EAG Frequently Asked Questions

The college coach is looking for an athlete that will fit in and help the program succeed. Coaches want to keep their jobs, receive promotions, and get better jobs. Success on the field is their best way of doing this. Most often college coaches are looking for athletes who are solid students, difference-makers, and high character kids who love to compete and have a true passion for their sport. The higher the level of play the larger the emphasis will be on measurables (speed, size, raw data). 

Program positional needs and timing can also play a role in what coaches are looking for at a specific time. Remember your agenda is to play a college sport and receive a quality education. Coaches may have a different agenda or vision so use your head and evaluate each situation individually. What situation is best for you and feels right? Ask each college coach what they are looking for and where they see you fitting in? The most important part of recruiting process is finding the right 'fit' between a coaching staff, school, and athlete.

There is a huge gap between getting an e-mail, letter, or camp invite and receiving a scholarship offer in writing. Phone calls are a better indicator, but even that doesn’t mean a school intends to offer you. Some coaches and programs just use the phone more than others. So how then do you know where you stand? The best thing to do is simply ask the coach where you stand. Do not do this in your first conversation with the coach. How could they answer that? 

They don't know you yet and have not had a chance to evaluate you compared to their other prospects. College coaches tend to have very close relationships and steady commuication with their top tier recruits. If you have to wonder if you are a top tier recruit for a specific program, it is highly likely that you are not. That’s why it’s a numbers game. The more schools and coaches you are communicating with the better positioned you will be in this process.

It's essential. Due to budget and time restraints coaches are not able to see most prospects in person. They depend on video in order to initially evaluate prospects they recruit. Sure there are college coaches who prefer to see each prospect in person either at games, recruiting events, or their camps. However, even in those cases the highlight video is used to introduce an athlete to the coach so the in person evaluation can happen later. It's essential to have a concise and easily viewable highlight video if you are a serious college prospect.

Unfortunately, in today’s recruiting environment you can’t be too early. In fact, in a recent survey, more than 65% of college coaches prefer to start targeting prospects during the sophomore year or earlier. Some sports are actively recruiting athletes in 7th and 8th grade. We all wish this wasn’t the case as do many college coaches but because some of their colleagues are identifying prospects earlier and earlier they understand they have to as well so their programs can stay competitive. All college evaluation processes are different. 

NCAA Division I schools like to identify and follow prospects for several years. The earlier you can get started and the more information you can provide the colleges with, the better chances you have of achieving your academic and athletic goals. Waiting until your senior year to try to attract colleges is a HUGE mistake. It may not be too late for all colleges, but it certainly limits your chances.

Only two percent of high school athletes will play college sports. But don’t let the numbers mislead you–The only statistics that matter are the numbers you put up in the sport you play.

Do your research on teams that interest you. See how you line up with their current players and don’t hesitate to contact the coach to see if he is interested in an athlete with your talents. Every team is looking for something a little different in their athletes. You have options: Be open to looking at NCAA Division 1, 2 & 3 programs as well as NAIA and Junior College Programs. Even if you don’t have the skills a coach is looking for in a scholarship athlete there may be an opportunity to walk-on to the team. At the very least a coach can advise you on what you should be doing to get closer to your goals.

Look for the best fit for you. A great question to ask yourself is, “Would I consider attending this school even if I’m not going to play sports?”

Does the college have the academic majors and social features that are suited to you? What are the graduation rates for student-athletes and in what sports? Do you want to live at home, close to home, or be as far away from home as possible? What size school do you want to attend? Are you willing to go to a college affiliated with a religious denomination that is not your own? You will want to start a list of things that are important to you in a college and revise the list as you refine your search.

YOU and only you. You can get assistance from your parents, coaches and recruiting services. But ultimately you are the only person who can make your dream of playing college sports come true.

