Many student athletes believe their high school or club coaches are responsible for their recruiting process.

In reality, the average high school coach has contact with fewer than five college coaches and most of them are local. Most high school coaches think they know how the recruiting process works when the truth is most don't. High school coaches do not have college prospects playing for them every year and fall out of touch with the college coaches they've known in the past.

Too many high school athletes and their parents believe that college colleges will come to them with scholarship offers when they reach their senior year of high school. That may be true if you were an All-State athlete as a sophomore, but less than 2% of student/athletes have that happen for them.

Student athletes and their families are ultimately responsible for connecting with college coaches.

Don't rely solely on your high school or club coach. Using our videos on sites like beRecruited.com and NCSASports.org will increase your ability to self promote and get scholarships.

1. Get evaluated by a 3rd party.
2. Post your academic/athletic resume at beRecruited.com and NCSASports.org
3. Create a professional highlight/skills video
4. Contact 100 coaches minimum
5. Build relationships and follow up with college coaches, you can't start too soon.

College coaches don't discover talent by attending games. They're too busy with their coaching duties to attend most combines, showcases, and tournaments. College coaches depend on verified information from reliable sources about prospects. Most coaches attend tournaments, games, and camps with a list of students to evaluate, not with the hopes of discovering prospects.

84% of Division I prospects are identified by the end of their sophomore year. Be proactive in getting your name, academic scores and athletic achievements in front of college coaches as soon as possible.

College coaches do a majority of their initial evaluation by looking at video online. They don't want their desks cluttered with DVDs. After watching a video, a coach may decide to have a member of his or her staff make an in-person evaluation. Having a video online that can be easily distributed to college coaches is a must.

While the following checklist was written by an expert in college softball recruiting, the checklist applies to any student-athlete wanting to play in college, regardless of your chosen sport.

The following checklist was put together for student-athletes by Cathi Aradi, a softball recruiting consultant, and the owner of Collegiate Softball Connection. She is considered one of the very best resources in the country on collegiate (softball) recruiting by players and their families, youth and college coaches alike. In a StudentSportsSoftball.com poll of over 250 of the top youth coaches in the country, she was voted one of the "Ten Most Influential People in Softball," which included Olympians Jenny Finch and Lisa Fernandez, former UCLA coach Sue Enquist and USA Olympic coach Mike Candrea. Coaches have called Cathi's book, Preparing to Play Softball at the Collegiate Level, the "Bible of Fastpitch Recruiting."

JUNIOR YEAR CHECKLIST :

• Involve your parents in your decision-making process.
• Decide how close you want to be to your home.
• Decide on what level (Division I, II, III) you can compete in college. Ask your high school and summer league coaches for an evaluation of your ability. BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF!!
• Write coaches. Personalize each letter. College coaches are turned off by form letters.
• Return softball questionnaires sent by college coaches as soon as possible. Delay indicates lack of interest.
• Make a videotape. Many college coaches will request a videotape of your skills.
• Send high school and summer league schedules to college coaches.
• Be conscious of your high school grades, the level of courses you take, the correct number of courses and your rank in your class.
• Schedule yourself to take the ACT or SAT's.
• Decide on which colleges have your areas of study or interest. Be aware of "college nights" in your area.
• Start your initial-eligibility clearinghouse.

SENIOR YEAR CHECKLIST:

• Follow up on your clearinghouse eligibility.
• Take or retake your ACT or SAT's.
• Start collecting college applications. Be aware of deadlines.
• Complete and mail applications early. Let coaches know you have applied.
• Follow up your contact with college coaches with a phone call or note.
• Narrow your choice of colleges to five or six.
• Decide on what colleges to visit (remember - you may only make five official (paid) visits. Do not make a decision unless you have visited the campus and met the coach.

TIPS ON RECRUITING

• Develop your recruiting profile as if it were your resume and act as if you were looking for a job. Although it's never too late, the ideal time to start putting this together is the summer before your junior year.
• Begin with the basics - name, address, telephone number, social security number and school. Then list your athletic and scholastic accomplishments, plus any honors you've received. Add any extracurricular activities in which you've participated at this point.
• Do some research. See which schools offer an athletic and academic program that suits your needs.
• Write interest letters/emails to coaches. To find the coaches names use the school's website, but if necessary, call the schools' athletic departments. With the use of the internet, there is no reason you can't find the coach's email address and write a personal letter/email to let the coach know of your desire to play at his/her school.
• Note in each letter that you're interested in the schools' athletic and academic program and fill the coach in on your background. Enclose your profile/resume and, if possible, a letter of recommendation from a high school or summer team coach. If you have made a skills video, include a link to your video in the email. You'll most likely get a letter back with a questionnaire to fill out.
• Make a skills tape.

