FAQ

Below are some of the most common questions we get and answer daily.  Make sure also to check out our Recruiting Myths page.

“WHAT ARE THE MAJOR RECRUITING MISTAKES THAT STUDENTATHLETES AND FAMILIES MAKE?”

MISTAKE #1- TARGET SCHOOLS ABOVE YOUR ATHLETIC ABILITY

Student-athletes and parents often believe their son or daughter is better than they actually are, and assume they will be recruited while they wait for their mailbox to fill up with scholarship offers or wait for phone calls from coaches. This is the number one mistake. You have to be proactive and market yourself the proper way. Very few athletes will ever play at the top tier programs in the country. These schools have the luxury of selecting from the top blue chip athletes and begin tracking them by their freshman year in high school.  Parents and athletes do not always know how to evaluate athletic ability accurately. Success on your team or league does not mean you are ready to be a college athlete or capable of receiving a college scholarship or even competing at the college level. Playing in camps or tournaments out of your local area is a good way to measure yourself against the larger population of athletes.  Overestimating your talent can leave you in the cold for a college career if you only target schools that are above your talent level.  Many kids make this mistake and end up transferring, a lot just get cut and never play their sport again. And that’s a shame.

MISTAKE #2- CONTACT TOO FEW SCHOOLS

Just because you’re interested in a school does not mean they’re interested in you. If the school already has five athletes that play your position, do they need another one?  Want to stay in your state so your family and friends can watch you play? How many others think the same way? Nothing limits your options more than just focusing on a small number of schools.  The more schools that know about you, the more offers you will eventually receive. If you target a large number of schools you are more likely to have options to choose the best school for you.

MISTAKE #3- HAVE A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY

Many athletes feel confident that they are already being recruited because they’ve heard from a few coaches. This “contact” comes in the form of letters, emails, occasional phone calls and even an invitation to attend a camp so they can “get a better look at you.” Unless you are getting weekly phone calls from coaches, you are not being seriously recruited.  Parents and student-athletes often see other athletes get recruited and assume the same thing will happen to them since “I am just as good as they are.” Few people realize how college coaches evaluate players. The most successful high school players are not necessarily the most recruited college athletes. High School awards and statistics only tell part of the story.  College coaches recruit based on physical attributes, skill, and potential.

MISTAKE #4- WAIT UNTIL IT’S TOO LATE FOR SOMETHING TO HAPPEN

The earlier you start the process, the more success you will have. Your window of opportunity closes with every game you play.  Families start the process too late and end up making a rushed decision. Start researching schools as early as possible and make first contact with college coaches early. Just get your name in their pipeline!  Maybe you assume you will only play if someone recruits you?  Student-athletes underestimate their ability, and they think they would not be capable of getting a scholarship and they don’t even try to obtain a scholarship. You don’t have to be the best player in your league or even on your team to get recruited.  You have to try and in many cases have to ask for a scholarship. Scholarship talent is usually noticed, but not always. Don’t be shy about your ability, or about calling attention to it and your aspirations.

MISTAKE #5- EXPECT SOMEONE ELSE TO GET YOU RECRUITED

Although many athletes play for a high-profile high school or a travel team, families are on their own to figure out the best way to get recruited or land a scholarship.  Do not just rely on your coaches, they have full time jobs, families and are volunteering their time to coach. Parents and students often receive help and encouragement from people who know very little about the recruiting process and little about college athletics. Listen to the right people and do your own homework. Also, beware of any agendas someone else might have when giving you advice.

