The Dos

Understand the NCAA recruiting rules

All communication during the recruiting process is dictated by the NCAA recruiting rules and calendar. For most Division I and Division II programs, communication between college coaches and student-athletes and their families is prohibited until June 15 after the athlete’s sophomore year. While student-athletes can send an introductory email to college coaches prior to this date, they should understand that the coach will be unable to respond until after the June 15 date. This rule applies to parents, as well.

Once communication can begin, parents should encourage their athlete to practice clear and consistent communication with college coaches throughout the recruiting process. 

Ask questions during unofficial and office visits

Unofficial and official visits provide student-athletes and their families an opportunity to get to know a college coach, the athletic program and explore campus. During these visits, student-athletes and their parents are encouraged to ask questions. While parents should allow their athlete to take the lead during the conversation, college coaches understand that parents might have logistical questions around admissions and financial aid that a student-athlete might not think to ask.

Prior to a visit, parents should sit down with their athlete to discuss what questions you would like to ask the coach and determine who will be responsible for asking those questions during the visit. To help you and your student-athlete prepare for on-campus conversations with college coaches, here are 10 questions parents should ask college coaches.

Encourage your student-athlete

Contacting college coaches can be intimidating and athletes will likely lean on their parents for help during the process. Parents should be supportive, while also setting the expectation that the athlete is responsible for managing their own recruiting process.

Parents can help their athlete brainstorm talking points and questions, practice conversations for phone calls and visits and proofread digital communications, as long as the athlete remains responsible for sending emails, making phone calls and carrying the conversation during unofficial and official visits.

This level of support allows parents to help ease the stress their athlete may be feeling, while empowering them to take control of their own recruiting process. This will also impress college coaches, who look for athletes that take the lead and put in the effort during the recruiting process.

The Don’ts

 Contact college coaches

Plain and simple: student-athletes should be the only ones contacting college coaches during the recruiting process. While parents may be tempted to pick up the phone or send college coaches a quick email to talk about their child and ask questions, this may do more harm than good for your athlete.

College coaches want student-athletes to be an advocate for themselves, while parents provide a support system in the background. Student-athletes who take the lead and initiate email communication, phone calls and contact during recruiting events are more likely to catch the attention of college coaches than those who have their parents do it for them.

Speak on behalf of the student-athlete

This is one of the biggest mistakes that parents can make during the recruiting process. While college coaches understand that parents want to and should be involved in the recruiting process, overstepping your bounds can put your athlete at risk of losing recruiting opportunities. Calling college coaches to advocate for your athlete or speaking on your athlete’s behalf during a visit can directly impact a college coach’s decision to continue recruiting your child.

The college recruiting process is intended to help coaches get to know student-athletes and help athletes get to know college coaches and the sports program. College coaches want athletes to speak for themselves, so they can gauge the athlete’s genuine interest in the program and whether they will be a good fit for the team. Remember, college coaches are recruiting the student-athlete, not the athlete’s parents.

If you’re worried about how your athlete will manage when conversing with college coaches, set aside time to role play. This will allow your athlete to practice having a recruiting conversation and give you an opportunity to provide constructive feedback on how they can improve.

BEHAVIOR EVERY PARENT SHOULD AVOID
This is not a joke – BEHAVIOR EVERY PARENT SHOULD AVOID or it will raise a RED FLAG with college coaches

We’ve all been at a game, maybe ten, where a parent gets out of hand. You know what I’m talking about, the parent who screams at the referee on every call, berates the other team and is constantly coaching their kid from the stands. I don’t know about you, but this kind of behavior drives me crazy. And, I know it’s alarming for a college coach, too. Rest assured, college coaches notice this type of behavior from the parents of any athlete they’re truly interested in.

Listen, a scholarship is a huge investment for a university to make in a high school athlete. College coaches take the responsibility of making scholarship offers seriously. Very seriously. Because, making the right decisions on which athletes they recruit is critical to their livelihood. For that reason, in addition to evaluating the athlete, college coaches also evaluate the parents of the athletes they’re recruiting.

A parent’s actions and behavior could be the deciding factor between two athletes of similar abilities. Parents need to know the things coaches notice to be sure they don’t negatively impact their kid’s chances for a scholarship. Here are some behaviors all parents should avoid!

Constantly critiquing

As discussed above, everyone knows a parent or two who constantly complains about the coach, the players and the officials. If you’re one of those parents, just understand that you might be sitting next to or near a college coach recruiting your athlete. Yikes!

