Critical Recruiting Info

Recruiting Calendar

College coaches are required to follow the recruiting calendar outlined by the NCAA. The recruiting calendar sets rules of when and how a coach may contact a recruit throughout the year. There are 4 different types of “contact periods.”

Quiet period

• No off-campus scouting can occur- For example, a coach is not permitted to attend the recruit's games or practices.
• Coaches are allowed to make in-person contact on their own institution’s campus.

Dead period

• Coaches are not permitted to make in-person contact both on and off their own institution’s campus.
• Official and unofficial visits are not permitted.

Evaluation period

• Coaches are not permitted to recruit in-person, off-campus.
• Coaches and athletic department staff members are allowed to evaluate recruits in off-campus activities to assess the “academic qualifications and playing ability of the prospective student-athlete.”

Contact period

• Coaches are allowed to recruit and make evaluations in-person and off-campus.

Visits

There are two different types of visits that a recruit may take to an institution’s campus: Official and Unofficial visits.

Official Visit

• A visit to the academic institution that is fully paid for by the institution.
• An official visit invite means an institution has a high interest in the potential student-athlete.

Before an official visit, a recruit is required to:

• Provide their high school transcript to the academic institution (that they are visiting).
• Register and create an account with the NCAA Eligibility Center.

Unofficial Visit

• A visit to the academic institution is fully paid for by the recruit or their family.
• An unofficial visit means a basic level of interest from an academic institution- this interest can vary from low to high.

3 Great Questions to ask College Coaches on visits:

• What does a typical day for a student-athlete look like?
• What academic support does the College offer the student-athlete?
• What is the offseason/spring ball schedule?

NCAA Eligibility Requirements

In order to be eligible for a scholarship, there are basic requirements that must be met. While these are the minimum requirements, it is important for a recruit to remember the higher their grades the better chance they have of being recruited.

• 16 core courses
• Minimum 2.3 GPA- D1
• Minimum 2.2 GPA- D2
• Meet the minimum “sliding scale”- combination of SAT/ACT scores and core GPA
• A recruit should check with their college advisor to make sure they are in the correct core classes.

A recruit should also check if they are following the NCAA amateurism requirement. To do this the recruit should create a account with the NCAA eligibility center (web3.ncaa.org).

Camps

In recruiting, nothing can replace film and grades. However camps are a great opportunity to get noticed by college coaches. There are a couple things to remember when entering camp season.

• You can’t go to every camp so make sure you plan out which ones you will attend.
• Understand the difference between showcases, combines camps, and if college coaches will be in attendance.
• Always remember to follow up with coaches after the camp.
• Wear something noticeable, so the coach watching will remember you.
• Give 100% effort and have good body language (college coaches are evaluating you at every moment).

Types of offers

There are two different types of offers- committable and non-committable offers.

• A committable offer means a recruit can commit to the institution at any moment.
• A non-committable offer means a recruit must wait if they want to commit to the institution.

When receiving an offer, it is important for a recruit to ask if it is committable.

Social Media

Social media is a important part of any athlete's recruitment. This is for two main reasons:

• It is a representation of who the recruit is as a person.
• A large amount of communication with coaches is done through social media.

Below are some tips to maximize chances of being recruited through social media

• Have nothing inappropriate on any of your accounts.
• Have your graduation year, height/weight, high school and gpa in your bio.
• Make sure your social media handle is your name (this makes it easier for colleges to find you).