​​If you’re reading this blog post, there must have been a reason you clicked on it.  Are you wanting to continue playing a sport in college?  If you are, you have work to do!  Being a college athlete is not for everyone, but for those of you who are interested, there is a process you need to consider, and I have a lot of the details for you!

Athletic recruiting starts in 10th grade and sometimes, depending on the sport and the school district, even as early as 8th grade.  Don’t worry if you are just reading this now and are past that age.  It’s not impossible to still play or participate.  Here are some aspects of athletic recruiting and the process that you may not know about.  

1. The first thing you need to do is go on the NCAA site and complete a student athletic profile.  NCAA Eligibility Center: http://www.eligibilitycenter.org

2.  Unless you are an athlete with individual times that are standard to the sport (think track, cross country, swimming, etc– for these you send your times to coaches), you need to put together a recruitment video.  Consider hiring a professional to do this for you instead of mom’s iphone.

3.  DI athletes are athletes first and students second.  DIII athletes are students first and athletes second.  What do you think about that?

4.  Your grades matter, not just your athletic prowess.  You need to ‘look like the regular academic profile of the rest of the student body’. (Katie Anderson of College Fit OC) www.collegefitoc.com/ 

5.  Choose a college that you will still love if the sport ‘ceases’ in your life.  You never know when a coach may leave, an injury may occur, or your desires may shift and all of the sudden you are not an athlete.  Can you still see yourself loving that school and staying?

6.  Build a relationship with the coaches as you research schools.  There are rules about how and when they can contact you, but you can reach out to them whenever you want to, so be bold.  

7.Check out the NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student Athlete here:

fs.ncaa.org/Docs/eligibility_center/Student_Resources/CBSA.pdf

Also, check out this helpful video interview about the process:

youtu.be/7SoGoJvw91A?t=1

​Finally, don’t forget that if you are not wanting to be a varsity athlete, there are still other ways to continue your sport.  Consider Club Sports at your college or even Intramurals!  Lots to look forward to!!

There is a lot more to discuss, so please contact me and let’s set up a specific meeting if you’re an athlete!