College Recruiting Amelia Island Soccer

College Recruiting Amelia Island Soccer

Agenda Getting Started Atmosphere Academics/Scholarships Communication Additional Resources

Getting Started Atmosphere Academics/Scholarships Communication Additional Resources Getting Started

Suggested Timelines Timelines below can vary by school and male/female athletes* Freshman-Soph Year Soph-Junior Year Junior-Senior Year Athletes write to a large number of schools to state your interest Determine your realistic level of play Majority of players make commitments Visit campuses Narrow your school list down to those that have the right fit ( 15) List of schools should be narrowed to 3-5 Club coach can help to be liaison if college coaches show interest Discuss with parents the financial aspects If you are not getting communication from coaches, shift focus elsewhere

Umbrella Organizations NCAA Division I/II NCAA Division III Other NAIA or NJCAA

Umbrella Organizations Eligibility Center is the organization within the NCAA that determines the academic eligibility and amateur status for all NCAA DI and DII athletes You need to register and be cleared by the NCAA if you want to play NCAA college sports and receive a scholarship at the DI or DII level Cost for registration is 90 for US citizens Create an account and make payment High School submits official transcripts SAT or ACT testing center sends official test results Answer amateur status questionnaire Once everything above is completed, NCAA will not review your information unless it has been requested by an NCAA University If you have registered with the NCAA and have not had your eligibility status

Coaches Communication Division I & II Freshman & Sophomore Year Prospect can send unlimited emails, texts, and make phone calls Prospect can receive camp or clinic invitations After 1 Sept of Junior Year Coaches can get involved with a recruit’s unofficial visit Recruits can start taking official visits Recruits & college coaches can have recruiting conversations during camps Coaches can make phone calls and send direct emails Division III Contact prospects at any time during high school

Getting Started Atmosphere Academics/Scholarships Communication Additional Resources Atmosphere

What to Consider

Where Do You Fit

Division I Statistics Girls Statistics 9.7% of U.S. high school players end up playing collegiately 2.3% end up playing Division I 3% of college recruits are international players Boys Statistics 7.9% of U.S. high school players end up playing collegiately 1.1% end up playing Division I 21.3% of college recruits are international players *Based on a 2017 study done by NCSA (ncsasports.org). Trend towards international recruits is growing.

Do Your Research Make a list of potential schools Research these schools Campus visits Online Resources Spend some time researching how to write a good letter to coaches

Getting Started Atmosphere Academics/Scholarships Communication Additional Resources Academics & Scholarships

Academics Academics need to be the FIRST priority Freshman-Senior years focus on good grades and good SAT/ACT scores Coaches are looking for recruits who can balance school and sports Make certain to research schools with your major Recommend taking the PSAT in your freshman or sophomore year. Take the SAT and/or ACT no later than the end of your junior year – these are important to help predict your opportunity for merit based scholarships Everyone should complete a FAFSA application. Don’t assume you don’t qualify! Complete Oct of your senior year, using prior year tax information.

Scholarships Division I/II schools offer a variety of athletic scholarships - Fully funded athletic scholarship - Partial athletic scholarship - Combined athletic and academic - Academic Division III does not offer athletic scholarships Division I fully funded schools have 9.9 scholarships for men and 14 for women (average rosters include 28-29 players) Division II fully funded schools have 9 scholarships for men and 9.9 for women NAIA schools can offer up to 12 fully funded athletic scholarships Junior Colleges can offer up to 18 fully funded athletic scholarships Not all schools are fully funded All Divisions offer Financial and Merit-based scholarships

Getting Started Atmosphere Academics/Scholarships Communication Additional Resources Communications

Contacting Schools

Athletes vs Parents Step aside parents – coaches want to hear from the athletes Coaches are more impressed when . Recruits speak more than the parents Recruits are the point person for email and phone communication Recruits are asking the questions versus parents

Where to Start Don’t be overwhelmed! Here’s how to start: 2-3 weeks before every tournament, check online for the college coaches that are attending Send emails to several different coaches expressing interest and inviting them to see you play - Write to a variety of schools, not only the 1-2 you’ve heard of before - Cast a wide net: Writing 5 schools is better than nothing but writing 15-20 is ideal Make sure you include: - Your Your Your Your schedule/ game times/ team name jersey number and position HS graduation year club coaches contact info Follow up after your tournament to see if they had a chance to see you play, and express your interest again Schools that are interested will contact you! Determine if you are potentially interested in that school, based on the other factors - If possibly interested, keep the communication going! - If not interested, thank them for their interest, but advise you aren’t overly interested. Start writing coaches in your sophomore year, but don’t be upset if you don’t get responses

Additional Resources NCAA Eligibility Center https://web3.ncaa.org/ecwr3/ NCAA Eligibility Center FAQ https://ncaa.egain.cloud/kb/EligibilityHelp/home NCAA Eligibility Center Registration Checklist http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/eligibility center/Student Resources/Registration Checklist.pdf NCAA Division I Eligibility Standards http://www.ncaa.org/student-athletes/play-division-i-sports NCAA Division II Eligibility Standards http://www.ncaa.org/student-athletes/play-division-ii-sports NCAA Recruiting Fact Sheet http://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/files/Recruiting%20Fact%20Sheet%20WEB.pdf