Recruiting Realities helping athletes WIN the Recruiting game

1. Recruiting Realitieshelping athletesWIN the Recruiting game • Neal Weaver, Director • neal.weaver@forneyisd.net • 972-564-4055 • Kevin Rush, Campus Athletic Coordinator • kevin.rush@forneyisd.net • 972-564-7000

3. Sophomore YearContinue monitoring your progress towards the completion of your core courses by updating your Core Course Calculator after each semester.Begin to research college costs and the different financial aid options including scholarships, loans and grants.Volunteer in your community and get involved in non-sports activities at school that interest you.Junior yearContinue monitoring your progress towards the completion of your core courses by updating your Core Course Calculator after each semester. Take the PSAT/NMSQT during the Fall semester (October). For registration, test dates and other information go to www.collegeboard.com.Take the SAT test during the Spring semester.

4. Register for the NCAA Eligibility Center at the conclusion of your junior year. You may register online www.eligibiltycenter.orgVisit websites or request brochures from colleges you are interested in attending, to learn more about each school.Senior YearIf necessary, take the October/November SAT, ACT, and SAT subject tests.Begin preparing your college applications in November. Applications are usually due by the end of December or early January.Continue monitoring your progress towards the completion of your core courses by updating your Core Course GPA Calculator after each semester. If necessary, take the December or January SAT tests.After January 1 submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is the financial aid application form you will need to apply for federal and state student grants, work-study, and loans. For more information visit http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/Take official visits to college recruiting you that you are interest in attending.

6. 10 Myths & Realities of College Recruiting…

7. MYTH 1 : A Division I scholarship is the only opportunity for a high school student –athlete. • Reality- Only 0.6% of high school student athletes receive a fully-funded Division I scholarship. There are hundreds of outstanding Division II and III colleges around the country that provide scholarships, grant money and an outstanding education. • MYTH 2 :The only colleges to consider are big name schools or universities. • Reality- Don’t get caught up in the name game. According to US News and World Report, over 50% of the top-rated colleges and universities do not have Division IA football programs. This is about getting your education, and going someplace where they care about your future…and believe in you.

8. MYTH 3 :My high school coach will take care of my recruiting responsibilities. • Reality - They are a great resource for college recruiters, but it is your responsibility to market your talents and get your name in front of college coaches. The average high school coach has personal relationships with less than 5% of the collegiate opportunities across the country. • MYTH 4 : Once a student-athlete is a senior, it’s probably too late to be recruited. • REALITY - Other than the big time schools, a major portion of athletic recruitment takes place during your senior year. Eighty percent of college programs make their final recruiting decisions after January 1 of the student-athletes senior year.

9. MYTH 5 :Parents know what’s best for their own student-athlete’s scholarship chances and therefore must make sure the coach is providing such opportunities. • REALITY - High school sports are supposed to be fun. If parents meddle with their high school coach and put pressure on their kids, the joy of competition will be lessened. • MYTH 6: Better to walk-on at a name school where you might have the possibility of playing rather than a smaller college where you’re sure to play. • REALITY - One of the most important choices a student-athlete makes is finding the ideal school, not just the biggest or most familiar. If you love your sport, you’ll want to play, regardless of size or location.

10. MYTH 7: If you receive a phone call from a college coach you’re sure to be a scholarship candidate. • REALITY - Just because you’re getting calls from colleges does not mean you are one of their top recruits. Ask the coach directly. Are you offering an official paid visit, and will you be making a home visit? Their answers will signal their true interest in you. • MYTH 8: Move quickly on any offers made. • REALITY - The more options you have available, the better your chances to not only find the best financial package, but also the right college for you. Put yourself in a position to negotiate by being involved with as many schools as possible.

11. MYTH 9 : Utilizing a recruiting service is the best way to get a college scholarship. • REALITY - College coaches rarely use recruiting services. However, most college coaches do use collegiate scouting organizations. We would only recommend an organization that has established coach relationships, works with qualified student-athletes, and offers a money back guarantee. • MYTH 10: The best way to get discovered is to go to college camps or participate in club sports because this is where a student-athlete gains exposure. • REALITY - College coaches and/or pro scouts primarily attend to evaluate student-athletes already on their lists. Your high school coaches are knowledgeable and care about your future so take their recommendation when it comes to participating in these.

12. The Recruiting Process

13. What’s it all about and how does it relate to me? • Recruiting can be a complex and difficult procedure to define, but we will attempt to put to rest any misconceptions you have. • First and foremost, you must understand the different divisions (I, II, III) within the NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA. • It is vital that you become familiar with the rules, procedures, opportunities and financial aid available.

14. Student-Athlete Guidebooks • If you want to be recruited we strongly advise you to pick up the phone right now and order all three association’s Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete. • The addresses and phone numbers to acquire these guides, free of charge, are listed below. You may also print the guides directly from the organization’s web sites.

