Intro. To The Recruiting Process PENFIELD PATRIOTS FOOTBALL Intro. To The Recruiting Process

the facts

1.2% WHAT ARE THE ODDS? High School vs. College Percent of high school athletes that will play their sport in college for all 4 years Recruiting by the Numbers Getting a recruiting letter in the mail and actually playing in college are two very different things. When you factor in the amount of over-recruiting, transfers, and programs with JV or developmental teams…actually playing your sport for four years in college is pretty rare! 1.2% High School vs. College Colleges get to pick the best prospects from a larger pool Success in high school is good, but it doesn’t automatically mean you will be successful in college. There are simply more high schools than colleges! Sport High School Teams College Programs % Baseball 15,863 1,618 10.2% Basketball (M) 18,150 1,844 Basketball (W) 17,767 1,824 10.3% Cross Country (M) 14,097 1,284 9.1% Cross Country (W) 13,839 1,386 10.0% Football 14,279 859 6.0% Golf (M) 13,681 1,187 8.7% Golf (W) 9,609 775 8.1% Lacrosse (M) 2,192 290 13.2% Lacrosse (W) 1,999 335 16.8% Softball 15,338 1,617 10.5% Soccer (M) 11,503 1,277 11.1% Soccer (W) 11,047 1,144 10.4% Tennis (M) 9,839 950 9.7% Tennis (W) 10,181 1,443 14.2% Track & Field (M) 15,954 971 6.1% Track & Field (W) 16,030 1,032 6.4% Volleyball 15,479 1,667 10.8% Wrestling 10,407 304 2.9% The average sport has just 9% as many college programs as high school programs.

MORE NUMBERS TO HELP TELL THE STORY 654 Total number of athletes from the US who will receive NCAA D1 Men’s Basketball scholarships each year 1.2% Percentage of athletes playing high school Football who will play NCAA D1 College Football NCAA D1 programs recruit nationwide and even worldwide for the most talented athletes. Don’t fall into the trap of D1 or nothing This equals 1 athlete for every 25 high school programs. .8% Number of Division I athletes who will have a fully funded scholarship for 4 years The competition for scholarship dollars and positions on teams is fierce. Being realistic about your ability is essential!

Common mistakes

Made by Student Athletes Target Schools Above Your Athletic Ability Contact Too Few Schools Have a False Sense of Security Wait Until It’s Too Late for Something to Happen Expect Someone Else to get You Recruited Not Understand the Scholarship and Financial Aid Process

Made by Parents Think They Understand the Process Think They can Evaluate Your Talent Loose Track of the Importance of a College Education and Degree Believe “If a College Wants my Child, They will Find a Way to get Him/Her Into School.” Think a Letter from a Coach Means a Scholarship Expecting the High School Coach to Guide the Process

The process

Freshman Year Get settled in. Concentrate on schoolwork Set-up workout schedule If you think you are interested in attending college for a sport: Create a list of potential schools Send a letter of introduction Send an update at the end of your season with your club schedule Register with the NCAA

Sophomore Year Strive for Academic success Begin to research NCAA requirements and make sure you are on target for all core requirements Go to the career center. Start investigating colleges and their admission requirements Prepare your initial contact letters with resume: Include all schedules Include a 10-15 minute video of basic skills and game footage Update your academics with the NCAA Summer after Sophomore Year - Send contact letters with resume

Junior Year Register with the NCAA Keep up with studies and any changing NCAA requirements Continue to investigate colleges and send additional, updated resumes with schedules Enhance your skills and game tape so you are prepared when requested Visit some of the campuses you are interested in Try to watch the schools you are interested in play In July after your Junior Year Begin heavy contact with schools you are interested in Update your academics with the NCAA Ensure your SAT/ACT scores have been sent to the NCAA Continue to send resumes and videos to additional colleges of interest Send your Summer schedule ASAP Make more UNOFFICIAL visits

Senior Year Do not let up on academics Review core requirements with your guidance counselor Send senior team schedule asap Send updated resumes, stats, videos Find out Letter of Intent Date for your sport Take advantage of OFFICIAL visits if offered STUDY HARD, PLAY HARD

Where am I now?

10 Reasons Good Athletes Are Not Recruited They start their recruiting process to late. They start by looking at too few schools. They start by looking at schools that are out of their reach, athletically and/or academically. They think it’s their coach’s job to get them a college scholarship. They think that because they are a good athlete, college coaches will discover them. They don’t have video of their games. They don’t have a professional quality highlight video. They think that being on a premier, club or AAU team will automatically get them noticed. They think that college coaches will randomly discover them at high level tournaments. They think that by registering with NCAA Initial Eligibility Center that college coaches will recruit them.

Additional resources

NCAA Eligibility Center

Official Sites OFFICIAL SITES:, VIRTUAL COLLEGE TOUR: National Collegiate Athletic Association PO Box 6222, Indianapolis, IN 46206 (888) 388-9748 www.ncaa.org National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics 1200 Grand Boulevard, Kansas City, MO 64106 (816) 595 8000 www.naia.org National Junior College Athletic Association 1755 Telstar Drive, #103, Colorado Springs, CO (719) 590 9788 www.njcaa.org VIRTUAL COLLEGE TOUR: www.youniversitytv.com COLLEGE RECRUITING SITES NCSA Athletic Recruiting - www.ncsasports.org/high-school-coaches-recruiting Recruiting Realities – www.recruitingrealities.com Student Athlete World – www.studentathleteworld.com COLLEGE PLANNING RESOURCES: US News – www.usnews.com The Sallie Mae Fund – www.collegeanswer.com The College Board – www.collegeboard.com CollegeNET – www.collegenet.com Petersons Student-Edge – www.studentedge.com NCAA Student – www.ncaastudent.org Campus Advisors – www.campusadvisors.com/joomla SCHOLARSHIP & FINANCIAL AID SEARCH: Free Application for Federal Student Aid – www.fasfa.ed.gov FastWeb – Scholarship and College Search – www.fastweb.com FinAid – Student Guide to Financial Aid – www.finaid.org Free Education Guide – www.freeeducationguide.com Financial planning for college – www.studentloannetwork.com

On YouTube Some clips from “Recruiting Realities” YouTube Channel by expert Jack Renkens https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2Mm5a1tHh4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuvI8p-LC1U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMiUyCIMQSc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OReusJANskk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV0vd4aodlM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O82oFQwjatc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PZUKCA4hds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plbADpECRRo

Making Contact

Sample Letter to Coach