NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

This is not to say that it needs to be your friend all four or five years. Actually, it definitely shouldn’t be your friend for your entire college career. Let me explain.

A couple of weeks ago, I talked about my recent discovery of “divisiononeitis” — the intense desire most student-athletes have to play at a NCAA Div. I institution. Today, I want to focus on another syndrome: benchophobia.

Benchophobia means exactly what it sounds like – a fear of the bench, or more specifically, a fear of sitting on the bench.

Of course, this is understandable. Every student-athlete who wants to play college athletics actually wants to play. Your position is guard or tight end or libero or attackman or shortstop. Your position is not benchwarmer.

Here’s the thing, though – college athletics is a whole new ballgame. You’re now playing with players who could be three years older than you, but who also have the benefit of playing in college for three years longer than you. That means that you might not automatically get the chance to get on the field or the court right away.

But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. College sports are a lot different from high schools sports. You’ll have to adjust to different practices, plays, formations, signals and pressure. And often times, “different” translates to “more intense and more complex.”

So, practicing with a team but not getting a whole lot of playing time, or even possibly having to redshirt, shouldn’t be looked upon as the worst thing in the world. It gives you a year or so to make the adjustment from high school to college (and that includes school as well), so when you take over as a full-time starter or start to see significant playing time, you’re a lot more acclimated to the college game and the college curriculum.

Don’t fear the bench, but don’t get too comfortable either. They’re made out of wood or aluminum for a reason …

No! Wait! Don’t run away in horror! 

If you’ve watch the news in the past few weeks, you probably know that the economy is pretty close to being in shambles right now. And unfortunately, during these tough economic times, college isn’t exactly getting cheaper right now.

So, more and more, students and parents are trying to obtain athletic scholarships to pay for some, if not all, of little Timmy’s college education. Unfortunately, there’s not enough scholarships to go around for every single person wanting to participate in college athletics. That’s why it’s so important to tackle the recruiting process in the correct way so you can greatly improve the odds of landing one of those coveted spots.

But even if you aren’t able to land a scholarship, there are some other options for paying for college – specifically, grants and loans. I came across this tremendous article on Consumer Reports’ blog detailing the best way to manage student loans in this difficult economic time. A definite must-read if you or your child is intending on getting a college education, regardless of if you think he or she will get a scholarship or not.

College is expensive, but paying for it doesn’t have to be unbearable.

During my lunch break today, I had the pleasure of running into Cubs pitcher Ted Lilly just outside Wrigley Field. I let him know that despite the Chicago Cubs’ disappointing performance in the NLDS, I appreciated the hard-work he put in all season.

Since the players were cleaning out their lockers at that time, I then decided to head over the Wrigley to see what the situation was like. Of course, there were more than a few fans waiting for the players to exit to snag an autograph or to express appreciation. Some of the big leaguers stopped in their cars to sign, but a lot of them zoomed right on past. And I tell you, the look on the kids’ face when some of their favorite players sped right by their outreached arm, ball in hand … that was another disappointing performance.

How does this relate to college athletics? Well, no matter where you play, what level you play at or how good you team is in college, there are always going to be fans who will look up to you. When these players didn’t even acknowledge the fans as they drove off, I really lost some respect for them — I imagine the kids did as well.

Is this to say that everyone has to like you? Of course not. But before you throw a hissy fit when you or your team doesn’t perform the way you hoped, remember that there are kids out there — future student-athletes — who would love to be in your place one day.

So, you’re going to be a role model, like it or not.

Sorry Charlie.

It’s the hottest trend in college recruiting: Committing early to play at a college.

How early?  In some cases, as early as the 8th grade.  In most cases, high school athletes are giving verbal commitments in their sophomore and junior years.  A month or so ago, phenom high school quarterback Tom Savage committed early to Rutgers before he even was done with his Junior year.  Getting noticed early has terrific benefits, but it also begs the question: How early is too early?  And, what are the pros and cons of jumping on that band wagon?

Since we’re fielding those two questions more and more from both parents and prospects here at NCSA, I wanted to tell you what you need to know about this vitally important decision.  There can be advantages to committing early to a program, but there are also some things you need to be aware of if you’re thinking about taking that route.

• The big advantage to committing early is securing a place to play in college.  That sounds obvious, but those that don’t get the opportunity to commit early - or choose not to do so - accept a certain amount of risk going into their Senior year.  Injuries could happen, they could see a dip in their athletic performance…lots can happen that last year in school.  Committing early takes the risk out of that decision.
• Another advantage when you commit early is reducing the stress and time involved with extending the recruiting process.  By the time athletes enter their Senior year, the stress of figuring out what school to go to is gets tiring.  NCSA athletes who use our matching process to be seen by college coaches tell us that committing early allows them to enjoy their Senior year and focus on finishing strong academically and athletically.
• One of the dangers in committing early?  Making a decision based on something less than solid information.  Tom Savage, who I referred to earlier, will probably have a great career with the Scarlet Knights and chose a solid school.  But in the article I read about him (see the link above), he tells the story of sitting at a Rutgers game and seeing the head coach turn around and wink at him just before kickoff.  At that moment, he says, he knew he wanted to be a Scarlet Knight.  Did he make a good decision?  Only time will tell.  The Rutgers football program, and their staff, is top notch.  I just hope the school, the area and the academic offerings are a good fit for this promising prospect.
• Another danger?  Committing to a school before visiting the school.  You shouldn’t choose the place where you are going to spend the next four to five years of your life based upon how many times you’ve seen them on ESPN.  Programs can’t pay for an official visit until your Senior year, but if you are thinking of committing early I highly recommend that you pay for your own trip to the school.  Spend time there, talk to the team, and get a feel for the campus.  Make sure you are making the right decision.

Which course of action is the best one for you?  There is no one “best” answer to that question.  It has to be something that prospects and parents both have to agree upon.

If I had a high school athlete that had the chance to commit early, I would just make sure that he or she knew everything they could about the coach, the program, the players and what the school offered academically.  If everything lines up accordingly, I don’t see a problem with securing your athletic and academic future as early as possible.

One thing I do know: Early commitments will continue to happen, and they will probably continue to happen earlier and earlier in a high school athlete’s career.  With that in mind, early exposure to the most coaches possible is more important than ever to prospects who hope to play at the next level.

P.S.  If you have questions about the process, or getting the attention of college coaches, we have a team of former college athletes and recruiting experts that will answer your questions for free.  All you have to do is call.  You can reach us toll free at 1-888-333-6846.  We’d love the chance to help you understand the whole process better.