With the early signing period having passed

Now, with that being said, this article is for those of you, who like me, were not able to sign with a school in November and are still looking for that right opportunity. 

I remember the feeling that I had when the early signing period of my senior year had passed and I had not received many calls or offers from schools that I had hoped to hear from. 

I found it extremely frustrating to see kids that I was convinced I was better than – signing with Division I schools – while I was left wondering and waiting.   

For whatever reason they got called and you did not – it’s happened and now nothing will be able to change that. 

I know it’s hard not to, but I can tell you that continuing to wonder why they got calls and you didn’t will not help your frustration.

But, what you can do is focus on YOU and put YOURSELF in the best position possible to continue participating in your sport after high school graduation.   

Reach out to schools to gauge their interest in you as an athlete and as a student.

If they won’t knock down your door, then you go knock down theirs. 

Don’t be afraid of a little rejection, most schools will do it in a very respectful (and even helpful) manner. 

For those of you finding yourself still looking for a place to play, I want to wish you the best of luck. 

Don’t let one little bump in the road derail your entire path - Keep pushing and finding ways to make it happen!

Ryan Allen

If you are a high school baseball player (or any athlete) who hopes to receive a college athletic scholarship, the most important thing you can do is get your name out there.  Playing in front of coaches gives yourself a better shot to put your name in that coach’s head. 

Some kids are fortunate enough to have coaches find them, but there are many out there who need to be proactive and take the initiative.  It is important for a young player to put forth the effort not only on the ball field, but in selling himself to college coaches. Even though baseball is not in season, the fall and winter months are crucial periods for high school baseball players who want to play at the next level.  This is when many colleges have “showcase camps” to evaluate high school players. 

In my opinion, Perfect Game USA has great showcase events that are highly organized.   They usually have good attendance from many coaches across the US, as well as pro scouts, if that’s your goal. 

These showcases are very helpful and beneficial to any young baseball player in search of a college scholarship, as they give you a chance to display your abilities in front of a number of college coaches (coaches at D-1 schools, many junior colleges and schools from other divisions will attend). 

While these showcases are not guaranteed to get you a scholarship offer to a high Division 1 school (although it does happen), there are many other doors that can be opened by attending one of these camps. 

When should you start attending these showcase camps?  The earlier the better!

In addition, September 1 is the date when high school football seniors can begin to receive recruiting phone calls from Division I coaches.  The coaches are limited to one call per week until the contact period in late November, and then there is no limit on how often coaches can call football prospects during a contact period.  During other recruiting periods, football coaches are restricted to one call per week.

Prospects are permitted to send e-mails to coaches prior to September 1 of the junior year, and we encourage you to do so, to let the coaches know of your interest in their program, and to provide them with information such as your team’s schedule and to provide updates on your academic and athletic performance.  Just be aware that the coaches are not allowed to respond to your e-mails until September 1 of your junior year.

Similarly, it’s fine for prospects to call NCAA coaches prior to the date when it is permissible for the coaches to initiate recruiting calls to prospects.  The coaches can talk to you if they answer the phone when you have placed the call.  However, if you don’t reach them directly, they will not be able to return your call, so you may want to continue trying to reach them on a regular basis until you are able to reach them directly.

Don’t be shy about contacting coaches to let them know of your interest, especially if you’re going to be playing in a game, combine, or showcase event near their campus.  If you let them know of your interest, they may be able to set aside an hour or so to come evaluate you while you’re in their area.

For more on the permissible dates for phone calls and other recruiting information, sign up to receive our monthly newsletter and a monthly recruiting calendar with important dates including ACT/SAT test dates.

For more information on Informed Athlete’s services, please call us at 918-994-7272.

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 also the date in most sports when once-per-week phone calls to high school upcoming seniors are permissible as well.

For those athletes who are fortunate to receive recruiting interest at this time of year, enjoy the attention and be sure to ask a lot of questions.  Remember that you should be evaluating the coaches and the schools just as much as they have been evaluating you. 