WHAT TO ASK DURING RECRUITMENT

ATHLETICS:

• What positions will I play on your team??
• It's not always obvious.
• Most coaches want to be flexible so that you are not disappointed.
• Describe the other players competing at the same position.
• If there is a former high-school all-American at that position,you may want to take that into consideration.
• This will give you clues as to what year you might be a starter.
• Can I "redshirt" my first year??
• Find out how common it is to redshirt and how that will affect graduation.
• Does the school redshirt you if you are injured?
• What are the physical requirements each year??
• Philosophies of strength and conditioning vary by institution.
• You may be required to maintain a certain weight.
• How would you best describe your coaching style??
• Every coach has a particular style that involves different motivational techniques and discipline.
• You need to know if a coach's teaching style does not match your learning style.
• What is the game plan?
• For team sports, find out what kind of offense and defense is employed.
• When does the head coach's contract end??
• Don't make any assumptions about how long a coach will be at a school.
• If the coach is losing and the contract ends in two years, you may have a new coach.
• Describe the preferred, invited and uninvited walk-on situation. How many make it, compete and earn a scholarship??
• Different teams treat walk-ons differently.

ACADEMICS:

• How good is the department in my major??
• Smaller colleges can have very highly rated departments.
• A team's reputation is only one variable to consider.
• What percentage of players on scholarship graduate in 4 years??
• This will tell you about the quality of their commitment to academics.
• The team's grade-point average also is a good indicator of the coach's commitment to academics.
• Ask about the typical class sizes.
• At larger schools, classes are likely to be larger and taught by teaching assistants.
• Average class size is important to the amount of attention you receive.
• Describe in detail your academic support program. For example: Study hall requirements, tutor availability, staff, class load, faculty cooperation. This is imperative for marginal students.
• Find a college that will take the 3.00 students and help them get a 3.500 GPA.
• Ask the coach to describe the typical day for a student-athlete.
• This will give you a good indication of how much time is spent in class, practice, studying and traveling.
• It also will give you a good indication of what coaches expect.
• What are the residence halls like??
• Make sure you would feel comfortable in study areas, community bathrooms and laundry facilities.
• Number of students in a room and coed dorms are other variable to consider.
• Will I be required to live on campus for all four years??
• If the answer is yes, ask whether there are exceptions.
• Apartment living may be better than dorm living.

FINANCIAL AID:

• How much financial aid is available for summer school??
• There is no guarantee. Get a firm commitment.
• You may need to lighten your normal load and go to summer school in order to graduate in four years. You can take graduate courses and maintain your eligibility.
• What are the details of financial aid at your institution??
• What does my scholarship cover??
• What can I receive in addition to the Scholarship and how do I get more aid??
• How long does my scholarship last??
• Most people think a "full ride" is good for four years.
• Financial aid is available on a one-year renewable basis.
• If I'm injured, what happens to my financial aid??
• A grant-in-aid is not guaranteed past a one-year period even for injuries.
• It is important to know if a school has a commitment to assist student-athletes for more than a year after they have been injured.
• What are my opportunities for employment while I'm a student??
• Find out if you can be employed in-season, out-of-season or during vacation periods: NCAA rules prohibit you from earning more than the value of a full scholarship during the academic year.

INITIAL-ELIGIBILITY CLEARINGHOUSE

Why do I need to register and be certified??

If you intend to participate in Division I or II athletics as a freshman in college, you must be registered with and be certified as eligible by the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse. Please note that initial-eligibility certification pertains only to whether you meet the NCAA requirements for participation in Division I athletics and has no bearing on your admission to a particular Division I or II institution.

When should I register??

You should register with the clearinghouse whenever you decide you would like to participate in athletics as a college freshman. It's generally best to register any time before participation. If you register late you may face delays that will prevent you from practicing and competing.

How do I register??

You will need to obtain registration materials from your high-school guidance counselor. These materials include a student-release form and a red brochure titled, "Making Sure You Are Eligible to Participate in College Sports". Fill out the student-release form completely and mail the top (white) copy of the form to the clearinghouse along with their required fee. Give the pink and yellow copies of the student-release form to your high school to forward your transcript to the clearinghouse. The high school will keep the pink cop of the form for its files.

What if I have attended more than one high school??

If you have attended multiple high schools since ninth grade, each school will need to send your official transcripts to the clearinghouse. You should give the pink and yellow copies of the student-release form to the counselor at the high school from which you will be graduating. You also will need to make copies of this form and send them to the counselors at the other schools that you have attended.

Are standardized test scores required??

If you have no intention of playing at an NCAA institution, you have no need or requirement to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. But, if your skills develop and you have scholarship offers from a NCAA school and you haven't registered, that quickly you have fallen behind your peers and the coach at the NCAA school that was interested may decide he/she doesn't have time to wait for you to register and wait to have your eligibility determined. If you think there is even an outside chance of playing NCAA sports, register as soon as possible.

Qualifying test scores are required for participation at both Division I & II colleges. If you intend to participate at either a Division I or II school, the test scores may be taken from you official high-school transcript.


Update: NCAA Eligibility Center (formerly the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse)
All high school athletes wishing to compete in college at a Division I or Division II institution must register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. Information about the eligibility center can be found in the Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete . The NCAA national office does not handle initial eligibility certifications. Please do not contact the NCAA national office with inquiries regarding an individual's initial eligibility status, including whether transcripts, student release forms, etc., were received or about when you will be cleared. The NCAA Eligibility Center maintains and processes all of the initial-eligibility certifications.
See the NCAA Eligibility Center Web Site