five Things You Need to Do to Get Recruited in order to give yourself an edge over the competition.

Summer is officially upon us!  And for college softball coaches, that means the busiest and most important recruiting time.  They are in the midst of their most active evaluation time and a majority of them will spend this time at college exposure tournaments throughout the country.  Coaches can see a huge number of athletes in one quick weekend, at one major tournament.  For NCAA Division I coaches, rules and regulations limit them to a certain number of dates they can go out and recruit.  

So, what does this all mean for you?  The greatest advantage you can give yourself at this time of year is letting these coaches know who you are BEFORE they leave for tournaments.  Their time is limited and they can only see so many games and so many players in one tournament.  If you desire to be one of those players, then give the coaches a reason to find you and watch you play!  

Have a complete resume of who you are as a student-athlete and get that into the hands of the coaches you would like to play for.  This resume should include your summer tournament schedule, statistics and contact information for you and for your current coaches.  You should also have a sample of skills available in a video format (DVD).  Your academic information should also be included.  Once you have all of that ready to distribute, you need to identify what schools you are most interested in and familiarize yourself with their softball programs.  Look at their roster and see if you would be a good fit.  Check out the background info on current players.  This will help you get a good idea as to whether or not you have the skills and resume to compete in their program.  It’s great to aim high, but being realistic is important so you will have options of schools where you can be a contributing player.

It is vital for you as a student-athlete, to be realistic about your skill level and to seek out schools and coaches you can truly play for.  Keep in mind that by this time, approximately half of NCAA Division I softball coaches/colleges have identified their top recruits of to-be seniors.  If you are a top softball player, the summer going into your junior and even sophomore years of high school are when coaches will be evaluating you.  During those summers, it would be most beneficial to you to be playing on up level teams such as U16 and U18.  If you are a higher level player and can compete at the Division I level, be sure and include all of your awards and accolades in your resume (being one of the top players in your area and state, playing at the varsity level, etc.).   

Have a game plan this summer!  Get your resume set up and be sure to include all of the info listed above.  Identify colleges you can play for.  Let those coaches know of your interest in their programs and be prepared to have a skills DVD for them to view.  Lastly, let them know where and when you are playing so they can get out to see you.  Be proactive.  Out of all of the athletes that coaches will see and hear about, be the one they are going to recognize and remember!

Attention all underclassmen: Summer camps are right around the corner! This is the best opportunity to perform in front of college coaches and generate interest at the next level. Due to several NCAA rules that prohibit college coaches from evaluating student-athletes, summer camps have been a hotbed for college recruiting nationwide. Did you know that other schools may attend one summer camp? That’s right! This could be a prime opportunity for you to compete in front of a large crowd of coaches which can increase your odds of getting recruited! I have added some quick tips that can help you perform at your best this camp season:

1. Be well rested!
Don’t drive long hours and then stumble into camp. Try to get there the night before. Walk around the facility if possible and get acquainted with your surroundings. Get a good nights rest, proper meals, and most important be hydrated!

2. Perform at your best!
Understand you are being evaluated from to the time you set on foot on campus until the time you leave. From the time you start stretching until you break the final huddle, college coaches are watching your every move. My advice is giving 100% on every drill! Sprint from station to station and show these coaches you are serious about playing at the next level.

3. Reps, Reps,Reps!                                                                                                      

Getting to camp is a critical event in your recruiting efforts!

One of the biggest problems I see at camp is student-athletes not getting enough reps. Word to the wise: Take every rep as an opportunity to perform! The more reps the more opportunities you have to get evaluated. Have fun out there and understand this is your time to shine!

4. Build Relationships
Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to coaches after camp. Student-athletes who get out of their comfort zone tend to make a great first impression with a college coach. Shake hands and thank him for the opportunity. Have a copy of game and highlight film if available and be sure to follow up with the coach after the event. It can make a world of difference by just doing to the small things.

5. Be well rested (not a typo)!
That’s right student-athletes, I can’t stress enough how important it is to get proper rest in between camps. I see it time and time again when a student-athlete goes from one to camp to another without proper rest. You never know what school may be the most interested. Poor performance from lack of rest can seriously hinder your opportunities of getting recruited. Proper rest, big meals, and fluids are highly recommended!

Summer camps are where college coaches may find student-athletes who have the potential of being the right fit. Take these quick tips with you to camp and generate some serious buzz about yourself!

Last week we went over some of the most common questions that student-athletes can expect to hear from college coaches when the can begin calling recruits.  In case you missed it, be sure to check it out here.