Coaches are not interested in recruiting your friends, coaches, or parents. You need to make the effort and contacts–your goal of getting recruited will not just happen. Make lists, ask questions, write letters, and surf the web for information. Ask your coaches and academic advisers for tips and advice. If you know someone who has been through the recruiting process make it a point to talk to them and seek their advice.

Getting good grades and having good test scores is just as important as having good statistics in your sport. A coach can only recruit you if you are academically eligible to compete at that specific school. Not only do you have to qualify for the academic requirements of the NCAA or NAIA but you will want to make sure you know what the academic requirements are for the school you are interested in attending.

Don’t believe the myth that a coach can get you into the school if he wants you bad enough. A coach still has to answer to the University and NCAA or NAIA on the GPA and graduation rates of their athletes. Most coaches won’t gamble on a student-athlete who hasn’t demonstrated he/she can handle the academic responsibilities of the school. Remember it’s called Student-Athlete. You need to perform in both.

For the overwhelming majority of potential college athletes, athletic aid will be the smallest amount of aid given. Remember, it’s the bottom line price, not how much athletic scholarship money a school gives you, that is most important! 

There are four categories of aid (Need-Based, Academic, Athletic, and Leverage). Need Based Aid can come from the government to be used at any school or from the individual school. It is based on your family’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC, a figure calculated by the US Dept of Education) and can come in the form of grants, loans, and work-study. 

Academic Aid is based on a specific College or University’s interest in you and considers your SAT/ACT, GPA, and Curriculum. Athletic Aid is based on a specific College or University’s interest in you and a specific ability in athletics. Leverage Aid is based on a specific College or University’s interest in you and the relative offers you may have received from competitive schools. This type of aid is not need, academic, or athletic- it’s simply business. The more financial aid offers you have the more leverage you will have.

Receiving contact from a college is better than not receiving it, but it does not mean that you are being recruited by a college. Some colleges will send out thousands of questionnaires each year, especially if they are running camps that are huge revenue sources for their programs. 

It's a good sign to receive letters and even phone calls but do not make the mistake of thinking a college is going to recruit you or make you a scholarship offer just because they sent you a questionnaire. Other players are competing with you for the same roster spot and a schools interest in you can disappear overnight.

NCAA Division I & II schools, NAIA schools, and some Junior Colleges are all eligible to give athletic scholarships. NCAA Division III schools are able to give other types of scholarships and financial aid.

That’s definitely better than doing nothing at all. However, 'several' schools is probably not enough. The first step would be to get properly evaluated and then start a target list of schools that is more like a couple hundred and send out some feeler letters to see where the interest is coming from. From there you can more specifically target several schools who have shown interest in you. Also, coaches expect a certain bias from parents and athletes. An objective source may have more credibility presenting your skills and accomplishments.

The answer to this can vary drastically. Some events are great. Many can be a waste of money. A college coach usually goes to camps or showcases with a plan to specifically watch someone already on his or her list, not to 'discover' new talent. They've cross referenced their recruiting list with the rosters from the event and they've done their homework. They normally don't show up just to randomly recruit the athletes in attendance. 

That would be very inefficient for them. If you do utilize camps, clinics, and exposure events it's important you do the legwork on the front end to establish recruiting relationships with college coaches so that when they attend events that you will also be participating in they can specifically designate time to come evaluate you. 

According to eligibility rules you are allowed to contact college coaches at any time. It is against the rules for a coach to contact you at certain times but if you initiate the conversation or contact they can reply. Make sure that when you make contact you have something noteworthy to tell them or have well thought-out questions to ask–you don’t want to be known as the recruit who wastes their time.

Now is the time to start your research on college finances. You certainly want the best deal for yourself and the least amount of debt possible when you graduate. Text books alone can cost more than $1,000 a year. Many athletic programs will not offer you a full-ride scholarship but rather a partial athletic scholarship, which means you will have to come up with the additional funding.