College coaches know that this kind of behavior teaches a young athlete to make excuses instead of making adjustments. It also creates an atmosphere of tension, and tense athletes typically don’t perform very well. Finally, this behavior will most likely continue into college and then the college coach will have to deal with it. Here’s a good rule of thumb: just enjoy watching your athlete compete and let them talk about the game on the car ride home.

Helicoptering

A Helicopter Parent is defined by Google as “a parent who takes an overprotective or excessive interest in the life of their child or children.” Let me say it another way, “They hover over their kids like a TV news helicopter over a car wreck”.  To some extent, all parents have been Helicopter Parents at one time or another, but the problematic Helicopter Parent is easy to spot when their child is an athlete. Whether they want to admit it or not, a helicopter parent can actually have a negative impact on an athlete’s chance for a scholarship. There’s a fine line between being a supportive role model and a true, full-fledged “helicopter parent”.

Helicopter parents tend to try and influence the recruiting process for their athlete. Some try to push a particular school on their athlete and others might talk to college coaches at inappropriate times or in inappropriate situations. Parents need to realize that they aren’t the one who will be on the team. It’s not their athletic career.

Lawnmowing 

A Lawnmower parent is defined by the MacMillan Dictionary as “a parent who clears all obstacles from their child’s path, so that they never have to deal with any problems by themselves. Instead of hovering, lawnmower parents clear a path for their child before they even take a step, pre-empting possible problems and mowing down obstacles in their child’s way.”

If a college coach determines that an athlete’s parents are truly “lawnmower parents” they may steer away from that recruit. There’s no scientific study on children of lawnmower parents (yet), but I would bet money that those kids don’t deal with adversity very well and aren’t the most coachable athletes on the planet. Neither of these two attributes are a positive in a college coach’s eyes.

Evaluating your kid fairly 

There are very few parents who are truly objective with respect to their children. I’m certainly not and (I think) that’s ok. Parents need to be their athlete’s #1 fan! The trick is to realize that you aren’t objective and find someone who will be. Without an objective evaluation of your student-athlete, your expectations from a college coach is going to be distorted and perhaps disappointing. Consider this; almost every parent a college coach talks with has an unrealistic opinion about their athlete. It might be refreshing if you were one of the few who didn’t.

Talking for your kid

Believe it or not, some parents will actually contact college coaches themselves on behalf of their kids. That’s right, they call or email college coaches and introduce themselves as “Billy’s dad”.  Parents need to understand the following: at least initially, college coaches only want to talk with two people (other than their own coaching staff) about any recruit: (1) the athlete and (2) his or her coach. That’s it. No one else’s abilities or opinions matter, especially a parent, whose opinion is biased. When the time is appropriate for a coach to have a conversation with the parents, they will initiate it.

Here’s the deal

College coaches pay attention to the parents and families of the athletes they’re recruiting.  If, after reading this article, you still don’t believe me, here are the thoughts of Pat Fitzgerald, the football coach of the Northwestern University Wildcats: “…when we talk about our fit, we’re evaluating the parents, too. And if the parents don’t fit, then we might punt on the player and not end up offering him a scholarship. That has changed over a decade. Ten years ago, that wasn’t as big of a role. Now it’s a big part of it.”

Athletic scholarships are rare. Only about 1% to 2% of undergraduate students in bachelor’s degree programs receive sports scholarships, says Kathryn Randolph, associate content editor at Fastweb, an online scholarship matching and search service.

It’s not quite time to freak out, but if you’re a senior who believes you have the talent to play in college, you’ve got to get going, now. The unfortunate reality is that the chances of a college coach suddenly finding you at this point is like trying to find Waldo. You’re just another face in the crowd and something needs to change with your recruiting process.

There are only two possible reasons why coaches aren’t recruiting you yet: (1) They aren’t interested, or (2) they don’t know about you. There’s not much you can do about the first reason, so here’s some advice on how to address the second one. 

Get real

While everyone wants to play football at Alabama or basketball at Duke, your senior year is no time to try and make that your destiny. Your only real hope is to get real.

If you’ve been reaching out to college coaches and they aren’t responding, take the hint and move on. You might need to reassess the kinds of colleges you are contacting. To do that, have an honest conversation with your current coach about your abilities and take his or her input to heart. No matter what their evaluation is, don’t take it personally and just be thankful that they care enough to shoot you straight. You have to concentrate on the colleges that are just as interested in you as you are in them. Plus, it’s a lot more fun and productive when you send an email to a coach and they actually respond. 

