NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

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.

by Chris Krause, NCSA Founder and President

Getting recruited to play college sports means paying attention to all of the important dates that are a part of the process.

Earlier this past week, we reached one of those important dates:  September 1st.

That’s the day that Juniors – the class of 2010 – can start receiving detailed recruiting information and materials from colleges that are seriously considering them for their programs, according to the NCAA recruiting calendar:

• Personalized letters from coaches at the college.
• Photocopies of newspaper articles about the team, the school, or the coach.
• College media guides.
• Schedule cards for the team.
• Official university and admissions publications and paperwork.

And, the contact for Juniors is not restricted to just mailings.  September 1st is also the date that coaches can send e-mails to you, and reply back to the e-mails that you send them.

So, with those facts in mind, it’s a good time to do a little self-assessment in terms of where you stand in the recruiting process today:

Have you received mail from a college coach yet?  If you are a Junior, be on the lookout for mail from colleges.  If you are a top prospect, it’s likely that you will be hearing from a college coach soon.  

The rules allow for even earlier contact if you are a men’s basketball or men’s ice hockey prospect:  College coaches within those sports can contact prospects as early as June 15 after a prospect’s Sophomore year.  

It’s certainly safe to say that if you are a Senior, and you haven’t yet received any mail or any contact from a college coach, you are not being recruited.  I would advise you not to wait to hopefully be discovered at some point during your Senior year.  Coaches at the college level need your information as soon as possible.  Click here to start the process.

Have you received an e-mail from a college coach yet?  If the answer is “no”, and you are a Junior or Senior in high school, that is a possible red flag as well.  E-mail is a very convenient, inexpensive way for coaches to communicate.  Many college programs opt for e-mail communication over regular mail, and any recruit that is on a coach’s radar is probably going to be receiving e-mail by now.  If you aren’t, you are probably not being seriously recruited by any schools (yet).

Whether you are getting initial contacts from colleges, or you find yourself on the outside looking in when it comes to recruiting, there are a few things that you can do to ramp-up your recruiting activity:

• Register with NCSA to ensure that coaches are matched with your athletic and academic skills.  It’s one of the best ways to make sure that every possible opportunity is uncovered.  Plus, you’ll have a former college athlete and recruiting expert from our staff personally assigned to you to answer your questions and help you through the process.  Doesn’t it make sense to have an experienced guide help you through the process from start to finish?
  
• Call a coach yourself.  The recruiting rules placed on coaches by the NCAA allow them to accept phone calls from prospects of any age, at any point in their high school career.  The advantage to picking up the phone and calling the coach yourself is that not many athletes do it.  They are intimidated, shy or just plain lazy when it comes to the idea of being proactive and getting in touch with a coach at the college level.  If you can overcome these things, you’ll really stand-out in the mind of a coach that you call.  And, you’ll really jump-start the recruiting process.
  
• Get highlight info, academic info, and a letter/e-mail of interest out to coaches immediately.  If you don’t want to register with NCSA as a verified student-athlete prospect, you will need to do some of this important work yourself.  Coaches need to see what you can do competitively, what kind of grades and test scores you have, and they’ll want to hear from you with some kind of personal statement so they get a sense for who you are and why you would be valuable to their program. Make sure you gather that information and distribute it to as many potential college coaches as possible.

September 1st has come and gone for 2008, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t take action to enhance your opportunities to hear from a college coach.  

The date does, however, give you a good indicator of where you sit on a college coach’s recruiting priority list.  Use that information to make sure you are where you want to be when it comes to getting the chance to play at the next level.  
 

 Breaking down the rules when it comes to contact periods…

Contact periods.  Understanding what they are and how they affect recruiting is critically important.  Yet, many people I speak with are unclear about what a contact period actually is or how it actually affects them as a recruit.  I would like to try and break the periods down in an easy way for student-athletes and families to understand. 

There are four contact periods that make up the NCAA Recruiting Calendar.  Here they are…

A Contact Period is when almost everything is allowed.  You are able to meet with a coach off campus (during senior year only).  That could be during a home visit or other type of meeting.  The coaches are also allowed to come and watch you play.  So here is what is allowed during a Contact Period…

Official Visits

Unofficial Visits

Home Visits from a coach or other in-person meetings off campus

Letters/Emails

Calls

Evaluations (at your high school or during club competition)

A Dead Period is one of the most confused periods.  In a nutshell, coaches are not allowed to meet with you on or off campus during this time.  So here is what is allowed during a Dead Period…

Letters/Emails

Calls

Visits to a college, but you may not meet with a coach

An Evaluation Period is when the coaches are spending most of their recruiting hours watching you play, either during high school or club competition.  This is not on the college campus.  The coach is not allowed to meet with you off campus though.    So here is what is allowed during an Evaluation Period…

Official Visits

Unofficial Visits

Letters/Emails

Calls

Evaluations (at your high school or during club competition)

Lastly, there is the Quiet Period.  The Quiet Period means that coaches are able to have  off-campus meetings with you OR evaluate you.  The only time you may meet with the coach is on their campus.     So here is what is allowed during a Quiet Period…

Official Visits

Unofficial Visits

Letters/Emails

Calls

You may refere to the NCAA Recruiting Calendar to find out what period you are in at any given date.  Here is a link to find your sport’s recruiting calendar.

**Please note that official visits are allowed the first day of classes senior year.  Other contacts such as calls, letters/emails, and off-campus meetings have sport specific start dates.  Be sure to check the NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete for your sport specific dates: