Are you eligible to play in college?
August 26th, 2008 - byIt doesn’t matter how good you are. If you don’t get past the NCAA Eligibility Center (formerly known as the NCAA Clearinghouse), you’re not playing anywhere. Case in point, incoming Minnesota freshman quarterback MarQueis Gray. From a Myron Medcalf article in Minneapolis Star-Tribune:
“MarQueis Gray is not with us at this time, due to an NCAA Eligibility Center [formerly the NCAA Clearinghouse] issue,” Gophers coach Tim Brewster said in a statement. “We’re hopeful, for MarQueis’ sake, that this issue will be resolved.”
You can register online at any time, though the Eligibility Center recommends you do so your junior year. For Division I and II, the Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete provides useful information regarding the high school courses you must complete, the minimum grade-point average for participation, as well as what your test scores must be at.
This further emphasizes the reason to start the recruiting process early – so you can plan your coursework according to what the NCAA requires to participate in intercollegiate athletics. I talked to a father yesterday whose son needs to take an extra semester of math (you need to take 3 years worth if you want to play Div. I) because he didn’t realize he needed that much for the NCAA. As a result, rather than enjoying the summer before college, he has to take summer school.
Need I say more?