For those athletes who do not receive a recruiting phone call, or a visit by a college coach to your home, on July 1 or within a few days of this “special date,” don’t panic and get stressed out.  There is still plenty of time to be recruited and plenty of opportunities for you to be seen.  You may not be recruited by your first choice of schools, but there are plenty of other schools to choose from.

For more on the permissible dates for phone calls and other recruiting information, sign up for our newsletter and you’ll receive our monthly newsletter and a monthly recruiting calendar with important dates including ACT/SAT test dates.

For more information on Informed Athlete’s services, please call us at 918-994-7272.

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The National Letter of Intent and the NJCAA Letter of Intent/Scholarship agreement are separate documents, so it is possible to sign both.  The athlete can then decide later which school is a better fit for them.

If you have any questions, please send an email to rick@informedathlete.com.

Allen’s new book Both Sides of the Plate – Insider Secrets for Navigating the College Baseball Recruiting Process  is now available for $17.95 + $4.75 shipping.   

 Decisions made during the recruiting process can have HUGE impact both emotionally and financially.  This book provides real-life advice and insights into many situations you will encounter during & after the recruiting process. 

Some of the questions this book answers include:

- How soon should we get started in the recruiting process?

- What should we do if we’re not getting recruiting interest?

- What should we look for and what questions should we ask on campus visits?

- What are the academic requirements needed to be eligible for an athletic scholarship?

- What should we do if things don’t work out and we need to transfer to another school? 

- What should we know about transfers BEFORE we go through the recruiting process? 

Each year parents spend thousands of dollars on lessons, equipment, competitive sports teams, and travel in the hopes that their child will be noticed by college athletic recruiters and offered a scholarship.  Their journey is often complicated by making costly mistakes due, in many cases, to not knowing or understanding the NCAA rules. 

Informed Athlete helps families navigate through the often confusing and complex athletic recruiting, academic eligiblity, transfer and financial aid rules so they can make informed decisions that are in the best interest of their family.  This book was written to address many questions we receive on a daily basis from families who call asking for help. 

To order your copy, please go to:  http://www.informedathlete.com/online-store/both-sides-of-the-plate.

That same day, other elite recruits announced their college choices on ESPNU.

Then, USC was in the news again a few days later when it was announced that the Trojans and new head coach Lane Kiffin received the verbal commitment of a young quarterback from Delaware.  Did I say young – David is in 7th grade! That will make him a college freshman in 2015!

Certainly, college sports has become a big business at the Division I level, at least with the revenue-producing sports of football and basketball, but in my opinion, these extremely publicized commitments have gone a bit too far.

A year ago, the NCAA enacted rule changes to govern the recruiting of 7th and 8th graders in the sport of men’s basketball.  With the recent announcement about this young football player’s commitment, will changes to football recruiting rules be far behind?

At each of those schools, the head coach was fired for alleged mistreatment of players.  One coach allegedly made inappropriate remarks about players families or backgrounds, the second coach allegedly required a player to be locked in a dark storage area for two or three hours, while the third coach was alleged to have grabbed a player by the throat.

As a recruit or the parents of a recruit who hopes to earn an athletic scholarship, is there any way to predict this type of behavior from a college coach?  No, in most cases there isn’t.  However, I believe that it re-emphasizes the importance of making a connection with the head coach when you are visiting campus.

Your primary recruiter may be one of the assistant coaches, but it won’t be the assistant coach who decides on the starting line-up.  It is important to spend some time with the head coach to try to determine the type of person that he is and if he is truly interested in you, or if he is just going off of the recommendation from an assistant.

It is also important to try to determine what kind of relationship the head coach has with his players. Is he the outgoing type that you can talk to about a personal problem, or is he the quiet type who is hard to “read” because he is quiet and doesn’t say a whole lot?