MISTAKE #6- NOT UNDERSTAND THE SCHOLARSHIP AND FINANCIAL AID PROCESS

As the emergence of camps, showcases and private instruction takes on a new and more important role, many families feel that they need a scholarship to justify the time and expense they have already put into athletics.  Parents and student-athletes often feel anything less than an athletic scholarship to a Division I program is unacceptable.  Don’t be foolish; remember you are going to college to receive a college degree and play the sport you love.  Parents and student-athletes also don’t realize how rare a full scholarship is. Aside of Division I football and basketball powerhouses, most scholarships issued to players are partial scholarships.  Understand that a lot of times, a grant and aid package from a non-scholarship school is more lucrative than one with athletic aid.  The scholarship and financial aid process is complicated and in addition to athletic aid it involves academic aid, family need aid, leverage aid, and other types of aid.  The more you understand how the process works, the more money you can save.

QUESTIONS THAT DEAL WITH TARGETING SCHOOLS ABOVE YOUR ATHLETIC ABILITY

• “How do I know I’ve got the ability to play at the collegiate level, and at what level?”
• Talent evaluation is subjective!  Take a step back and try to honestly assess your athletic talent level. How do you stack up physically? Your high school or club coach should help you make an initial talent evaluation. Make a list of the colleges that may want you to play sports for them and start to market yourself with us to those coaches. Remember, you are marketing your ability to be of use to a college sports program, so it’s to your benefit to have a clear idea of where you might fit in to that sports program. Most of all be realistic with yourself.  In addition we offer a scouting service that can help you target the right level schools.  For more information on that program, please see the SCOUTING tab above.  You must have talent, character, academic credentials, motivation, exposure, luck and good timing. Even if you have all of these and work your tail off, there is absolutely no guarantee that you will get an athletic scholarship. BUT, if you don’t work hard and think that because you have some athletic ability that college coaches will be knocking at your door or calling you at all hours–then just forget it. Only the elite or “blue-chip” athlete will be pursued by colleges automatically. There is a real chance that the college coach in your own home town has no idea who you are. YOU MUST LET THE COLLEGE COACHES KNOW WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU CAN OFFER THEIR SPORTS PROGRAM. You must also bear in mind that playing sport at college level is very time consuming and you must be extremely disciplined if you are to maintain your studies. Remember your primary reason for going to college is to earn a DEGREE.

QUESTIONS THAT DEAL WITH HAVING A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY

