Common Myths
 I led my high school team in most categories so the college / pro
scouts will come looking for me.
o Fact- Unless you are blue chip athlete you might go
overlooked.
 My high school coach will market me to college / pro coaches
o Fact- your high school coach is busy coaching, finalizing
schedules etc. and in most cases is not as passionate about
you being recruited as you are.
It’s up to you!
Here is what you need
to do.
Academics
 Take a college entrance exam (SAT /ACT) by November of your
senior year.
o I recommend that you take them early in your junior year.
o Either can be taken as many times as you like to improve
your scores. Practice test for the SAT can be taken at
www.collegeboard.com
 Register with the NCAA Clearinghouse and have SAT/ACT scores
sent to them.
o Also, at the end of your junior year have your official
transcripts send to the clearinghouse.
o The national average for the SAT is 1031 and 21 is the
average for the ACT
 NJCAA (Junior college) www.njcaa.org do not require college
entrance exam scores.
 Work hard! Don’t sandbag and take easy courses to keep your
GPA high. College coaches want to see you are willing to challenge
yourself, academically as well as athletically.
 Most coaches are looking for a 3.0 GPA or higher
o A high GPA tells a coach he does not have to worry about
you keeping your grades up to stay eligible.
o NCAA uses a sliding scale using the GPA and SAT/ACT score
to determine eligibility. This information can be found on
the
https://web1.ncaa.org/eligibilitycenter/student/index_stude
nt.html
o Make a list of colleges you are interested in.
 This list should start out with 10-20 colleges in your
junior year and be narrowed to 5 colleges by your
senior year.
 Your list should include a couple of schools that are a
“stretch” and a couple you know you can get into.
 Make college campus visits. Most colleges have preview days that
students can connect with faculty, students and get an overall feel
of campus life.
o Call the admissions office and ask if you can meet the coach
or tour the facilities. Ask players how they like the coaches.
If you attend the game seek out the player’s parents and ask
them how they like the coaches, school and program.
 Don’t go to college to “just play ball”. Consider what the school
has to offer you toward your future.
o Location
o Size
o Cost
o Acceptance Rate
o Degree plans
 A great site that will give you an idea of where you will be
accepted is www.cappex.com
o Set up a profile using your GPA and ACT / SAT scores.
 The NCAA regulates the number of hours per week that you can
participate in athletics (20 hours). They use all of it!
 Generally speaking each college credit hour requires twice the
number of hours of study per week out of class. (ex. 2 credit hours
= 4 hours of study).
 Don’t rule out a private university because the price is too high
o Most private universities have endowments that could
actually make them about the same price as a public
university.
Athletics
 Register with a recruiting site. I recommend
www.berecruited.com. There are many sites on the web but this
one is $40.00 for a lifetime and has some outstanding features for
contacting coaches and reviewing colleges.
o When setting up your profile be honest about statistics,
height, weight etc.
 Make as much information available to the coaches as possible.
o High School Schedule
o Summer team and schedule
o Stats, GPA, athletic honors, academic honors, and other
sports played etc.
o photos
 Make a short video
o Coaches want to see mechanics! I do not recommend game
film.
 Do not send unsolicited videos to coaches. They will ask for them
if they want to see you.
 Set up a free Yahoo e-mail account and direct all of your recruiting
information here. I recommend that college admissions
information also go through this site.
o In your account set up an auto signature.
 Don’t be afraid to contact a coach of a college you are truly
interested in.
o Most coaches publish their contact information on their
college athletic site.
o Check out college athletic site components
 Rosters
 What state are most of their recruits from?
 Do they appear to acquire their players from
junior colleges?
 If you are a position player will there be a spot for
you?
 Coaches
 Team Record
 Evaluate your talent honestly. If you are a Division I prospect you
and everyone else will know it.
o What are your options?
 Division I,II and III
 NAIA
 Junior College I,II and III
 Community College
 Attend a reputable showcase where your talent will be evaluated.
o Choose showcases that are only for high school aged
players. I would specifically choose one that was for 16-18
year olds and had the attending scouts listed.
o If you are invited to a showcase by a college coach it could
be designed to fund their baseball program. Ask around in
baseball circles to find the good ones.
 Play summer ball. Make sure the tournaments your summer team
attends regularly host college coaches.
 Don’t get frustrated! This can be a grueling process that takes
many hours and a lot of commitment. Most baseball players sign
in their senior year or AFTER they graduate.
 Once signed, do not quit working hard.
Parent Involvement
 What should my role be in the recruiting process?
o Make sure the player follows through on keeping the site
information accurate and updated
o Make sure the player returns emails / calls to college
coaches
 That’s it………………….? Yes, an over involved parent is a detriment
to the athlete!
o Don’t talk to the player during the game
o Don’t bug the scouts…..they do not like this!
 Don’t mention to them your son’s name or number
 Don’t coach from the stands
 Let the player take care of his own business….in most
cases they want to anyway.
 Don’t pressure them to perform or make excuses for
them when they don’t. Remember, they will have to
perform in high school, showcases and in a few of
them in college.
 Let the initial contact of a coach to be made by the
player or high school / summer coach.
 Respect the situation and do not go in the dugout or
call your son to the fence during the game. Coaches
see this.
Athletic Timeline
Freshman Year
 Plan out high school curriculum meeting NCAA Clearinghouse
standards.
 Explore and join club / select teams
 Participate in showcase events
 Start researching colleges and athletic programs online
Sophomore Year
 Continue to participate in showcase events
 Continue researching colleges and athletic programs online
 talk to coaches, teachers, counselors and parents and get
suggestions about colleges and college programs
 Visit colleges
Junior Year (First Half)
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Generate a list of potential schools
Initiate contact with coaches at those schools
Take study courses for the ACT and SAT exams
Take college entrance exams for the first time
Visit colleges you are interested in.
o TWCA allows 2 days per year to make college visits without
being penalized for absence.
Junior Year (Second Half)
 Finish compiling your list of potential schools
 Put together an academic / athletic resume’ that can be mailed to
colleges / coaches
o This is one of the features that is provided through
berecruited.com
 Retake the SAT / ACT.
o These exams can be taken as often as you like
 Make college visits during spring break
 Register with NCAA Clearinghouse
 Ask you coach to write a letter of recommendation and send
them to your favorite schools
Junior Year (Summer)
 Make more college visits
 Continue with club / select exposure events
 Attend a prospect camp at a school you’re interested in
Senior Year (Fall)
 Get all of your applications mailed
 Visit any schools you’re interested in and have not already
attended
 Go on an official visit if invited
o An official visit is when a coach contacts you and invites you
to the school to look at his program.
o I believe the NCAA regulates 5 official visits during your high
school career.
 Consider a second visit to any school you are interested in.
 If nothing has materialized, re-contact schools of interest or
contact new ones
Senior Year (Winter)
 Fill out the Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form for financial aid
o This form will help schools determine how much money
your family can reasonably afford to contribute to your
education
 Apply for merit scholarships at the schools you are interested in.
Terms to Know
 Contact Period – It is permissible for authorized athletic
department staff
members to make in-person, off campus recruiting contacts and
evaluations.
 Dead Period – It is not permissible to make in-person recruiting
contacts or evaluations on or off campus or to permit official or
unofficial visits
 Evaluation Period – It is permissible for authorized athletic
department staff to be involved in off campus activities to assess
academic qualifications and playing abilities. No in-person, off
campus recruiting contacts with a prospect is permitted.
 Quiet Period – Permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts
on the institution’s campus.