The College Athletic Recruiting Process
FIRST THINGS FIRST!
There is a school and a sports program for everyone! It just takes a little effort on YOUR part to find the right match for you!
DIFFERENCES IN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
ACADEMIC - Standards for admission & majors offered.
OTHER - Size, location, cost, facilities, social, etc.
STATUS &/OR NATURE OF SPORTS PROGRAM
• Division I, Division II, Division III or Club.
• Scholarship or non-scholarship.
• If a scholarship program – fully or partially funded.
• The competitive level within their division or conference.
• Status of the program at school.
• Influence of coach in the admissions process.
• Personality &/or philosophy of coach.
• Style of &/or training methods of the coach.
ROLE OF THE STUDENT/ATHLETE
• Determine how your sport will impact your goals for attending college.
• Decide the level of commitment to the sport (level of the program).
• Decide what colleges best meet your criteria and goals (academic, athletic and other).
• Send an athletic resume and a videotape to the schools that meet your criteria.
Regarding VIDEOTAPES
•Do not send full games unless a coach requests it.
•Do not spend crazy amounts of money on a “jazzy” videotape. College coaches don’t need the bells
and whistles, the background music, etc.
•Send a 15 minute or less videotape of highlights of your play…offensive, transition, and defensive
game clips, maybe some skill drills, etc. You want your videotape to highlight your skills, speed,
athleticism, game sense, and hustle.
•Find a parent, boyfriend, etc., who will stand still and video some of your high school games, club
games, camp play, etc., and put together the best clips.
•Remember to write on your tape what number you are, your jersey color, the team you are playing
for, so the college coach can easily identify you.
•Remember to include a note with your videotape so the coach knows exactly who and what they are
watching.
• Consult with your high school/club coach for information, input, and advice on all aspects of the recruiting
process, including the sending of your athletic resume and a coaches evaluation.
• Obtain and submit all documents necessary for certification to the NCAA Clearinghouse via your high
• Consult with your guidance counselor or college advisor about:
1. Your eligibility status (core courses, GPA, SAT requirements, ACT requirements, etc.,
2. The academic appropriateness of your college choices, and
3. The status of your transcripts & Clearinghouse release forms.
• Make sure transcripts (official or unofficial) with PSAT, SAT or ACT scores are sent to any college that is
actively recruiting you and/or makes an offer of an official visit.
• Take advantage of opportunities for exposure (camps, off-season leagues, tournaments, etc.) and work to
improve your fitness & strength level.
• Fill out and return questionnaires to appropriate schools.
• Decide which schools to visit.
• Consult with parents on the financing available for college. Submit financial aid documents, “pre-reads.”
• Complete the application process for all viable college choices.
• Keep grades up to maximize options for school choice.
• As soon as possible after you have made your final decision on where you will attend college, let all coaches
recruiting you to know what you have decided.
ROLE OF THE PARENT
• Be involved in every stage of the student’s decision-making.
NCAA recruiting rules and regulations (found in a brochure entitled NCAA Guide for the COLLEGEBOUND
STUDENT-ATHLETE available in guidance offices AND online at www.ncaa.org).
• Work closely with the high school/club coach & the school’s guidance office.
• Meet with or talk to the college coaches that are recruiting your daughter/son in order to keep fully informed
about her/his status in the recruiting process and to get all of your questions answered.
ROLE OF THE HIGH SCHOOL/CLUB COACH
• Provide information on and encourage participation in camps, clinics, off-season leagues, club teams, meets,
tournaments, etc.
• If possible, meet with parents and /or players before the process starts, or certainly early on, to explain how
it works and what your role will be.
• Send: letters, resumes, evaluations or videotapes and /or help players do the same.
• If possible and/or appropriate, make arrangements to videotape all competitions.
• Return questionnaires to colleges.
• If possible, make phone calls to college coaches (both introductory & follow-up).
• Consult with the player’s guidance counselor about NCAA eligibility and the appropriateness of his/her
college choices, academically and otherwise.
• Become knowledgeable about the NCAA recruiting rules and regulations (www.ncaa.org).
• Become knowledgeable about the level of competition in college divisions (I, II & III), various athletic
conferences and ideally individual institutions within these divisions or conferences.
• Make an honest appraisal of players’ ability &/or what level they might play or be competitive in college.
• If knowledgeable enough, advise as to which schools or which type of schools are an appropriate match for
the academic and athletic ability of the player
ROLE OF THE NCAA & IT’S CLEARINGHOUSE
• Provide release forms, information on NCAA rules for academic eligibility and rules for recruiting to all
secondary schools (in the brochure sent to guidance offices and in downloadable forms on their web site).
• Initial certification necessary to be able to take official visits to institutions based on HS transcript that
includes test scores (ACT or SAT).
• Final certification for eligibility to participate in college athletics based on official final HS transcript and
SAT or ACT scores.
A BRIEF ACTION PLAN FOR COLLEGE BOUND LACROSSE PLAYERS
• Compile a tentative list of colleges. You can start this as early as the 2nd half of the sophomore year and
should make every effort to have something together before Fall of the junior year.
• Make initial contact with schools (send cover letter, resume and schedule of upcoming lacrosse activities).
You can start this as early as the 2nd half of the sophomore year and should make every effort to complete
this no later than Spring of your junior year. If at all possible do this prior to the summer tournament and/or
recruiting camp season.
• During the end of sophomore and through the junior year, make unofficial visits to some of the schools that you
are interested in. Do your best to contact and set-up a meeting with the coach on these visits.
• Send updated academic and sport-related information, including a schedule of your upcoming summer
participation in tournaments and camps.
• Take every opportunity to participate in your sport to maximize your exposure and increase your skills in
the summers before your junior and senior year.
• Fulfill NCAA Clearinghouse obligations in mid-summer to early fall of your senior year if
• Schedule and make college visits (official & unofficial). Take unofficial visits at end of sophomore year,
throughout the following summer, and throughout your junior year. Official visits can only be taken after the first
day of classes of your senior year – schedule them in the early fall. Remember – you must be invited by the
college coach to take an official visit.
• Study and consider information about Early Decision or maybe Early Action admission to a college and
Early Signing (of the National Letter of Intent) for athletic participation and/or a scholarship in early fall of
the senior year. The Early Signing time frame is generally the third week in November.
• Decide which colleges to apply to and when to apply. The time frame is usually early to late fall of the
senior year.
• Send completed applications and high school transcripts to colleges, usually before the winter holiday break.
• Decide when to verbally commit to a school and/or sign with a school for a scholarship. When you have
made your decision be sure to notify all schools recruiting you and thank them for their interest. The time frame for these decisions is now mid-summer to early fall to mid-fall of your senior year. The time frame
for this is getting earlier each year!