Recruiting Tips for High School Student Athletes – What every parent and high school student athlete should know regarding college recruiting. Advice from The National Collegiate Scouting Association (NCSA) Athletic Recruiting organization. I posted this article originally in 2011 so you’ll have to make sure these exact statistics are still valid.
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The National Collegiate Scouting Association (NCSA) Athletic Recruiting organization provided some info to help parents and student athletes prepare for the possible athletic recruiting process. The NCSA is not “free” nor does it guarantee success for an athlete to be heavily recruited for a college scholarship but the info they provided is a helpful gauge to see what an elite high school athlete (or their parents) should be steering for if they want to prepare for a possible athletic scholarship to a college or university.
“Every athlete needs a game plan for recruiting success. Unfortunately, most recruits are unsure which steps to take and when to take them. We prepared the checklists for each class so student athletes can make sure they are on the right track,” says Director of Recruiting, Randy Taylor.
Here is the The National Collegiate Scouting Association (NCSA) Athletic Recruiting organization checklist.
Recruiting Tips for High School Student Athletes – Freshman year of High School
- Meet with high school guidance counselor to inform him/her of your goal to play college athletics and make sure your core course curriculum matches with NCAA approved core courses.
- Fill out an Initial Target List with 25 schools you want to pursue (5 DI, 5 DII, 5 DIII, 5 NAIA, 5 Junior College (if applicable).
- Research athletic benchmarks for your sport and use Recruiting Guidelines to set specific athletic goals.
- Introduce yourself to 3-5 college coaches at levels at which you meet the recruitment guidelines. Start off low and you can always move up divisions.
Recruiting Tips for High School Student Athletes – Sophomore year of High School
- Maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average and take Pre-ACT and Pre-SAT classes.
- Update your Target List to include 40 schools across all divisions.
- Join a team or club outside of high school that will provide more competition and additional coaching.
- Introduce yourself to 5-10 new coaches and keep track of contacts in a Correspondence Log.
Recruiting Tips for High School Student Athletes – Junior year of High School
- Begin ACT/SAT preparation and use Division I core course worksheet to review and update specific academic goals. Be prepared even if you don’t think you’ll play DI sports.
- Get phone number and email addresses of all coaches and ask them for references.
- Review the recruiting timeline for each division in your sport and make sure your recruiting process matches the levels you are targeting.
- Update priority list and re-rank Target List of 40 schools. Consider how interested coaches seem in you.
Recruiting Tips for High School Student Athletes – Senior year of High School
- Complete FAFSA form.
- Request ACT and SAT be sent to NCAA Eligibility Center by marking “9999” in code box where indicated.
- Narrow down Target List to 10-20 schools you are seriously considering. At least five should be schools that are heavily recruiting you.
- Schedule official visits, unofficial visits and game day visits. If a coach has not extended an official visit, ask the coach if one will be extended.
- Prior to signing day, ask top coaches where you stand on their recruiting list.
- Begin scholarship negotiation early, and consider what you will say if an offer is extended during an official visit.
- If you are corresponding with less than 15 schools, call at least 10 new coaches at level where you are receiving attention. Introduce yourself and ask if they are still recruiting.
For the complete high school recruiting checklist for every class, please visit this website. For more recruiting tips for high school student athletes, visit www.ncsasports.org.