• “I am already getting questionnaires from colleges, so why do I need to enroll with your service?”
• A questionnaire is only an information form sent out by colleges. It does not mean that you are being recruited by a college. Some colleges will send out thousands of questionnaires each year. Do not make the mistake of thinking a college is going to recruit you just because they sent you a questionnaire. If you’re interested in the school you should fill out and send back the questionnaire. Just remember, contact does not mean a scholarship offer.  It’s a good sign to receive calls and letters but remember that the recruiting process is not complete until you sign. Other players are competing with you for the same roster spot and if someone else accepts before you, or is considered a better prospect than you, then that coaches interest in you will disappear overnight.  This is why we never limit your options and neither should you.
• “But coaches are all over me sending me invites to their camps?”
• Let’s take a look at camps. College coaches put together camps in order to generate revenue. They will invite hundreds of players to attend. Do the math: if 300 players are invited and spend $500 each, how much does the college make over a couple of days? That’s right, $150,000. Remember, they may have only 1 roster spot available, but they’ll invite as many players as possible to generate revenue. So ask yourself, are you really being recruited, or is that money better spent elsewhere?
• “Should I be completing and returning all of these questionnaires I am receiving?”
• Yes! If you have any interest in the school whatsoever, or think that you might be interested in the school then send back the questionnaires. Completing a questionnaire will show the coach that you are really interested in playing for that school. It won’t hurt you to complete all the questionnaires you receive, you don’t know how things will work out later on during the recruiting process and some coaches will actually pass your resume onto other coaches they know.
• “I have been told that if you are good enough, college coaches will know about you, and you will not need any more exposure. Is that true?”
• This is the most misleading statement we hear. Just because a college knows who you are, doesn’t mean they are going to ask you to be a part of their program. Colleges are looking at hundreds of athletes in your area and thousands across the country. Did the colleges know about all the good players that graduated from your school last year? Did all these players get scholarships? And what kind of offers did they receive? Even if they do know of you, do they have your stats, grades, and highlight video right in front of them? Name recognition is only a small step in the recruiting process. Our job is to get you as many offers as possible. Do colleges across the country know who and where your school is? Why settle for the one and only offer you received.
• “I am going to a camp, clinic, or showcase for the purpose of exposure.  Will that work?”
• A college coach usually goes to camps or showcases specifically to watch someone already on his or her list, not to “discover” new talent.  During my eight years as a college basketball coach I would often attend showcases or recruiting events.  A few days before the event I would get (or request) a list of the kids who will be in attendance.  I would then take that list and cross reference it with my own recruiting list.  Then I would make a plan (which court and which time) to try to make sure to evaluate all the kids already on my list.  Of course if a a kid really stood out that wasn’t on my list….I MAY take notice of them and add them to my list.  To give you some estimation on numbers, here is a likely scenario…  At a showcase with 200 athletes, maybe 20 of them were on my list before hand.  I would typically get evaluations on those 20 and maybe add 5 names to my list to start recruiting.  The other 175 went unnoticed!  The bottom line is I never went into an event just randomly looking for kids- I had an evaluation plan.  If you utilize our service, college coaches will know about you and your ability — and you’ll be on coach’s watch lists and part of their plans!
• “What if I know enough about college recruiting already?”
• If you’re comfortable with your knowledge level of these issues, then you may not need us. If you’re not, let us help increase Your Recruiting IQ.  1. Are you on the recruiting lists of enough college coaches? Even if you are, where do you rate? Are you the #1 choice? #10? #25?  2. What is an EFC; what does it mean to a family and how do coaches use that information to determine how much financial aid the student-athlete may receive?  3. NCAA regulations prohibit Division III schools from awarding athletic scholarships. How, then, are student-athletes attending these schools and playing sports at greatly reduced costs?  4. Do you understand the seven steps of the Recruiting Funnel and the role of the student-athlete?  5. What are the two main reasons why talented student-athletes are not recruited?
• “What is a good indicator of where I stand with coaches” 
• July 1 is an important date for college athletic recruiting. In all sports, D1 college coaches can make phone calls to rising Seniors after July 1 (In men’s basketball and football it is earlier, and for D2 it is June 15th).  Phone calls are a good indicator of recruiting interest. Letter and e-mails don’t mean much and may not even have been written or sent from the coach. A phone call doesn’t mean an offer- but it does indicate interest.  IF YOUR PHONE DIDN’T RING ON JULY 1 IT’S PLAIN AND SIMPLE- you are not on that school’s top list of potential recruits!  From this point on the coaches will be trying to NARROW down their lists.  Want to get on those lists? What are you doing about it?  We can help.  Contact us before it’s too late!

