NCSA College Athletic Scholarships Blog

I’ve got this great new car that I think you’d like – V-8 engine, leather interior, personal navigational system, Dolby Digital Surround sound, anti-lock breaks, gets 40 mpg, and handles like a dream. Here’s a picture of it:

Like it? That will be $110,000, please.

Wait, you’re not going to buy it? Why not? I’ve given you all of the specs and you’ve seen a picture of it! What else do you need?

Oh, you want a test drive!

Hopefully by now, you’ve caught on the where I’m going with this. High school student-athletes (and their familes, for that matter) often wonder why they’re not being looked at by more colleges and why they’re not getting scholarships to play at the ones that are looking at them, even though they have a profile and a picture of themselves.

Here’s the kicker though. They don’t have a highlight video. What that means is that coaches can’t take a “test drive.”

Before coaches shovel out scholarship dollars in your direction, they need to make sure you’re worth the investment by seeing you play. And because schools don’t have unlimited recruiting budgets, they unfortunately can’t travel to all 20,000 high schools across the nation for that to happen. So, the highlight video is the coach’s best friend. 

It’s one thing if you can run a 4.5 forty. It’s another thing entirely if the coach can see you use that speed to break away from tacklers. You can bench 250, but can you use that strength to bring down the charging tight end? The fastball hit 85 mph on the gun. The question is, did it hit where the catcher’s mitt was?

It’s one thing to see the car and its specs. It’s something totally different to get in and take it for a spin.

(And I don’t have a Maserati … sorry.)

 Participating in collegiate athletics isn’t just about the opportunity to continue playing the sport you love. For 35 years Coach Cliff Gauthier has led one of the top gymnastic programs in the country at the College of William and Mary. 

He recently passed the 700 win mark for his career, yet Coach Gauthier still like to focus on what he calls his mission:

“To use the medium of gymnastics to help people improve the quality of their lives by teaching them how to grow and to learn more about who they are.”

“The mission is the driving force of our team,” Gauthier said. “If all the guys buy into this and are comfortable with it, we’ll be quite successful.”

And that mission begins right away during the recruiting process.

“Right off the bat, a lot of guys get eliminated simply because they just want to be an athlete or they can’t afford the effort it takes to excel in the gym. A lot [of athletes] will just try to cash in on their athletic ability to go to school as a short-term investment. What I’m trying to get is guys that look at going to college as truly the real investment.”

I applaud the effort of coaches like Cliff Gauthier.  The work they do to stress real meaning of student-ATHLETE goes a lot than just turning out a winning a team.  It should come as no surprise that the College of William and May consistently ranks near the top of the NCSA Power Rankings.

I am always shocked when I initially talk with athletes about where they want to hope to earn a scholarship.  90% of the time only 5 or 6 schools come out of their mouth and they are almost always Division I schools.  If you are serious about earning a college athletic scholarship you need to be looking at a minimum of 50-100 schools across all division levels.

Some athletes express that they aren’t interested in playing at a level they deem beneath their talent level.  Stewart Mandel’s latest Mailbag for SI.com should dispel that notion.

While there is obviously a group of elite programs — USC, LSU, et. al., — that still stand head and shoulders above the mid-majors, the line has never been blurrier between the top teams from the non-BCS leagues and the next-rung teams from the major conferences.

What’s been particularly interesting this year is the depth of quality mid-majors. While it’s hardly unprecedented for the Mountain West or WAC to place a team in the top 25, for one such conference (the MWC) to have three teams in the poll is remarkable. And that does not even include UNLV (which has beaten Arizona State and Iowa State) and New Mexico (which beat Arizona). Meanwhile, Tulsa, which has not yet cracked the poll, beat those same Lobos 56-14. And then there’s Boise State, Fresno State, East Carolina, Ball State …

We discussed this ad nauseam during last year’s rash of upsets, but simply put, the number of BCS-caliber athletes coming out of high school has never been greater, and there’s only so many scholarships those schools can offer. While that doesn’t stop a USC or Florida from hording five-star recruits, as you go further down the line, there’s not that big a disparity between the type pf players Oregon and Boise State are recruiting. And as we know well by now, talent alone does not win football games. If so, Florida State would not have three straight losses to Wake Forest.

