Former Mizzou pitcher Ryan Allen joins Informed Athlete

August 6, 2010 by Rick Allen  
Filed under College Athletes, Latest News

Informed Athlete is very pleased & proud to announce the addition of Ryan Allen to our team.  Ryan completed his final year of college baseball eligibility in May after playing 3 years for the University of Missouri (2006-2009) and 1 year (2010) for the University of Central Missouri.  He will graduate in May 2011 from [...]

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Campus Visits 101

One of the most important decisions that a college athlete recruit will make is which college scholarship offer to accept.  The best way to learn about a college or university and the baseball program, that you are interested in or that that is recruiting you, is to visit campus.  From the standpoint of NCAA rules, [...]

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Does your nutritional supplement contain banned substances?

It was recently reported by the New York Times that two dietary supplements that are popular with high school football players, Mass Xtreme and Tren Xtreme, contain steroids, according to court documents filed by federal authorities.  Search warrants executed by authorities on July 23 allege that the products, manufactured by American Cellular Labs, contain illegal [...]

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The Effect of New Scholarship Rules in Division I Baseball

With the NCAA Division I baseball scholarship changes coming into full effect during the 2009-10 academic year, walk-ons will take on more important roles on baseball rosters. Each Division I institution will be limited to 27 counters (athletes receiving an athletic scholarship) among their roster limit of 35 players, with the other 8 spots being [...]

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College Recruiting – The Importance of July 1st

June 30, 2009 by Rick Allen  
Filed under College Athletes, Recruiting Issues

For high school athletes in many sports who are upcoming seniors, July 1 is an important date.  July 1 is the date when it is permissible for coaches in most NCAA Division I sports to begin to have off-campus face-to-face contact with high school recruits who will be entering their senior year.  July 1 is [...]

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Should I stay or should I go?

Congratulations to baseball players across the country who were drafted in the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft. It had to be exciting to see your name next to the name of a major league baseball team. Many of you will have a difficult decision to make by August 17. Those of you who recently finished [...]

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Summer Camps – An opportunity to be seen!

Summer is a very important time in the recruitment of high school athletes by college coaches. Participation on summer teams, in summer individual competition, or in summer camps and clinics are an opportunity to be seen by college coaches as you are participating in your sport. This has become more evident over just the past [...]

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Transfer Issues Related to "Walk-ons" in College Athletics

April 19, 2009 by Rick Allen  
Filed under College Athletes, Transfer Issues

Question: My daughter is participating on the volleyball team at a Division II college as a walk-on. The coaching staff did not recruit her. She now desires to transfer to a college closer to home that is in the same conference as her first college and join their volleyball team. Her current coach won’t give [...]

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College Recruiting – Why doesn’t the coach call me back?

April 19, 2009 by Rick Allen  
Filed under College Athletes, Recruiting Issues

“Stressed Athlete” recently sent me this question: “I called and left a message for a college coach asking him to call me back because I have some questions about their program, but he has not returned my phone call. Does this mean they are not interested in me?” Answer: If the coach has already called [...]

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Advice for College Athletes Regarding Transfer Situations

February 22, 2009 by Rick Allen  
Filed under College Athletes, Transfer Issues

It’s the time of year when some college athletes are considering, or have already decided, to transfer to another school for the spring semester. Sometimes it is their choice, and sometimes they are encouraged to leave. (Some baseball athletes are being affected by the latter, as NCAA Division I coaches must cap their baseball roster [...]

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