QUESTIONS THAT DEAL WITH WAITING UNTIL IT’S TOO LATE FOR SOMETHING TO HAPPEN

• “When should I start making an effort to get the attention of college coaches?”
• As soon as you show potential. Many of our clients enroll in our service in their sophomore or junior year. In fact, in a recent survey, more than 65% of college coaches prefer to start recruiting during the sophomore year.  Unfortunately, you can’t be too early.  We all wish this wasn’t the case.  We all wish that we could just enjoy high school and deal with the college decision after our senior season.  However, coaching is a business.  You have to remember, college coaches have full-time jobs as coaches- it’s all they do.  It’s competitive and recruiting starts EARLY.  The pot of scholarship money is limited, so the recruitment process should be started early. The earlier it is started, the more money and opportunities that will be for the student-athlete.  The key is not to wait too long. The recruiting process is well underway by the time an athlete enters his or her final year of high school.  DO NOT WAIT UNTIL YOUR SENIOR YEAR! Most college coaches already know about potential prospects by the athlete’s sophomore or junior year!  We can bring you direct to the college coach who really needs you, but does not know anything about you at this time.  All college evaluation processes are different. Most Colleges want to identify prospects and get scouting information on them as soon as possible. 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 some colleges, but it certainly limits your chances.
• “I am a high school senior and my season is over. Is it too late?”
• It’s never too late to try and further your academic and athletic career. Our service continues through your high school graduation. If for some reason you do not take a scholarship and move on to a junior college or community college, We will continue to send your information to the colleges at no additional cost as long as you continue to play your sport.
• “I know I can play in college, but only a few local college coaches have called, and I’d like a better opportunity. Is that possible?”
• Chances are that a lot of coaches would be interested but they have never heard of you.  Unless you are one of the top blue-chip athletes in the state, you must market yourself if you want to get noticed by coaches.  We will market your ability to more than 2,000 colleges and 18,000 coaches in 50 US States — ensuring that you will hear from multiple coaches and colleges, giving you multiple offers from which to choose.  If you’ve heard from none or only a handful of college coaches- you need our help.
• How important is timing?
• Timing is very important as is everything in life. if a college has quarterbacks that are freshman, sophomores or juniors how anxious do you think the college would be to add another quarterback to their program next year? The college you are really interested in might simply not have a need for your specific talent. This doesn’t make things impossible only harder. If you really want to play at a particular school don’t let anything stand in your way but always keep your options open.  MAKE SURE YOU START YOUR RECRUITING EARLY.
• “When is it too late for DI recruiting?”
• Before we address when it might be “too late” for DI, I want to point out that it is absolutely never too EARLY for DI programs to begin recruiting.  There have been more early commitments than ever before.  Some major programs have a full class of commitments before they are even able to call recruits.  So the better question should be…  When is it too early? NEVER.  When is it too late? That’s hard to answer.  However, if you have to ask yourself whether or not you are too late, it might be a decent time to start worrying – or at least start taking action.  Why is the question hard to answer?  You have to keep in mind that recruiting time lines differ for every college program and every sport. Some coaches will not put an offer on the table until they have a chance to evaluate the recruit’s skills and the recruit visits the campus. It is also important to understand that you need to be proactive and build a relationship with the coach. That is how recruits as young as 7th grade have already made a decision. They have called coaches, communicated with them, been evaluated, and visited many campus ALREADY.  It is typical that most DI coaches, as a general rule, will have offers on the table during junior year and be wrapped up by the end of the summer entering senior year. It is a domino effect from that point on with DII finishing next and so on…For DI and DII programs, the offer is not official until you sign the National Letter of Intent. NAIA and JC programs have their own letters of intent. DIII schools are not allowed to use any form of a letter of intent. The recruit commits to a DIII program by accepting their financial package and putting down their deposit.  On the flip side, there are situations where a DI offer may not be given until after a student-athlete has already graduated high school. For instance, the Major League Baseball first-year player draft takes place in June each year and does affect recruiting for DI college programs.  Also, there is fallout due to some commitments not making the grades or not taking the correct core courses to be eligible through the NCAA Eligibility Center. If these situations take place, then there may be opportunities to take that recruit’s spot late in the process.  Finally, I want you to keep in mind that there are other levels to consider. DII, DIII, NAIA and JUCO provide excellent levels of competition and outstanding educations.  Do not get caught in the “DI” name game.  If a student-athlete continues to receive general responses from coaches or camp brochures as opposed to personal communications, then you might want to explore other levels of play.  In recruiting, you are never going to “start at the perfect time.”  The reality is that you are either going to start early and get ahead or find yourself playing catch up late in the game.  Which category do you fall under?
• “How can College Coaches Make an Offer BEFORE they are Allowed to Call a Prospect?
• The college recruiting process is starting earlier than ever.  Let’s examine how a recruit can receive an offer BEFORE the college coaches can write or call them.  It can be done in several ways…1) Contacting the high school coaching staff, club coach, AAU or a youth coach. Many times the coach will be asked to forward the offer and/or an invitation to the athlete to have the parents and prospect call the college coach or make an unofficial visit to the college’s campus. The unofficial offer can be made directly from the college’s head coach to the athlete and family.  2) Inviting a 7th or 8th grader back to campus following a camp on campus for the purpose of making the offer. The student-athlete can visit with the coach right after the camp as well, as an unofficial visit.  3) Using a scouting service to contact a prospect to encourage them to contact the college coach.  4) Send a questionnaire and/or camp brochure using this correspondence to direct the athlete to contact the office.  The reason coaches are able to offer and commit a recruit early, is due to the simple fact, that the recruit and his or her family understood the recruiting rules and were proactive early. A student-athlete can call a coach at any time and as often as they wish. The student-athlete can also visit the college campus unofficially as often as they wish, as long as it is outside of a NCAA Dead Period. When a recruit commits early it means they called the coach, they visited the campus, and they were involved in the right exposure opportunities to get in front of the coach, so the staff could evaluate them live.  There you have it – that is how prepared athletes and proactive coaches can connect BEFORE they are even officially able to talk on the phone.