I encourage everyone to get evaluated by a pro, and to focus your recruiting energies where you fit best.  Afterall, there is great football played at every level.

by Chris Krause, Founder and President

If you have a high school or club coach that is willing to help you through the recruiting process, consider yourself lucky.

Many coaches don’t want to, or don’t know how to, help their athletes get noticed by college coaches.  Some reasons they don’t want to?  It takes too much time, and doesn’t directly effect their team’s performance.  Therefore, there isn’t a direct benefit to them other than seeing one of their athletes go on and play at the next level.  They may also not know how to help you get to the next level:  They aren’t familiar with the recruiting rules, ways to expose their top athletes to coaches who are searching for prospects, or what caliber of athlete would qualify at what college division level.

For the lucky few that have smart, proactive coaches in their corner, the benefits are huge:  You have someone who can be a good source of contact with college coaches, who often respect the evaluation of a respected high school or club coach and will put their recommended athletes at the top of their recruiting lists.

That can make a big difference when it comes to separating yourself from the crowded list of potential college prospects fighting for the attention of a college program.  In the end, I’ve seen the actions of a savvy high school coach make big differences in how their prospects are treated by college coaches who are out searching for talent.

If you want your high school or club coach to help you get recruited, there are a couple of things I strongly recommend you do to help your chances of playing at the next level.  Print these tips out or forward them to your coach, and get them on board in helping you reach the next level:

• Tell them exactly what your goals are.  It’s critical that they understand that you don’t have hear only from the best of the best college programs, but that you are open to consider any opportunities that might be out there.  Coaches sometimes will only get excited at the prospect of one of their athletes going to a “top school” in their sport.  If they take this approach, not many of their athletes (if any) will play college sports.  Make sure they understand that you want as many contacts as possible, so that you can choose the school and the coach that is the best fit for you.  Make sure you communicate that clearly to your coach at the start of the process.
• Ask them what college coaches they have good contact with, and if they would get in touch with them about you.  By doing this, you’ll find out if they have any real relationships with college coaches.  If they do, great!  They can help you get in touch with them and seeing if there are opportunities at those schools.  If they don’t, then you know that you may have to go through other sources to get contacts for your college scholarship search.  Make sure you see if your coach can help use their contacts to further your chances of playing at the next level.
• Ask them to write a letter or reference for you.  Have them send it to you electronically so that you can e-mail it or print it for college coaches.  Make sure they list what they like about having you as an athlete, what your strong points are, and what areas you need to improve in.  The more information the better.  A letter like this won’t guarantee you a scholarship, but it will be an extra measure of proof that you are working hard to improve your performance and working with your coach to make that happen.

Those are three quick ways to ensure that your coach is doing everything they can for you as you get ready to pursue college scholarship opportunities.  They’re proven, they work, and they can make a big difference in your end results.  By the way, if they haven’t already, make sure they fill out our free high school coach recruiting form on the NCSA website.  That’s how a lot of contacts get started with college coaches.

One other thing I want to point out to you is that it isn’t your coach’s “job” to get you recruited.  Don’t expect them to give up their personal lives to spend hours and hours devoting time to your college search.  The main responsibility for contacting coaches falls on your shoulders.  This is your future, and you need to take ownership of the task and make sure you are getting in front of as many coaches as possible.  Your coach can help you make that happen, but it isn’t their responsibility to make it happen.

My advice to you is this:  Pick one of those three tips I just listed and go to your coach immediately and ask them for their help.  That’s the easiest - and fastest - way to get your coach involved in the recruiting process and start seeing results.

After speaking with about 200-300 families a day about their son or daughter and their specific recruiting situation, I’ve realized that only a small number of people out there truly understand the ins the outs of the recruiting process, whether they will admit it or not.  I think being misinformed is the most glaring obstacle from a parent’s perspective so I wanted to provide readers of the NCSA blog with a brief summary of the biggest myths and realities you will find in recruiting:

MYTHS AND REALITIES ABOUT THE COLLEGE ATHLETIC RECRUITING PROCESS

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.