Parenting Pointers: Student Athletes and College Recruiting

I was an athlete in high school and in college. I wasn't a star athlete, but I was good enough to hold my own in collegiate athletics. Granted, it was a D-3 school, so pretty much everyone who wanted to play did (especially for track - I was a thrower, and there were few of us as it was). But if you've got someone in your family who's a budding athlete and really wants to pursue sports in college as well, feel free to encourage it. I was able to do track while still participating in band and several clubs, and meet my husband and plan our wedding. Oh yeah, and graduate:) My point is that students can continue to be athletes and it doesn't lock them into only being athletes, depending on the college.

In that vein, I'm going to share some tips from NCSA Athletic Recruiting. Obviously if your kid's goal is D3, they don't necessarily need to push really hard early. But if you and your kid think they have D1 potential, consider these tips.

Freshman
- 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.
- 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.

Sophomore
- 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.

Junior
- 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.

Senior
- 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.

You can also access the complete checklist for every class.