If you are asking the right questions and asking the right people, you stand a better chance of perhaps getting a least an indication of how a coach treats and communicates with his players.

In some ways, it may be easier to be recruited by and to play for a fiery, volatile coach, because you at least have an idea of what to expect when you arrive on campus.  A coach that is quiet, doesn’t say much, and is hard to read can be tougher to figure out because it is harder to assess their personality and how they might react in various situations.

Our “Plan for Success Roadmap” includes a list of questions you should ask and things you should look for during campus visits that will help you obtain some good information.

Do you have other questions about recruiting, or about academic eligibility or athletic scholarships? Contact Rick Allen at 918-994-7272 or at rick@informedathlete.com with your questions.  To receive our complimentary monthly newsletter, sign up here on the website.

These athletes will have an opportunity to sign a National Letter of Intent with an NCAA Division I or II institution during the early signing period that begins on Wednesday, November 11.  The signing period continues through Wednesday, November 18 and is available for athletes in most sports.

High school football seniors will not sign a National Letter of Intent until February 3, 2010.  Other sports that do not sign until February 3 are cross country, track and field, soccer, field hockey and water polo.

Do you have questions about the National Letter of Intent?

Questions about scholarship offers that accompany the National Letter of Intent?

Join Informed Athlete for our next teleseminar when we discuss the rules and processes regarding the National Letter of Intent and scholarship agreements.

This topic will be especially helpful to any high school athletes and parents who are planning to sign a National Letter of Intent during the November signing period, or during a future signing period.

Date:  Wednesday, October 28th
Time:  7 PM CST

Rick Allen, Founder of Informed Athlete will discuss:

• The NCAA rules regarding the National Letter of Intent

• Institutional athletic scholarship agreements.

• Recruiting rules during this signing period.

• “Double signing.”

• Publicity about letter of intent signings

To register for this FREE teleseminar, go to National Letter of Intent.

If you would like to submit a question before the teleseminar begins, you can send it to rick@informedathlete.com.

This teleseminar is one of our regular series in which we discuss topics of interest to athletes, parents, and coaches, and interview coaches, scouts and other from the world of baseball.  It is provided as a complimentary service of www.informedathlete.com, but registration is required.

Unofficial Visits
Any time an athlete visits campus with parents or other family members, or with some of their friends, at their own expense, this is an “unofficial” visit.  Some facts about unofficial visits:

• Must be made at prospect’s expense

• University can provide up to 3 complimentary admissions to campus athletic event

• No limit on number of unofficial visits

• Cannot visit campus during a dead period – a period of time in which the NCAA will not allow any contact between the coach and a recruit.

• Cannot participate in tryout during official visit (Division I)

Official Visits

Official visits are highly regulated by NCAA rules.  During an official visit to an NCAA institution, it is permissible for the institution to provide a prospect with transportation to visit the campus, and with meals and lodging during a visit to campus that cannot exceed 48 hours from the time that the prospect (and parents or legal guardians, if they accompany the prospect) arrives on campus.

Large universities with ample recruiting budgets may provide all of the permissible expenses that they are permitted to provide.  However, some institutions, especially smaller colleges or universities with limited recruiting budgets, may only provide meals while on campus, or meals and lodging for just one night instead of two.

Some important points to know about official visits include:

• Cannot be made prior to first day of classes for senior year of HS

• Limit of 5 official visits, only one per school (even if 2-sport athlete)

• Cannot visit campus during a dead period

• Must be registered with Eligibility Center

• Must provide HS transcript and ACT or SAT test score to university

• University can provide transportation, meals, lodging for prospect

• University can provide meals and lodging to parents, also transportation if traveling together in car with prospect

• Phone call rules prior to visit (unlimited during 5 days prior to visit)

• 48-hr. rule from time of arrival on campus

• Will visit interfere with competition?

• Can combine two visits into one trip with assistance of schools.