While knowing what questions to expect from a college coach and how to answer them is important, any conversation with a coach also allows the student athlete an opportunity to find out some critical information that will help them through the athletic recruiting process.  The key is to know the right questions to ask in order to maximize your short time with a coach.

Every conversation with a college coach will be unique.  Since the recruiting process moves at different speeds for prospects and coaches, the current relationship should dictate the type of questions that are appropriate.  However, regardless of where you’re at in the process, we wanted to give you some advice that every recruit can take advantage of.

Before we go into specific questions that potential recruits should ask college coaches, let’s go over a few basics to keep in mind while preparing for the conversations.

• First and foremost, PREPARE! While a prospect might not know the exact time a college coach will be calling, every recruit should recognize that phone conversations will be a significant portion of a recruiting relationship. With that in mind, prospects should write down a list of 15 questions that they could ask a coach…and keep it handy! While the conversation should flow naturally, it will only help a potentially nervous student-athlete to have a set of questions prepared ahead of time that they can always ask a coach.
• A prospect should never ask if they will receive a scholarship during an initial conversation unless a coach brings up the topic.
• Recruits should maximize the conversation by only asking questions that they can find answers to by talking to the coach directly. They should not waste this valuable opportunity by asking questions that can be answered through a brief visit to the college’s website. Each conversation serves as a limited chance to develop a real relationship…make the most of it!
• Do not be afraid to ask coaches about themselves. Often times, recruits only ask questions that pertain to their life and neglect to find out anything personal about the coach. It’s important for a recruit to get to know a coach (their interests, their family, etc…)

Now, let’s go over some questions recruits can ask to make the most of the conversation.  As we mentioned earlier, every conversation will be dictated the by current recruiting situation, but here are a few topics that should be covered and some sample questions from each…

Academics

Simply put, academics are the most important part of the process.  If the college coach does not share your academic goals then it might be time to look at other options.  Here are some academic questions every recruit might want to ask:

• What are the admission requirements for an athlete?
• Will my specific major interfere with the athletic schedule?
• What are some of the most popular majors for athletes on your team?
• Does your team have a full-time academic advisor?
• Do your players graduate in four years?
• Can the application fee be waived for athletes?

Athletics / Recruiting

These two topics overlap in many cases, as an athletic evaluation will determine how heavily the coaching staff will be recruiting a prospect.  Here are some “must ask” questions for recruits at any point in the process:

• Has your coaching staff evaluated me?
• Where do I fit on your recruiting board?
• Have you offered scholarships to others in my class? At my position?
• Have any other athletes in my class accepted the offers?
• How many players will you be recruiting at my position?
• Where will you be recruiting this season / spring / summer?
• What types of off-season activities are expected?
• What does the training program consist of at your school?
• What is your recruiting timeline?
• Is there a good time to come visit your school?

Scholarship

As we noted, it is rarely appropriate for a recruit to ask if they will receive a scholarship in an initial phone conversation, however there are a few questions that will help you gauge your scholarship possibilities at that school…

• How many scholarships do you have available for my class?
• Am I under consideration for a scholarship?
• What types of academic scholarships are available? What about other sorts of grants and aid?
• Do I have to apply before a scholarship is offered?
• What happens if I get injured?

College Life Questions

Even though athletics will obviously play a major role in the life of a collegiate student-athlete, every recruit should make sure they are going to be happy on campus even when they are not with the team.  Make sure to ask about some of the following:

• Are the players on your team close with each other?
• What is the housing situation like? Do teammates typically live together?
• Do student-athletes stay on campus during the summer?
• Is it possible to work part-time in addition to playing a sport and studying?
• What is a typical “day in the life” like for a member of your team during the season? What about during the off-season?

Important Final Questions

While there are many directions that a conversation might take with a  college coach, one key goal should be to find out what comes next:

• What are the next steps in this process?
• When is the next time we can speak / meet?
• Is there anything I can provide you with that will help you further evaluate me?

Hopefully this list will provide recruits a starting point for the types of questions they should ask a college coach.  By no means is this list comprehensive, but it should assist a student athlete as they prepare for their first conversation with a coach.

As you can tell, there is quite a bit of information that student-athletes need to gather…This is one of the most important decisions a young person will make in their life.  Get as much information as possible!  That is also one of the main reasons why recruiting is all about building relationships.  This process does not happen overnight, and will consist of a number of different situations in which a recruit communicates with a college coach.  Phone conversations just happen to be an important initial step in building that relationship.

If you are prospect, at any age, who has yet to begin developing a relationship with a college coach, you might be falling behind.  There are other prospects, starting freshmen year or earlier (your competition), who have already started speaking with college coaches.  The earlier you start that relationship, the more time you will have to make the best decision possible.  Make sure to get started today!

New Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin was recently reprimanded by the SEC conference for falsely accusing Florida coach Urban Meyer of cheating.  You can watch Lane’s accusation which took place at a breakfast celebrating UT’s recruiting class below.

It turns out Kiffin should have consulted a rule book before taking Meyer to task for calling a recruit while taking an official visit to UT.  Aside from making Kiffin look foolish, what should this latest incident tell recruits and families who are going through the recruiting process?

Its confusing!

Kiffin is a DI college football coach…and he doesn’t know the rules!  The NCAA rules and regulations can make even the savviest observer dizzy given all intricacies.  It’s no wonder that families are left in the dark about many of the ins and outs.  Unfortunately, breaking any one of these rules and regulations can threaten a student-athlete’s eligibility.  For families navigating the process, make sure you have someone on your side who knows the rules…your athletic future is at stake!

I just returned from Nashville, Tennessee where NCSA has a large presence at this year’s American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) convention. I was there to kick off the event and greet a few coaches personally, and NCSA’s Director of Football Operations, Bob Chmiel, will be at the event through Tuesday afternoon along with Football Recruiting Coordinator Randy Taylor and Recruiting Coaches Matt Webb and Ryan Newman.

Webb and Newman work with NCSA prospects on a daily basis and they are downloading with a lot of DII, DIII and NAIA coaches who are still looking for 2009 grads. DI coaches are already grabbing NCSA’s 2010/2011 prospect DVDs. In addition to discussing prospects, Webb and Newman are also showing off NCSA’s free Recruit-Match searchable database. The database was unveiled in July of 2008 and coaches are excited to have open access in order to search for athletes and review NCSA scouting reports at any time.

I expect that when the dead period ends and coaches return to their offices, recruiting will heat up for NCSA student-athletes.

by Chris Krause, NCSA Founder and President

O.K., so you’ve followed our advice over these past few months and now you’re hearing from colleges.

They’ve started by sending you letters.  And, they’ve included questionnaires with those letters. 

That may seem like an unimportant start to the recruiting process, and a few letters and fill–the-blank questionnaires may seem like meaningless busy-work that doesn’t deserve your serious attention, but I am here to tell you that nothing could be further from the truth.

Let me tell you about two big rules you need to know about those questionnaires that are still sitting around at your house:

1. They are the first step in the recruiting process.  And, since they are just the first step, there may not be a second step in the recruiting process unless you fill them out and send them back to the coaches that sent them to you.  Which brings me to the second big rule you need to know when it comes to questionnaires…
2. Many college coaches won’t start seriously recruiting you until they receive your completed questionnaire.  Many coaches will assume that you aren’t interested in their university and program unless they hear back from you.  In addition, they need to see some of the answers on your completed questionnaire to know whether or not you will be right for their program. 

For those of you who are already NCSA verified student-athlete prospects, you are probably receiving more of those letters and questionnaires than other athletes.  And while the extra attention is great, it won’t mean anything unless you get that paperwork back to those coaches.  You need to take it seriously.

When we talk with student-athletes, our recruiting coaches here at NCSA advise them to remember these important things when it comes to responding to college sports questionnaires from coaches:

Fill out the questionnaire neatly and accurately.  Always be honest in your answers.  Even if you get tired of sitting down and taking time to answer the same questions over and over, you have to stay focused and give them the information that they need.  If you don’t have an answer to their question yet (for instance, if you haven’t taken your SAT test yet), just let them know that the answer is “pending” or “not applicable”. 

When you return your questionnaire, include a personal thank you note and a copy of your NCSA scouting report.   Coaches want to know that you are interested in hearing what they have to offer, and some personal contact is a great way to do it.  By including your NCSA scouting report, you will give them everything they’ll need to initially evaluate you.

When filling-out an online application, follow-up with an email note and a link back to your NCSA scouting report.  That way, they can view your streaming video highlights at the same time they are getting your completed questionnaire.  Good video that highlights your athletic abilities can be a key component in the recruiting process.

Remember the consequences for not returning a questionnaire:  The coach will assume you are not interested, and probably not seriously pursue you as a recruit.  And at this point in the process, you want every possible opportunity to be considered for a college sports scholarship.

Does it seem smart to neglect filling-out and returning a simple questionnaire that might mean the chance to play college sports?  Of course it doesn’t.

My advice to you is to complete every questionnaire you receive from every college, and return it immediately to the coach that sent it to you.  Next to getting noticed by college coaches, it’s one of the most crucial parts of the recruiting process.