Title: RECRUITING MADE SIMPLE
1RECRUITING MADE SIMPLE The Ultimate Guide to the
College Recruiting Process By UnderRecruited
Preps
2Introduction UnderRecruited Preps You have one
chance at your college recruiting process. Don't
waste it. Recruiting is competitive. Think of all
the other athletes out there wanting a chance to
play their sport at the college level. Recruits
need to find ways to stand out. College coaches
are going to be more interested in athletes who
have been actively reaching out to them and are
knowledgeable about their program. The athletic
recruiting process is time consuming, confusing,
and very difficult if one doesn't know where to
start. An online recruiting profile is very
important to have college coaches view academic
and athletic abilities. UnderRecruited Preps
connects student-athletes to college coaches and
teaches them about the athletic recruiting
process. Coaches Corner Coaches Corner
Minnesota State University-Mankato Assistant
Football Coach Kevin Sanger The best things high
school student-athletes can do to get their name
out there are to attend camps clinics, get on
college campuses and meet coaches, emails, and
recruiting services aren't a bad option either as
far as getting their names out there and help
you get exposure. St. Catherine University Head
Softball Coach Colleen Powers I think the
biggest way that you get recruited is you find
opportunities for exposure. In softball it's
attending camps and clinics at an institution
you're interested in attending and getting a
degree from, it's going to participate on teams
that are in tournaments across the country as
well as locally and regionally where coaches are
able to see you play, and it's also investing
time and energy in getting to know the process
and understanding. Especially at the Division
three level it's a two-way street the institution
wants to get to know you, you must get to know
the degree programs, the campus, the coaching
staff, the current team, the needs of the
program, and the future vision of the program as
well. Concordia University St. Paul Recruiting
Coordinator Jake Munkwitz There are several
different ways at this level. We're going to
reach out to high school coaches in the winter
time and in the springtime trying to get a list
of guys they feel like can play at the college
level, and then we'll determine how does this
guy fit into what we're doing. Is he going to fit
into the schemes and the systems that we try and
use you? Another way is we use recruiting
services. I could name a hundred different
recruiting services that send out emails that we
check their sites on a weekly basis. That's
another way for us to get names, to get film, to
evaluate, and to check out things that we may
otherwise miss from high school coaches that we
don't get the information from. Maybe a coach is
busy or may have a different job and they don't
have time to help their players with the college
recruiting process. Those are the two biggest
ways is through high school coaches and through
recruiting services to try and
3collect as many names and as much film as we can
to evaluate and determine what kind of fit each
individual is going to be for what we're trying
to do. University of Minnesota Assistant
Baseball Coach Rob Fornasiere Well, I think the
number one way to get recruited is certainly to
get places where you can get seen and when you
get seen in an event play well. There's no
substitute for playing well and having physical
skill. The other filters I've talked about
whether it be your academic profile, your
character profile, or certain things that you've
done off the field those are all ancillary
things to what you bring to the table as an
athlete. If you're truly a Division one baseball
player, then you're a dominant player and that
means that even on some of your average or below
average days as a player you're still better
than other people in your conference and on your
team. That would be an indication of a dominant
player and that's a way to get noticed. There are
very few secrets today and so if you're a
dominant player, in my opinion, you'll get
noticed. Minnesota State University-Mankato
Head Womens Hockey Coach John Harrington It's
important that they get that process started
early. I think it's getting earlier now where
student-athletes are getting recruited and
making verbal commitments to go to certain
schools. I think sometimes if you wait and think
that sometime down the line eventually, somebody
is going to see you're going to run out of time
because there aren't that many scholarships to
go around in all these sports and especially in
hockey too. It's important that you follow
through and whether it's you making contact with
them and them asking you to do a questionnaire
and not putting that over here but getting on it
and getting it back and you're showing as much
interest in them as you expect them to show
interest in you. Concordia University St. Paul
Recruiting Coordinator Jake Munkwitz There are
several different ways at this level. We're going
to reach out to high school coaches in the winter
time and in the spring time trying to get a list
of guys they feel like can play at the college
level, and then we'll determine how does this
guy fit into what we're doing. Is he going to fit
into the schemes and the systems that we try and
use you? Another way is we use recruiting
services. I could name a hundred different
recruiting services that send out emails that we
check their sites on a weekly basis. That's
another way for us to get names, to get film, to
evaluate, and to check out things that we may
otherwise miss from high school coaches that we
don't get the information from. Maybe a coach is
busy or may have a different job and they don't
have time to help their players with the college
recruiting process. Those are the two biggest
ways is through high school coaches and through
recruiting services to try and collect as many
names and as much film as we can to evaluate and
determine what kind of fit each individual is
going to be for what we're trying to do.