An "Unofficial" visit is a visit that you take to a college campus at your own expense. Unofficial visits can be taken at anytime and as many times as you would like. While on an unofficial visit the athletic department is allowed to give you up to 3 tickets to a sporting event, but no other perks or gifts.

An "Official" visit is a visit that you make to a college that is paid for by the team or athletic department. The school is able to pay for transportation, lodging, meals and reasonable entertainment for the recruit while they are on their visit. The visit may be up to 48 hours long. Official visits can only be taken in an athlete’s senior year.

An athletic scholarship is a contract that must be signed and agreed upon every year by both the coach and the athlete. This means your scholarship is year-to-year. Every year you will have to earn a renewal of your scholarship by proving yourself as an asset to the team on the field and in the classroom.

You should always involve your coaches in your recruiting process. College coaches value the recommendation of other coaches. But don’t rely on others to do your recruiting for you. You alone should be heading up your recruiting process. If your coaches want to get involved you should ask them for letters of recommendation or–if they are willing–to be listed as references on your resume.

Recruiting help is always appreciated, but you should always take the lead in your own recruiting.

Timing is everything. Coaches recruit based on what they need to complete their team. If you play a position or do an event that the team is currently strong in chances are they will not need to recruit you. When looking at programs you will want to research their current roster to see what their depth chart is relative to your talents.

The NCAA department that used to be called the clearinghouse is now known as the eligibility center. The eligibility center is the organization that determines if you are academically eligible to play college athletics. In high school there are a certain number of core courses required and minimum GPA and ACT/SAT scores you need to earn. You only need to register with the eligibility center if you plan on playing at the NCAA Division 1, 1-A or 2 levels.

An NLI or national letter of intent is the written commitment that you give a school your senior year stating that you will attend that school the following year and accept their offer for athletic financial aid (athletic scholarship). You only have to sign an NLI if you are receiving some sort of athletic scholarship from the school. There are only certain dates when you can sign your NLI and this is different for each sport. Once you have signed an NLI you are committed to that school for an entire year and can no longer be recruited by any other schools.

Unless you are getting phone calls or hand-written letters from coaches, chances are you are not being actively recruited. Coaches send out thousands of recruiting letters in order to get student-athletes to respond with information about themselves. If you receive a letter from a school that interests you fill out their questionnaire so the coaches can learn more about you. There is no substitute for being proactive. If there is a program you are interested in you should contact the coach. Athletes who wait to be noticed might miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime.

You can give a verbal agreement at any time in the recruiting process. This verbal agreement is telling a coach that you intend on joining their program. You should keep in mind that a verbal agreement is not binding if there is a coaching change or if you have a career ending injury a school does not have to offer a scholarship. Even though a verbal agreement is not binding student athletes that brake verbal agreements are not looked favorably upon. Once the signing date for your sport approaches you will sign a NLI with the school that will make the scholarship agreement binding and official.

The main difference between the different NCAA divisions is their ability to give athletic scholarships to student-athletes. Division 1, 1-A and 2 can give athletic scholarships. Division 3 schools can not give athletic scholarships, but the school can give academic scholarships and other types of financial aid.

When the recruiting process starts really depends on the sport. A good rule of thumb is to start your freshman year.

1. During your Freshman year you will want to meet with your high school counselor and come up with an academic game plan. Make sure you are meeting all the needs of the NCAA and NAIA in addition to the specific colleges that interest you. Look for summer camps that will help you develop as a student-athlete and gain you some valuable exposure to coaches as well. 

2. During your Sophomore year research programs you are interested in and contact coaches. The summer after your sophomore year you should consider attending the camps held by those teams. 

3. Your Junior year is the most important in the recruiting process. This is the year coaches will be looking at your statistics and the admissions department will be looking at you academic achievements. 

4.Make sure you have already established a relationship with coaches so that when your senior year starts they already know you are interested in their program. By the time you start your senior year you should have narrowed down your list of realistic school options to at least 5 to 10. If you have not already established a relationship with the coach you should do it now.