NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

So you think you are being recruited because you received a questionnaire?Did you know that the Mississippi State baseball program sends out an average of 1,500 prospect questionnaires each year?

Facebook. MySpace. YouTube. Video conferencing. Web sites. Text messaging.

My oh my, how much recruiting has advanced in the last 15 years.

As Adam Diorio noted in his post, “Want Athletic Scholarships? Use Technology!”, recent technological advances have allowed NCAA college coaches to explore new methods of reaching out to potential student-athletes. It has also allowed them to tip-toe around quiet and dead period restrictions (what’s a “dead period”?).

Adam details two questions in his posting before jumping into the hi-tech hot tub. The one that I’m going to focus on is:

1. Do we know how technology can and cannot be used to maximize my student athlete’s recruiting process?  Basically, do we know the rules?

And for a good long while, the “can” heavily out weighed the “cannot.” Up until August of last year, text-messaging was a popular way for coaches to get recruits to call them. But slowly but surely, things are changing. As Paul Steinbach dictates in “Technology Rules”:

“Existing NCAA legislation limited how many calls a coach can make to a prospect, but placed no limits on the number of prospect-initiated calls, so coaches targeted the recruits with text messages that read simply, ‘Call me.’ The practice became intrusive, and often expensive, for highly sought-after athletes. (See ‘No EZ Answers,’ November 2006, p. 141.) The new rule, which went into effect Aug. 1, is just one of many related to technology found within the nearly 50 pages that address recruiting in Article 13 of the NCAA Division I Manual.”

That manual can be found here. The specific bylaw restricting text messaging, as well as other kinds of electronic communication, is found on page 99. But in addition to that, if you or your son or daughter is even considering playing a college sport, make sure you all read over most, if not all, of Article 13.

Also something to consider: New legislation is put into effect on Aug. 1 (one month away), so make sure you stay up to date with the ever-changing restrictions.

And of course, there are still a few loopholes out there and a couple of ways coaches can get around restrictions, such as not being able to track text messages or online social networking sites. But to put it into perspective, if technology has advanced so much in 15, 10 or even 5 years (Facebook became mainstream only four years ago), imagine how long it will take the powers-that-be to find ways of tracking the currently un-trackable.

Big Brother might not be watching right now, but could be soon. 

A great article from “March Madness All Season,” written by University of Delaware student Jeff Borzello.

For those of you who don’t like reading 2.300-word articles in their entirety, in a nut shell, Borzello describes his angst toward student-athlete’s rights, or lack there of, to rescind their letter-of-intent once a school’s head coach decides to leave a job. The story highlights a Marquette basketball recruit named Tyshawn Taylor, who, after multiple requests and forms for a release, was finally let free after he learned of Marquette former coach Tom Crean’s departure from the university.

Borzello’s main point is that it’s unfair for student-athletes to be stuck in a situation they weren’t intending on happening, whereas coaches seem to be able to hop from team-to-team at their discretion.

While I agree with Borzello that student-athletes should be allowed to terminate their commitment if a not-so-ideal situation comes up (he sites a clause that Indiana University basketball recruits had allowing them to terminate their commitment if former coach Kelvin Sampson was fired … which he was), I can’t stress enough that at times, these situations can be avoided.  As Lisa Meyers noted in her post “What will you say when college coaches call?”:

“5) Ask questions! Prepare a list of questions in advance.”

On page 23 in the NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete, there is a list of some sample questions to ask the coaches concerning athletics, academics and college life. And, sure enough, the NCAA has a few really big questions they list to help you avoid scenarios like the one above. I quote:

• When does the head coach’s contract end? How long does the coach intend to stay? The answer could be helpful. Do not make any assumptions about how long a coach will be at a school. If the coach leaves, does this change your mind about the school/program?
• What happens if I want to transfer to another school? You may not transfer without the permission of your current school’s athletics administration. Ask how often coaches grant this privilege and ask for an example of a situation in which permission was not granted.

Of course, this way isn’t necessarily fail-safe. Like you and me, coaches might say something one day, and nine months later, change their mind. But still, asking these questions at least improve your chances of not getting caught in a school’s web if the head spider leaves for a new job.

Every year on the center stage of collegiate sports, we hear the story, often told by television announcers, of the touching tale of the courageous walk on.  Visions of Rudy instantly come to the forefront as the journey of the underdog warrior starts to unfold.  “He was never recruited out of high school by any of the major programs . . .” says the announcer during his crescendo to the game breaking play.  “He has waited his whole life for this moment, battling disappointment after rejection.”  It is heartwarming.  Life is fair again. That could have been me.

There are few stories that compare in nature.  There are fewer that compare in occurrence.  The closest relative to Rudy would be the 71 year old retired truck driver who on his last few dollars cashed in on millions playing the random pick’m game at the local gas station.  The only difference is, that story happens more frequently!

For the serious competitor, walking on to a collegiate athletic team can be compared to earning a medical degree and then working as a custodian.  You both work in a hospital but unlike all of your classmates, you’re not actually doing what you trained so hard to do for so long.  Most collegiate athletes have played their sport since before they could remember, years and years, always starting, usually better and often in the spotlight.  To cash in a lifetime of hard work and natural talent for a dream that was forged from within a child’s perspective seems foolish.

Take football for example.  There are over 800 colleges that offer football as a varsity sport.  Most sports fans in this country can name up to fifty.  In baseball there are over 1000 colleges that offer the sport.  How many can you name?  There are numerous opportunities to explore if the desire to actually play exceeds common ignorance and childhood fantasies.