• Cannot participate in tryout during official visit (Division I)

This article has addressed the difference between official and unofficial visits and outlined the rules for each.  However, knowing the rules is only the starting point.

Many parents and athletes are so excited and happy about being noticed and recruited, that they often forget the ONE THING that is vital to their future success and happiness playing the sport they love at the level they aspire.  That one thing is proper preparation for the visit!

Making the decision on which college to attend is extremely important and can have major financial and emotional implications for many years.

The visit, whether official or unofficial, is extremely important and should be treated as you would a job interview.  Proper preparation is essential for you to make sure you have the information to help your son or daughter make the very best decision for them.

If you have questions about this topic or any other issues related to recruiting, eligibility, financial aid or transfer issues, please go to register for our free newsletter, or contact Rick Allen at 918-994-7272 or rick@informedathlete.com.  Rick has over 20 years of experience in NCAA rules at the college level and is also the parent of a college baseball player who was recruited at the Division I level.

This trend is also being noted in other sports as well. During this past spring, I have been on college campuses from Carolina to the west coast and have heard comments that are very similar, particularly from sports such as soccer and volleyball. When I was on those campuses to analyze and review their athletic compliance program, I met with a sample of coaching staff members to ask them about their recruiting practices. One of my routine questions is about recruiting phone calls and how they document and monitor those phone calls so as not to violate the NCAA recruiting rules regarding permissible phone calls to recruits.

Coaches in the sports of soccer and volleyball told me that “When it becomes permissible for us to start calling prospects on July 1 following the junior year of high school, our recruiting for the upcoming class is already completed for the most part. By then, most of our recruiting has been done through e-mail contact and through camps and unofficial visits during this past year, and our phone calls are mainly just to keep in touch with prospects who have already committed to us.”

So, as much as possible, get out there this summer to participate in camps and clinics, on your summer teams, and visit college campuses as you travel this summer if possible. When visiting college campuses, contact the athletic department and ask if a coach is available to speak with you.

In addition, remember that when you are participating in summer events, and camps or clinics, that somebody is always watching how you perform, not just on the field or on the court, but how you conduct yourself on the bench, in the dugout, and during pregame warm-ups. They are watching to observe if you are going 100% on each play. Are you a team player? How do you interact with your teammates and coaches?

Enjoy your summer and go out there and have fun. And remember that each time you step out there to compete, it’s like a tryout opportunity. Even if a college coach is not watching you, your current coach is, and the college coaches are frequently asking them not only about your athletic ability but how you conduct yourself.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss your individual situation, please email rick@informedathlete.com or call 918-994-7272.

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Answer: If the coach has already called and spoken to you or one of your parents that week, the NCAA rules do not permit him to call again during that week. For example, if the coach called and spoke to you on Sunday evening and you called back and left a message for him with some questions on Tuesday, the coach is not permitted to return your phone call until the following week. However, you can try to call again to reach him at his office or send him an email with your questions.

For information on recruiting, please go to http://www.informedathlete.com/recruiting/recruiting-info/and you will find recruiting calendars for most sports. These can serve as a reference for when and what type of contact that coaches are allowed to have with prospective student-athletes.

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While some people have commented how ridiculous it is that 7th and 8th graders are now considered “prospective student-athletes”, this legislation was actually enacted to try to protect talented basketball players of that age from being pursued as college recruits. Until this legislation was passed, it was permissible for men’s basketball coaches to call or write 7th and 8th graders in an effort to recruit them, because the rules did not prevent such action.

In fact, last summer University of Kentucky basketball coach Billy Gillespie offered a scholarship to an 8th grader. Media reports at that time indicated that University of Kentucky President Lee Todd was shocked when he was informed of Kentucky’s newest basketball recruit.

Now, the rules will (or should!!!) prevent college basketball coaches from recruiting these young “stars” until they have completed their sophomore year of high school. Hopefully, this new rule will not be needed with other NCAA sports in the near future.

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