Put the work in

Make a commitment to carve out the time necessary to find the right colleges, connect with the coaches and be persistent. This might take you a couple hours per week or it might take longer, but at this point it has to be done religiously.

Since it’s your senior year, you need to start yesterday. First, follow up with any colleges you previously contacted and eliminate the ones that don’t respond. Then, identify at least 20 additional schools that make sense for your athletic and academic abilities and send emails to those colleges also. It’s critical that you personalize your emails. Sending a “canned” email and not addressing the coach by name will get you nowhere. At this point in the recruiting process, college coaches want players who are truly interested in their program.

Get some help

Your current coach can make a huge difference in your recruiting process. If your coach is willing to contact college coaches on your behalf and vouch for your abilities, that goes a long way with a college coach.

If you can, ask your current coach to review your list of colleges before you spend any time contacting the coaches at those schools. Your current coach really needs to agree with the colleges you are pursuing. Then, ask if they are willing to contact a few college coaches on your behalf. Don’t give them dream schools to contact, give them the colleges where you definitely have a chance to make the roster. Give your coach the contact information for the colleges he or she will be contacting and a copy of your athletic/academic resume. This makes it easy for them to talk intelligently about you.

You need video

A clear, concise highlight video is critical if you want to have a chance with a college coach this late in the game. You don’t have to spend a fortune, but you really need to have a short (2-3 minute) video showcasing your athletic abilities. Since you’re a senior, most college coaches don’t have time to visit your games and/or a showcase event you might attend. They need a way to efficiently determine if they are interested in you as a player. Your highlight video can provide that information.

Do what it takes

If emails are not working and your coach can’t get their attention, try Twitter, go on an unofficial visit, and/or just pick up the phone. You need to do whatever it takes to get noticed, because once you’re noticed, you might actually get recruited.

Contacting the wrong schools and hoping for a miracle is the No. 1 disconnect for most college recruits. That’s why at Playced we spent so much time and money developing the algorithms used in our college matching engine. We know that if you reach out to the wrong schools, you’ll be disappointed with the results every time. Anyone can send an email, but the key is getting a response. There’s no combination of words that can convince a coach you’re qualified for his or her roster if you aren’t. And, there’s no way to explain away a few years of poor grades or mediocre test scores. That’s why you have to pursue schools that match your academic and athletic resume.

So, right now you’re probably thinking this all sounds logical, but in a few minutes, you might ask, “how do I know which schools are right for me?” Well, the right schools are those where you have a good chance to play, fit your academic profile and meet your personal preferences. Here are my thoughts on how any recruit can systematically identify the colleges that make sense.

The right athletic fit

Identifying the colleges that make sense athletically is perhaps the most difficult part of the equation. Not everyone can play baseball at Vanderbilt and very few football players can make the roster at Clemson. Determining the right colleges from an athletic perspective starts with an unbiased, objective evaluation of your abilities. Find an objective source to give you an evaluation or just ask your coach to be completely honest with you.

You have to know which level colleges make the most sense. There are three divisions within the NCAA and the NAIA and NJCAA are also viable options. Within each division, some college programs are more competitive than others. You need to be open to any of the divisions. Understand that being an athlete in college at any level is an incredible accomplishment.

Once you’ve determined the appropriate level of competition, you’ve potentially eliminated quite a few college possibilities. Your academic standing and personal preferences will help decide which of the remaining schools are a good fit.

The right academic fit

First things first, you must be academically eligible to participate in intercollegiate sports per the NCAA and NAIA regulations. Both governing bodies have specific academic standards you have to meet. For example, to be eligible to compete in NCAA sports during your first year, you must meet certain academic requirements for your core courses, grade-point average (GPA) and test scores. The rules can be a little complicated and they vary a little between Division I and Division II, but here are the highlights:

• The NCAA calculates your GPA based on your grades in NCAA-approved core courses.
• You must complete 16 core courses.
• Your NCAA GPA is calculated on a 4.0 scale and you must have a 2.3 GPA (to compete at the Division I level) in your NCAA core courses.
• Numeric grades such as 92 or 87 are changed to letter grades such as A or B.

A good rule of thumb would be if your high school GPA is lower than a 3.0, you better check your core course GPA.

Second, every college has their own academic standards and you have to qualify academically to be admitted into any institution you are considering. Talk with your school counselor and research the admission requirements for each college in which you have serious interest. If your grades or test scores are limiting your options, do something about it. Take a review course and/or work harder in the classroom.

