Understanding the elements that go into being a successful recruit will set you on the right path early and keep you ahead of the game. It’s important for recruits not to lose focus of the end goal and to concentrate on understanding the core recruiting items, which will make the recruiting process, proceed smoothly once these main items are understood.
Academic eligibility requirements
Academics are just as important as athletic skill when it comes to meeting college eligibility requirements. The NCAA division I and division II academic standards are the strictest out of the college athletic division levels. Some colleges and universities will need athletes to meet their own standards which may be higher than those set by the NCAA or NAIA eligibility center.
Potential recruits who want to reach the level of college athletics, don’t always consider initial academic eligibility requirements until it’s almost too late. Becoming eligible to meet NCAA or NAIA academic standards is an area in the recruiting process which needs to be understood early. Athletes should be meeting with high school counselors in order to determine which courses they will need to take throughout high school, what GPA they will need to maintain and which college entrance exams they need to have taken.
Rule of thumb for student- athletes: Keep your grades up throughout high school to make sure you will not be left in the cold when it comes time to meet academic requirements.
Contacting college coaches
Reaching out to coaches can be one of the hardest things recruits will need to do in order to get recruited. Some athletes may struggle with this because they do not want to bug coaches. Other athletes may be under the impression that college coaches will find them, and do nothing to increase their chances of gaining exposure.
Contacting coaches is one of the easiest things to do during your recruiting process. To get started you will need to take some time to create an introductory email, a sports resume and video link. Sending coaches a video link will allow them to see who you are and why you are interested in their program.
The biggest item that recruits need to understand is that coaches will only know athletes who have taken the time to reach out to them.
Locating the right college
Recruits, usually have an idea of where they want to go to college. From here athletes will need to evaluate themselves as a player in order to find the best college fit for them. College division levels can be used as a guide to help incoming student-athletes determine which level of play they will be best suited for. Next, athletes will be able to narrow down their search to colleges in the preferred division level.
This is just the beginning of learning and understanding the recruiting process. Potential recruits will need to continue to work hard throughout their process in order to understand the many elements of college recruiting.
If you have more questions about navigating through the recruiting process than leave a comment below or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.
im only in grade 10, does that mean i could still get recruited for the following year?
Hi Cassidy,
As a 10th grader you can get recruited to play at the college level. Have you been in contact in with any college coaches at this point? This biggest challenge is establishing relationships with coaches and finding the right program that fits your needs.
My husband is 22 years old, and he just started with a local community college here in Fl, would he still have a chance at 24 years old?
Hi Dorcelle,
Eligibility is one of the most complicated areas for the recruiting process. It depends on which level your husband is wanting to play sports in. Do you know what level he is considering? NCAA DI and DII are the most strict. If there are special circumstances than he needs to contact the NCAA eligibility center. Is he currently playing for the Community College?
My Son is currently looking to get a scholarship in baseball
He is a student in a Canadian High School…. How do we start the recruiting process..
He is in grade 11 …. Plays on the high school football basketball and baseball team and won JR student athlete of the yr .
Hi Apryl, Thanks for submitting your question. First, I think you and your son will benefit from our guide for preparing for recruiting here: http://www.athleticscholarships.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Preparing-for-the-Recruiting-Process-Guide.pdf
Next, you son should begin to research and find colleges he is interested in and begin to reach out to coaches from there. Here is our other guide on what he will need to be sending out to coaches: http://www.athleticscholarships.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/How_to_Create_a_College_Recruiting_ResumeE-Book.pdf
Let us know if you have any questions about this material, we are here to help.
Hi, My Daughter is a softball pitcher and has played competitive softball for 2yrs. She is only a 7th grader and has just began playing school ball. Her school is not the best at helping anyone get an athletic scholarship especially in girls sports, is it to early to start getting her name out there this young? And is it unual to get a scholarship without your schools help in the process?
With sports like softball it is more important that she play for a good travel team and play in the big summer tournaments. Coaches recruit from travel ball more because it is usually a higher level of competition and they can evaluate more recruits at a single tournament.
If she is only in 7th grade there is no need to contact coaches yet. The best place to focus is finding the right travel ball team.
It is very common for athletes to get recruited sometimes without playing on their high school team at all. I don’t recommend this, but it shows that you can get recruited outside of just high school. Good luck and let me know if you have more questions.
Is it possible to get a basketball scholarship if he didn’t play in 11th or 12th grade?
Probably not. You would need to look for a walk-on opportunity at a Junior College first. If you don’t have any sort of highlight tape or haven’t been playing against other college recruits, you will need to find a way to do that now. Go to the local college pick up games or find out where college players play in the summer and get in those games.