43 Realities of College Recruiting REALITY 1
THE TRUE COST OF TODAYS COLLEGE EDUCATION
(source finaid.org)
Avg. tuition books fees R/B Avg. time to graduate X 24,500/year 5.5 Years
Avg. Total College Education 134,750
Avg. College Tuition Inflation Rate 7.00
AVG. TOTAL COLLEGE COSTS 145,000
- PROJECTED PRICE RANGE if you graduate from
college in 4 years - Most Expensive (Ivy) 220,000 (55K/yr)
- Least Expensive (public in-state) 60,000
(15K/yr) - REALITY 2 THE TRUTH ABOUT COMPETING IN COLLEGE
- 7 MILLION high school athletes competing
nationwide - 2 MILLION high school senior athletes competing
nationwide - 100,000 college freshman roster spots available
- BOTTOM LINE 2 MILLION high school athletes are
competing for 100,000 roster spots (5 will
play, 95 will not play). - REALITY 3 THE TRUTH ABOUT HOW COACHES RECRUIT
ATHLETES - MANY things need to happen before a coach makes
you an offer - Know about you (relationship begins)
510 Things you should NEVER say to a College Coach
- How much scholarship money can you give me?
- Thanks for your interest but Im looking for a
better school. - To whom It may concern
- Lying to a coach about grades or athletics
- Making excuses for not playing well
- I'm sorry for being late
- I'll clean up my social media messages
- I'll try to follow up better
- Yo coach Im interested in your school
- I don't like my high school coach
6How interested are they? ladder.
Top Recruiting Advice
7Understanding your level of recruitment This
table serves as a guide for you to understand
your position in the recruiting process. This
guide is most reflective of the Division I
recruiting process. Remember Division II, III,
NAIA or NJCAA may be a bit slower. But if you
want the opportunity to play at the highest
level, you need to be prepared. Each category
describes the average experience, and it is not
exact. If you do not fit into the category that
you would like, do not worry! But this means you
must be proactive because some players are being
recruited heavily and you do not want to fall
behind. Senior Year 1st day of senior classes-
graduation
Extremely Recruited
Verbally committed (early Junior year) and signing National Letter of Intent in November
10 or more scholarship offers
At least 10 official visit invitations, if not already committed
50 or more phone calls from different schools
Weekly emails or phone calls from coaches
Highly Recruited
Verbally committed and signing National Letter of Intent in November
At least 5 scholarship offers
At least 5 official visit invitations, if not already committed
At least 30 phone calls from different schools
Frequent emails or phone calls from coaches
Moderately Recruited
Signing National Letter of Intent in April or invitation to walk-on
1-3 scholarship offers
Under 5 official visit invitations
10 or more phone calls in July
Periodic emails or phone calls from coaches
Coaches tell student to apply
Less Recruited
Maybe 1 scholarship offer
College coaches invite recruit to walk-on
Not more than 3 official visit invitations
No more than 10 phone calls in July
Few emails or phone calls
8Not Recruited
Coaches say recruiting class is complete
Less than 10 form emails are received
Fewer than 10 questionnaires
Continually receive camp brochures
Junior Year/ Rising Senior 1st day of junior
classes- summer before senior year
Extremely Recruited
Over 60 written contacts on September 1
Personal phone calls from coaches immediately following July 1
At least 10 scholarship offers
Unofficial visit invitations and being made throughout the year
College coaches attend several high school and club games and practices
Club coaches are being regularly contacted about you
College coaches inquire about your academic status
Highly Recruited
Over 45 written contacts on September 1
Personal phone calls from coaches immediately following July 1
At least 3 scholarship offers
Unofficial visit invitations and being made throughout the year
College coaches show up at high school and club games 2 or more times