Walk-ons, just like custodians in hospitals, have vastly different experiences than the scholarship players.  First, the ceremonial National Letter of Intent signing day – that does not happen.  Next, the preferential class scheduling – no.  The second, third, or fourth pair of coaches’ eyes watching you to make sure that you’re taken care of – not so much.  You are a necessary tool to help the real players practice, rarely taken serious, rarely awarded a scholarship and sparingly shown respect.  Rudy was a great film but I hope it is not your story.  Below is a short video of how USC treats its potential walk ons.  There are a few questionable language choices in this clip so do not watch if you will be offended.  USC Walk On Clip

In summary, if you work your entire life to achieve the goal of becoming a college athlete, find a place where you are wanted.  Find a school where you will play and make an impact.  Go somewhere that will set you up to have a great experience while you earn your degree, an environment that will help provide you with teammates for life.  Step outside of your comfort zone and learn all you can of what is out there.  You just might find something that is priceless.

    After spending the last two years speaking with families about the recruiting process, two clear themes have emerged.  The first is that 99 percent of the families that I speak with are ignorant to the process yet unwilling to acknowledge the fact.  The second theme is that people are typically hesitant to invest in professional assistance.

            The first theme is understandable as most families are navigating this process for the first time so their ignorance is due to lack of education about the process which is not always readily available.  The second theme is rather alarming.  The recruiting process will affect a student athlete’s entire life for better or worse.  Knowing the impact the process might have on their child’s future and the lack of experience most families have, one would think that every parent would want to pursue every avenue possible that might help their child succeed in this process.  Unfortunately, most families hear the word “investment” and immediately eliminate that avenue.  As a former athlete who failed at successfully finding the right school and being forced to transfer colleges, I wish I had as much help as possible even if that meant investment money into some sort of professional assistance. 

            The harsh reality is that even if the family chooses to navigate this process by themselves, it will cost money!  To successfully handle the process, an investment will have to be made financially.  Between videos, mailing profiles, visits, camps, etc. the process will most likely cost a family quite a bit of money.  The irony is that families spend hundreds of dollars on camps, combines, and tournaments thinking they will provide the exposure that is lacking only to realize they rarely do. 

            Just one of these days I would like to ask a parent who seems hesitant to invest money in professional help what they plan on doing with the money they are saving from “saying no” to the service…and better yet, how that expenditure could possibly benefit their son’s future more than helping him make the right college decision professionally?  I have yet to think of an answer that would satisfy me after seeing so many families fail to maximize this process…

Clearinghouse? Official Visit? Dead Period?  After speaking with hundreds of families and student-athletes on a daily basis about their recruiting experience, I’ve been able to draw a simple conclusion; most families have no idea what these terms mean.  When it comes to recruiting there are a lot of specific guidelines that college coaches have to follow and they are put into terms that most families that aren’t familiar with recruiting don’t understand.

 It is referred to as the “Package Deal.”  An athlete is offered a scholarship to hopefully entice their more talented friend or sibling to also attend a school.  Ohio State’s Greg Oden and Mike Conley were a classic example of this type of arraignment.  The Buckeyes recruited both players and rode them all the way to Final Four.  Along the way Conley emerged from his friend’s shadow and played his way into the NBA Lottery.

Of course, this perfect scenario is far from the norm and sometimes things can get quite complicated. You may recall his running back Rashard Mendenhall leading the Illini to the Rose Bowl and being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in this past NFL Draft.

This weekend his brother, Walter Mendenhall, announced that he will leave the program for Illinois St.  Most observers felt that the only reason Walter received a scholarship in the first place was to further entice Rashard to attend Illinois. 

Now the arrangement has ended poorly for all parties. Rashard was recently quoted, “As long as Ron Zook is there it will be hard for me to support the University of Illinois football team.”

Athletes need to remember that they are making an important decision that will affect the rest of their lives.  The school choice they make needs to be the right fit for them.  At NCSA we strive to help all of our athletes find the right school, but we recognize that sometimes a situation can change.  That is why we stay with all of our athletes throughout college and help with any transfer process that may arise.

by Matt Luckett, NCSA Recruiting Coach

Experience comes in so many different forms for college baseball players.  The biggest jump for baseball players is from high school to college.  This is why so many players take the Junior College (JC or JUCO) route, as it is the best fit for them.

When a four year program gets a JC transfer they are getting a player that is polished and is ready to compete.  Unlike most high school players who do not hone the skills to step in and make an impact as a freshman. Not only are players mature physically but they are more mature mentally.  One of the biggest successes in a transfer is their character.  They will prove it on the road, as well as, on and off the field. Players with grades from 2.0 – 3.0 GPA find the transition to a JC much easier.  This is a great way to get adjusted to the college academic schedule and demand.  Also, when transferring the academic requirements is much lower then a high school student, making it easier to get into a four year school. Many players get overlooked because there are so many ballplayers.  Many JC programs duplicate that of major DI programs.  Thus making the player prepared to make an impact right away.  As JUCO coaches are more reputable than high school coaches when it comes to judging player talent. By attending a JC and proving yourself you may get the opportunity to play at a higher level program then offered out of high school.  Many college coaches have stated that they prefer to take a transfer over a high school freshman.

The one of the most important parts of the recruiting process is doing research and making sure you are on a four-year school’s radar.  Looking at college program’s roster and player bio’s will give you an idea of where you might fit.  Whatever your decision becomes, the junior college is never a bad way to go.