QUESTIONS THAT DEAL WITH FINANCIAL AID

• “What are the different types of financial aid?”
• We deal with all four types of aid, not just athletic scholarships.  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!  Aid Opportunity #1 – Financial Need Based Aid. Based on your family’s Expected Family Contribution Number (a figure calculated by the US Dept of Education). Aid can come in the form of grants, loans, and work-study.  Aid Opportunity #2 – Merit Based Aid. Based on a specific College or University’s interest in you and a specific ability. Abilities in academic pursuits, the ability in music, drama or the like can create opportunities for aid. Colleges and Universities utilize aid to attract student to attend their school.  Aid Opportunity #3 – Athletic Aid. Based on a specific College or University’s interest in you and a specific ability in athletics. Abilities in athletics can create opportunities for aid. Colleges and Universities utilize aid to attract student to attend their school.  Aid Opportunity #4 – Leverage Aid. 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!
• “What about 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 upwards of $1,000 per 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. Some schools do not offer athletic scholarship funding, {E.G. NCAA Division 3 Schools}, but can have both excellent sport and academic programs. This why we complete the FAFSA forms that colleges require to process Federal Aid and in most cases state and other college aid.  Find out more from our Financial Advisors.

QUESTIONS THAT DEAL WITH GRADES

• What about grades and test scores?
• IMPORTANT-IMPORTANT-IMPORTANT. Simply put–get good grades. Test scores and your class rank can mean scholarship money towards your college tuition. IN ADDITION TO ANY ATHLETIC AND/OR FINANCIAL AID SCHOLARSHIP YOU MIGHT RECEIVE. Don’t coast your senior year. College classes are tough so don’t slack off and get into any bad habits. If you have all your high school credits then take a college class or two to get a jump start on your college education. You will need to meet and maintain certain scholastic minimums to even play college sports. So hit the books now and get into the habit. Its to your advantage no matter how things work out with your athletic scholarship aspirations.
• Can I combine SAT scores to make one test score to submit to colleges?
• Yes…You can take the SAT as many times as needed and take your best scores and combined them.  (We recommend taking them as soon as your Junior year.  So for example: if you take the SAT in May and get a 960 combined on your math and verbal; your math score being a 450 and your verbal score being a 510.  Then you retake the SAT in June (or any other time) and you get a combine score of 980, math and verbal.  On Junes test, you received a 400 math and a 560 verbal, then you can take your math test score from May which was a 450 and take your verbal score from June which was a 560 and combine the two to make your official SAT score a 1010 instead of a 960 or a 980.