College coaches extend personal invitation for recruit to attend camp
College coaches invite recruit to attend games
Video requests
Questionnaire requests
Transcript requested
Moderately Recruited
Emails from coaches in the fall
Unofficial visit invitations and being made throughout the year
College coaches evaluate recruit in person 1-2 times during club season
College coaches invite recruit to games
Video requests
Questionnaire requests
Transcript requested
9Less Recruited
Form emails or letters from coaches
College coaches briefly appear at recruit's club games
College coach requests continual updates
Minimal personal attention, usually in response to recruit's inquiries
Main contact is the school's office of admissions
Not Recruited
10 or less form emails are received
Fewer than 10 questionnaires
Continually receive camp brochures
Sophomore Year/Rising Junior 1st day of
sophomore classes- summer before junior year
Extremely Recruited
Over 60 written contacts from different schools
At least 3 scholarship offers
College coaches attend several club games and practices, and a high school game
College coaches contact recruit's high school or club coach/director
Questionnaire requests
Highly Recruited
Over 30 written contacts from different schools
At least 1 scholarship offer
College coaches make a brief appearance at a club game
College coaches contact recruit's high school or club coach/director
Moderately Recruited
Fewer than 30 written contacts from different schools
College coaches may watch recruit play at club tournaments
Less Recruited
Fewer than 15 written contacts from different schools
Coach will not make special effort to see recruit play
10Not Recruited
Recruit receives camp brochures and general admission information only
Freshmen Year/Rising Sophomore 1st day of
freshmen classes summer before sophomore year
Extremely Recruited
More than 30 written contacts
At least 1 offer
College coaches watch recruit play at club tournaments
College coaches contact recruit's high school or club coach/director
Highly Recruited
Over 15 written contacts
College coaches watch recruit play at club tournaments
College coaches contact recruit's high school or club coach/director
Moderately Recruited
Fewer than 15 written contacts
College coaches have inquired about recruit
Less Recruited
Fewer than 10 written contacts
Not Recruited
Most freshmen are not being recruited at this time
Focus on playing and having fun
11Estimated probability of competing in college
athletics
High School Participants NCAA Participants Overall HS to NCAA HS to NCAA Division I HS to NCAA Division II HS to NCAA Division III
MEN MEN MEN MEN MEN MEN MEN
Baseball 491,790 34,980 7.1 2.1 2.2 2.8
Basketball 550,305 18,712 3.4 1.0 1.0 1.4
Cross Country 266,271 14,350 5.4 1.8 1.4 2.2
Football 1,057,382 73,063 6.9 2.7 1.8 2.4
Golf 141,466 8,527 6.0 2.1 1.7 2.2
Ice Hockey 35,210 4,199 11.9 4.8 0.6 6.5
Lacrosse 111,842 13,899 12.4 2.9 2.3 7.1
Soccer 450,234 24,986 5.5 1.3 1.5 2.7
Swimming 138,364 9,691 7.0 2.7 1.1 3.1
Tennis 158,171 7,957 5.0 1.6 1.1 2.3
Track Field 600,136 28,595 4.8 1.8 1.2 1.7
Volleyball 57,209 2,007 3.5 0.7 0.7 2.0
Water Polo 21,286 1,013 4.8 2.7 0.7 1.3
Wrestling 244,804 7,175 2.9 1.0 0.8 1.1
High School Participants NCAA Participants Overall HS to NCAA HS to NCAA Division I HS to NCAA Division II HS to NCAA Division III
WOMEN WOMEN WOMEN WOMEN WOMEN WOMEN WOMEN
Basketball 430,368 16,532 3.8 1.2 1.1 1.5
Cross Country 226,039 15,966 7.1 2.6 1.8 2.7
Field Hockey 60,549 6,066 10.0 3.0 1.3 5.7
Golf 75,605 5,372 7.1 2.9 2.1 2.2
Ice Hockey 9,599 2,355 24.5 8.8 1.2 14.5
Lacrosse 93,473 11,752 12.6 3.7 2.7 6.2
Soccer 388,339 27,638 7.1 2.4 1.9 2.8
Softball 367,405 19,999 5.4 1.7 1.6 2.1
Swimming 170,797 12,684 7.4 3.3 1.2 2.9
Tennis 187,519 8,736 4.7 1.5 1.1 2.1
Track Field 494,477 29,907 6.0 2.7 1.5 1.8
Volleyball 444,779 17, 387 3.9 1.2 1.1 1.6
Water Polo 20, 826 1,159 5.6 3.4 0.9 1.3
12Vocabulary Celebratory Standardized Signing
Form (A form used by Division III institutions.)