15. Student-Athlete Guidebooks • The NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete The National Collegiate Athletic AssociationP.O. Box 6222, Indianapolis, IN 46206 www.ncaa.org (888) 388-9748 • The NAIA Guide for the College-Bound Student-AthleteNational Association of Intercollegiate Athletics23500 W. 105th Street, Olathe, KS 66051www.naia.org (913) 791-0044 • The NJCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student-AthleteNational Junior College Athletic Association1755 Telstar Drive, Suite 103 Colorado Springs, CO 80920www.njcaa.org (719) 590-9788

16. How Do I Get Recruited? What makes the recruiting process GO? • The answer is numbers on both ends of the spectrum. College coaches need large pools of prospective student-athletes to evaluate so they can attract the best available candidates. • On the other hand, student-athletes need to be in as many pools as possible so they can make it through the evaluation process and actually receive a scholarship offer or solid financial aid package.

17. Finding The Right Match • There are many factors involved, such as size, location, academic offerings, facilities, etc., but there is one standard that usually is the final and ultimate decision-making factor: COST. If you are looking to be fully funded and participate in your sport, the first thing you must come to terms with is that you will not be picking the school. Only the elite “blue-chip” student-athletes have that privilege. These young men and women represent less than 1% of all participating high school student-athletes. • Distance from home always plays a key role in the decision-making process for student-athletes and their families. Contact or interest from out-of-state schools is sometimes dismissed simply because of: • Name Recognition • Lack of Research • Unfamiliarity with Governing Body, Conference Affiliations and Academic Offering • The student-athlete is going to college to earn a degree. • Sport is an extra-curricular activity. The key is to find the “right match” with a school and coach who are genuinely concerned about you, your success and future.

18. Highly to Moderately Recruited Recruiting Correspondence • Simply put-if you are not directly involved with a minimum of 100 schools; you are not giving yourself the best opportunity available. • The most important thing for you to do is to make contact with as many schools as possible and get into their recruiting pools. • It is vital that you return every questionnaire and any other materials requested by every school that contacts you. • The student-athlete often does not return questionnaires because of the tedious and repetitive task involved. The easiest and most efficient way is to simply staple your profile to the questionnaire and return it immediately upon receipt.

19. Phone Contact Once you have established an interest in a school, you need to find out how serious they are about you. This can be accomplished by asking a specific set of questions when phone contact is made. • With whom are you communicating? Head Coach?Assistant Coach? Graduate / Volunteer Assistant? • Have they made a personal evaluation of the student-athlete? • Will the Head Coach be making a home visit? • Does the program intend to invite the student-athlete for an official paid visit at this time? • Is the program interested in having the student-athelte commit early?

20. The Home Visit The home visit is usually the first time an actual face-to-face meeting takes place. You finally get to meet the people you have been speaking with for the past several months. This is the perfect time to review and clarify any questions or answers from the phone contact. You should keep in mind that the coaches are evaluating you as much as you are evaluating them.

21. The campus visit The campus visit, without question, has the biggest influence on your final decision of where to attend college. This is an exciting time for the student-athlete and it is important to know the guidelines college coaches have to follow during a campus visit. Student-athletes are only allowed a total of five official paid visits. Remember to refer to your “Guides for the College-Bound Student-Athlete” to comply with these rules.

22. The Partial and Walk-On Pitch • We find more and more collegiate coaches breaking up scholarships with partial offers and the so-called walk-on opportunity. It has even been stretched to the point where coaches will entice a student with the “preferred walk-on” status. • Student-athletes and families accept such offers for a variety of reasons, but do so primarily because they don’t have a lot of options. • The key is to get as many schools as possible interested in your academic and athletic talent to put yourself in the position to negotiate.

23. Recruited lightly or not at all There are many reasons why some student-athletes are recruited more than others. The number one reason is exposure, or lack of it. If you need the exposure to get involved with at least 100 schools, you should begin to market yourself as soon as possible. The early bird often does get the worm.

24. HOW TO MARKET YOURSELF • To market yourself, you should research as many schools as possible to obtain direct contact information. Next, compile your student-athlete profile by verifying your grades and test scores along with sport-specific statistics and conditioning levels. The profile and a concise introductory letter expressing your interest should be sent to all the schools you have researched. • There is the more traditional way of using direct mail, and the more modern approach of using e-mail. If you use either of these methods, please understand it is time-consuming and expensive to do it the right way. All correspondence must be personalized and all coaches (not just the head coach) must be contacted. Just remember, the greater the effort, the greater the reward. • Also keep in mind that a quality collegiate scouting organization is an affordable and effective way to produce the contacts you need.

25. READING BETWEEN THE LINES • So…finally…you are receiving mail! Are the letters unsolicited? Are they in response to a letter you have written? What do the letters mean? What is the coach saying? Are you getting the message? • Read your recruiting mail carefully. It is important to evaluate each school and how interested they are in you. If you don’t like the messages in the letters you are receiving, you should broaden your search and contact a wider range of college coaches. DON’T GIVE UP.