QUESTIONS THAT DEAL WITH COLLEGE RECRUITING

• “How do I know if I’m being Recruited?”
• Once you know how to read the signs you can very easily tell if you are in the recruiting game or on the recruiting bench.  You are In the Recruiting Game if:  Dozens of college coaches are sending questionnaires directly to your home address or to your email address, Dozens of college coaches are calling your high school or club coach looking for more information, Dozens of college coaches are following up with you once they know of your academic and athletic abilities, and they may want you on their team.  You are On the Recruiting Bench if: You are getting few questionnaires from college coaches, Questionnaires are being sent to the school rather than your home or email address, College coaches are not contacting your high school or club coach, You are getting invitations to summer camps, mini camps, or invitation only camps – these are not recruiting materials, You are getting invitations to combines, clinics or showcases – these are also not recruiting materials, A college coach requests information from you and there is no follow up information or feed back, You have attended or are planning to attend high level showcases or tournaments and you expect college coaches to notice you from among the hundreds or possibly thousands of athletes at the event, You think you will be miraculously discovered and a coach will show up at your doorstep, You think it’s the responsibility of a coach or a guidance counselor to get you an athletic scholarship.  Now you know the differences between being In the Game and being On the Bench; where are you? Get in the game today and take control of your recruiting destiny.  Remember, you are either In the Game or On the Bench!
• “What are the steps of college recruitment?”
• 1) Questionnaire: This one is simple. By returning your questionnaire, your personal letter of interest, and your profile to them promptly, you’ve then supplied him/her with all of the information they need to begin your evaluation.  2) Letter: In your 2nd reply to a school, if the coach did not ask for a video in his letter back to you, be sure to let him know that you have a video that you’re very proud of and you will anxiously await his request of your footage.  3) VIDEO: Not until a college coach has requested and viewed your highlight video can you be considered a serious candidate in his/her recruiting process. NEVER mail a college coach your highlight or game footage unless he/she has asked for it. Due to the massive volume of unrequested videos delivered on a daily basis to college coaching staffs nationwide, thousands of videos go unviewed every year. You must be prepared for your opportunity and promptly deliver your footage upon the coach’s request. This step is when many athletes are “weeded out.” For that reason, we recommend professional assistance in the production of your all important video representation. Lasting impressions are often created with a particular coach in the viewing of the first five minutes of your footage. “THERE IS NO WAY ANY COLLEGE COACH CAN FALL IN LOVE WITH ANY HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETE UNTIL HE HAS SEEN YOU PLAY.” Be realistic enough to understand that not every college coach is going to be impressed with your talents, simply due to the hundreds of videos that they review year after year. The only way you’ll ever know if you’ve passed this critical 3rd step, is if you hear back from the school that you mailed your video to within 30 days.  4) Phone call: You cannot expect to receive a phone call in your senior year unless a coach has already seen you compete as an underclassman. With July 1st being the earliest date that the NCAA allows direct phone contact with graduating seniors, in all sports except D-1 and D-2 football, it is critical that your junior year athletic talents and academic accomplishments have been reviewed. Coaches will rarely, if ever, make a phone call to a senior athlete they have not seen play. When that all important phone call comes, you must be upbeat and positive regardless of the geographical location or level of play of the college that is contacting you. During your phone interview, be sure to ask questions regarding a possible visit to his/her campus to show your interest in the program. You can be assured that they would love to have you visit their campus.  5) Visit: There are only 2 types of visits a college coach can arrange for you. One is official and the other is simply unofficial. In an official visit, the college absorbs the transportation costs and on an unofficial visit, the parents supply the plane tickets/transportation costs. On either visit, the athlete will be treated the same with room, board and entertainment supplied by the school he/she is visiting. There is no way any high school senior is ever going to select his/her college of choice without first visiting the campus. Often enough, this is the time that the high school athlete is extended a scholarship offer.  6) Offer: The day you receive your first offer, you may want to mail a copy to any other colleges that you are seriously interested in, to let them know that you have other programs showing contractual interest.
• “Is it important to have a personal video?”