The Celebratory Standardized Signing Form is a
standard NCAA-provided, nonbinding athletics
celebratory signing form after a college-bound
student athlete has been accepted for enrollment
at a Division III school. Contact A contact
happens any time a college coach says more than
hello during a face-to-face meeting with you or
your parents off the colleges campus. Contact
period During a contact period, a college coach
may have face-to-face contact with you or your
parents, watch you compete, visit your high
school and write or telephone you or your
parents. Dead period A college coach may not
have any face-to face contact with you or your
parents on or off the college campus at any time
during a dead period. The coach may write and
call you or your parents during this
time. Evaluation An evaluation happens when a
college coach observes you practicing or
competing. Evaluation period During an
evaluation period, a college coach may watch you
compete, visit your high school and write or
telephone you or your parents. However, a
college coach may not have face-to-face contact
with you or your parents off the colleges
campus during an evaluation period. Financial
aid (Scholarship) Any money you receive from a
college or another source, such as outside loans
or grants. Financial aid may be based on
athletics ability, financial need or academic
achievement. Five-year clock If you play at a
Division I school, you have five calendar years
in which to play four seasons of competition.
Your five- year clock starts when you enroll as
a full-time student at any college. Thereafter,
your clock continues, even if you spend an
academic year in residence as a result of
transferring, decide to redshirt, do not attend
school or attend school part time during your
college career.
13Full-time student Each school determines what
full-time status means. Typically, you are a
full-time student if you are enrolled for at
least 12 credit hours in a term, but somen
schools define a full-time student as someone who
takes fewer than 12 credit hours in a
term. International student An international
student is any student who is enrolled in a
secondary school outside the United States, U.S.
territories or Canada (except Quebec).
Institutional Request List An Institutional
Request List is a list of college- bound
student-athletes who an NCAA Division I and/or II
school is interested in recruiting. The action of
activating a college-bound student-athlete to
the IRL informs the NCAA Eligibility Center of
the schools interest in having an academic
certification decision for the student-athlete. O
fficial commitment When you officially commit to
attend a Division I or II college, you sign a
National Letter of Intent, agreeing to attend
that school for one academic year. Official
visit During an official visit, the college can
pay for transportation to and from the college
for you, lodging and meals (Division I allows
for up to three meals per day) for you and your
parents or guardians, as well as reasonable
entertainment expenses including three tickets to
a Division I home sports event or five tickets to
a Division II home sports event. Before a
college may invite you on an official visit, you
will have to provide the college with a copy of
your high school transcript and ACT, SAT or PLAN
score (test scores are required for Division I
only) and register with the NCAA Eligibility
Center. Quiet period During this time, a
college coach may not have any in-person contact
with you or your parents off the colleges
campus. The coach may not watch you play or visit
your high school during this period. You and your
parents may visit a college campus during this
time. A coach may write or call you or your
parents during this time. Recruited If a
college coach calls you more than once, contacts
you off campus, pays your expenses to visit the
campus, or in Divisions I and II, issues you a
National Letter of Intent or a written offer of
financial aid, you are considered to be
recruited. Recruiting calendar NCAA member
schools limit recruiting to certain periods
during the year. Recruiting calendars promote the
well-being of college-bound student-athletes and
ensure fairness among schools by defining certain
periods during the year in which recruiting may
or may not occur in a particular sport.
14Season of competition Generally, NCAA rules say
that any competition in a season regardless of
the amount of time counts as having played a
season in that sport. If you play any time during
a season, regardless of how long you played, it
counts as having played for an entire season in
that sport. Your season of competition starts
when you spend one second in competition on the
field, court, gym or track. Ten-semester/15-quart
er clock If you play at a Division II or III
school, you have the first 10 semesters or 15
quarters in which you are enrolled as a
full-time student to complete your four seasons
of participation. You use a semester or quarter
any time you attend class as a full-time student
or are enrolled part time and compete for the
school. You do not use a term if you only attend
part time with no competition or are not enrolled
for a term. Two-year college A school where
students can earn an Associate of Arts degree, an
Associate of Science degree or an Associate of
Applied Science degree within two years. Some
people call these schools community colleges or
junior colleges. Unofficial visit Any visit by
you and your parents to a college campus paid for
by you or your parents. The only expense you may
receive from the college is three complimentary
admissions to a Division I home athletics contest
or five complimentary admissions to a Division
II home athletics contest. You may make as many
unofficial visits as you like and may take those
visits at any time. The only time you cannot talk
with a coach during an unofficial visit is during
a dead period. Verbal commitment A verbal
commitment happens when you verbally agree to
play sports for a college before you sign or are
eligible to sign a National Letter of Intent.
The commitment is not binding on you or the
school and can be made at any time. Walk-on Some
one who is not typically recruited by a school to
participate in sports and does not receive a
scholarship from the school, but who becomes a
member of one of the schools athletics teams