• YES. Colleges are not going to offer you a scholarship just because you were recommended by someone. Due to budget and time restraints coaches are not able to see most prospects in person. This means that they have to depend on videotape in order to evaluate prospects they recruit. If they get a video from the high school coach it is often very poor quality and it may not show your best qualities. In addition time is of the essence. Do you think a college coach is going to wait weeks or make multiple calls to your coach for the video? Of course not, the college will simply move on to the next athlete. In some sports, there will be no video available from the high school. As part of our service, we make sure that every college coach has the opportunity to view your personal video.
• “What is the difference between an Official College Visit and an Unofficial College Visit?”
• I think it is important to start with what the difference between what each visit actually is. As unofficial visit is when a recruit visits a school and pays their way to get there. In most situations, a recruit will take an unofficial visit to see a college team in action. Per NCAA rules, the school is allowed to give athletes a maximum of three tickets to each sporting event that is issued through a pass list. These have to be regular season events within a thirty mile radius to the campus. Basically what that means is the school cannot be giving tickets to recruits of their bowl game or NCAA tournament game. Unofficial visits can occur at any time.  The difference between that and an official visit is that the college programs pays for you as an athlete to take that official visit. They can fly you in or reimburse you for your driving expense included in the visit. There are also more rules surrounding the official visit that includes food, lodging, and other specific monetary amounts that are enforced by the NCAA.  In order to set up an unofficial visit, it really just depends. For example, a lot of college football coaches will send out a great deal of invites to their games throughout the fall. With so many juniors on their prospective recruiting list, the college is likely sending out invites. If the recruits receive this mail, they will need to call the coach or the school to tell them that they are coming to visit. Because the three people are allowed in on a pass gate, they will not be able to get extra tickets and sell them. The NCAA probably had issues with that in the past and that is why the pass gate is used. When that happens, the recruits have to bring an ID with them so that they can get into the game. There is no limit on the amount of unofficial visits you can do because you are paying for it yourself.  Official visits are a much different story. They are regulated by the NCAA so each athlete can only take five official visits throughout the recruiting process and they are restricted by dates (This does vary from sport to sport). Depending on the sport and the level, college programs have a certain number of players that they can bring on campus for official visit. That is why some schools prefer to bring visitors after their high school season so they know who is serious about them. Like I said before, the athletes have their travel paid for and will be reimbursed if they did drive.  In the majority of situations, schools that extend an invite for an official visit are likely looking to offer you a scholarship. Again, that is in most situations but taking an official visit means the school is serious about you. Since their total number of official visitors is restricted, it does mean you are among their top recruits. What normally happens for example: during the fall open period for football, the coaches talk to the athletes about setting up an official visit. While the recruit can bring it up to the coach, normally it is the coach that brings it up. If they haven’t offered a scholarship or an official visit by December, chances are slim that you will be receiving a scholarship for football.  That is just a quick look at the difference between unofficial and official visits.
• What does it mean if a Coach asks me to red-shirt?
• “Red shirting” is when a coach would ask you to sit out your first year as an ineligible player and just practice with the team.  In theory, you would go to school for a total of 5 years, using your four years or eligibility in years 2-5.  Typically, there are two types of kids are asked to red shirt…..1) VERY good ones on full scholarships at schools that are fully funded, or 2) athletes that the coaching staff thinks are not ready to help their program.  If you’re ok with not competing for a year, it’s not a big deal to red shirt if you are on a full-scholarship….as you have no expenses anyway and the year usually makes you a better player to begin your college career in year two.  However, if you are paying your own way and a coach asks you to red shirt, you should ask some questions.  Do you want to pay for 5 years of school?  Does the coaching staff really think you will be able play after a year of training?  They are possibly putting you on the back burner, knowing there is a decent chance you will quit, transfer, or end up a manager or student-assistant coach.  In most cases, when coaches talk about red shirting it means they think you are not at the level of their current team or competition. Red shirting is used differently at different schools, different levels, and different sports.  It’s not always a terrible option, but it is a red flag worth looking out for and asking questions about.
• What kind of schools offer athletic scholarships?
• NCAA Division 1, NCAA Division 2, NAIA , NJCAA Division 1 , and NJCAA Division 2 can offer athletic scholarships. Also you should be aware that individual colleges and conferences have their own athletic scholarship rules and policies.  There are Division 3 schools that will get you more grant money from the school or university that can act as athletic scholarship money.
• Can I play college sports at a great price without an athletic scholarship?
• YES-YES-YES. NCAA Division 3, NCCAA Division 2, and NJCAA Division 3 junior colleges offer excellent opportunities to play sports at the college level and obtain a quality education without the benefits of a athletic scholarship.
• What are college coaches looking for?
• 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, their success on the field is their best way of doing this. Coaches also look for what they need at the time. For example, the starting point guard is a senior so the coach is therefore looking to develop a replacement. If you are a really talented athlete then timing is not as important but to most athletes timing could mean everything. Remember your agenda is to play college sport and receive a quality education. Coaches have a different agenda so use your head and evaluate each situation. What situation is best for you and feels right, ask questions and visit the campus, ask your high school coaches for their opinions. To sum up, be aware that what the college coach wants is not necessarily what you want, look at the roster, you will be able to see where the gaps will be in say 12 months, if you can fill one of those gaps your off to a great start.
• If I get the chance should I sign early?
• Tough question. You have to ask yourself a few questions first. Is this the college I really want to attend? Is this the best deal I am going to get? Will this take the pressure of recruitment and choosing a college off me? Remember that the offer may very well not be there later, don’t ever think that you are the only athlete that’s been approached. This is a tough call but this is why we  are here to assist you.  Basically it comes down to you situation and every student athletes situation is different.
• What are the recruiting regulations?
• Each college association has its own rules and regulations for recruiting and eligibility. Check out the web sites of associations such as the NCAA, NAIA, NCCAA, NJCAA. Its your responsibility to know the rules and we will assist you on any questions you may have.
• Are there other rules to be aware of other than those of the NCAA, NAIA ,NJCAA. etc.?
• Each college may have their own recruiting and eligibility rules. Each college conference may also have their own rules and regulations. These rules and regulations can sometimes be more stringent than those of major athletic associations Check with the school or conference to which the school belongs.
• What is the NCAA?
• The NCAA is the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The NCAA is the organization through which it’s member schools administer athletics at a national level. For further information see our “resource links” page.
• How many NCAA Divisions are there?
• There are three Divisions in the NCAA. Division I and II colleges offer athletic scholarships, division III colleges cannot offer scholarships based on athletic ability but can and do offer other forms of financial aid.
• What is the NCAA Eligibility Center?
• The NCAA Eligibility Center (formerly the Clearinghouse) ensures the academic eligibility and amateur status of NCAA athletes.  You must register with the The NCAA Eligibility Center if you intend to participate in NCAA Division 1 or 2 athletics, take an official visit, or sign a national letter of Intent (NLI).
• What is the NCAA Letter of Intent?
• This is a document that sets out your agreement or “intent” to attend the college for which you have signed for 1 academic year in exchange for college financial aid, including an athletic scholarship. The NCAA letter of intent or NLI is for Division 1 and 2 athletes.
• What is the NAIA?
• The NAIA is the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. It is an organization that promotes athletics as an integral part of education. NAIA member colleges award athletic scholarships.
• What is the NJCAA?
• The NJCAA is the National Junior College Athletic Association. Junior college is an excellent way to get both a quality education and play college sports at an affordable price. NJCAA member schools in Division1 and 2 offer athletic scholarships. NJCAA Division 3 schools do not offer athletic scholarships.
• What is the NCCAA?
• The NCCAA is the National Christian College Athletic Association. Many NCCAA colleges are also NCAA or NAIA members. The NCCAA is divided into Division1 and 2 schools. Division 1 colleges offer athletic scholarships, division 2 colleges do not.

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