If you aren’t eligible, or you don’t meet the admission requirements at a school you’re interested in, then you aren’t going to be offered an athletic scholarship, period, the end! In fact, your academic standing may actually eliminate as many colleges as your athletic abilities.

The right environment

Whether you’re a student-athlete or not, finding the right college environment, in the right area of the country, with an acceptable price tag is critical to having a positive college experience. Decide what’s important to you and do some research.

This part of identifying the right schools should be easy. Just ask yourself the following questions:

• Do I want to go to a big school or a small school?
• Do I want to stay close to home?
• What is my college budget?
• Have I decided on a major?
• What other factors are important to me? Tradition? Climate? Area of the country?

Once you’ve decided what’s important, simply eliminate the schools that aren’t a fit.

Here’s the deal 

The bottom line is that you have to contact the right schools to get a response. Be honest with yourself and take the time up front to put together a realistic list of college options to contact. If you do, your recruiting process should be fun, exciting and enjoyable. If you don’t, your recruiting journey may be disappointing, discouraging and frustrating.

I don’t care about your program

One of the most tried and true ways of being crossed off a college program’s recruit watch-list is by showing a lack of interest in that particular program. And there is no worse time to show a lack of interest than when you are talking to a coach from that program.

Listen, I understand that you truly may not have interest in every school that recruits you. But here is a little secret to recruiting: things change, circumstances change and opinions change. Just because your initial impression or opinion of a school isn’t the best, doesn’t mean that school isn’t right for you.

Recruiting is like dating. You are fact-finding, gathering information and getting a feel for whether or not there is a future.

If you are fortunate enough to have a college coach search you out and want to have a conversation with you, show some respect! Have genuine interest in what that coach has to say, learn as much as you can about their program/school and reserve any judgement until you are in the decision-making phase of your recruiting process.

The coach that you blow off at one school might get the head job at your dream school. Then what?

Not just words, actions

Do you realize that a conversation is not all about words? Oftentimes, what you don’t say speaks louder than what you do say. Think about this: if you say yes but shake your head no, which answer do you mean?

To maximize your college recruiting experience, you cannot be sending mixed signals when speaking to college coaches. If they are taking the time to personally talk to you, it is your responsibility to send clear signals that back up the words coming out of your mouth.

Here are the signals you are sending with bad body language during a conversation:

• Not making eye contact – Not listening at all
• Looking at your phone – You have somewhere better to be, this isn’t important
• Bad posture – Unsure, not confident, lazy
• Looking at your parents when asked a question – Immature, can’t speak for yourself

I could easily extend this list, but you get the idea. College coaches are looking for athletes that are confident, that are not afraid to fail and will add to the positive chemistry of their team. I totally get that conversations can be awkward and nerve-racking at times, so do college coaches.

It is 100% normal to be nervous and sometimes you can’t control that. However, you can control showing bad body language.

Potty mouth

If using foul language is a part of your everyday vocabulary or it’s something you just can’t control, I am here to tell you to get it in check. Hear me out on this: How you speak and the words that come out of your mouth are a huge indicator of your character.

College coaches pay attention to it and many of them believe that it is a sign of poor decision-making abilities or a lack of discipline. Is that really the impression you want a college coach to walk away with after a conversation with you?

I had a coach once tell me that if an athlete doesn’t have the ability to expand their mind and their vocabulary past 4-letter adjectives, there is no way they can learn what we want to teach them. Eliminate the curse words from your conversations and show some respect!

Eligible

Benjamin Franklin once said, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Well, if our great founding father was talking about college recruiting, I can imagine him saying something like this, “In this world of recruiting nothing can be said to be certain, except eligibility and eligibility.” Well said, Mr. Franklin!

Let’s put first things, first. You will not play your sport in college if you can’t make the grade. The end. There is no negotiating the word student out of the term student-athlete. If you’re wanting to play in college, get it done in the classroom. There are expectations of you off the field, that you not only have to understand, but also must embrace. Every recruit wanting to get to the next level must adhere to GPA requirements, core course requirements, standardized test score requirements and individual institutional requirements expected of them. And if you’re wanting to play at the NCAA Division I, II or NAIA levels, you need to be cleared by their eligibility centers, in order to compete at one of their member schools. So, know the rules and make it a priority to obey the rules.

If your goal is to be the most recruit-able athlete you can be, start by being the best student you can possibly be!

Capable

Do you believe in unicorns? Or how about mermaids? If you answered yes to either, or both of these questions, you might struggle with this part of the recruit-able equation. Without a doubt, this is usually where most high school athletes run into their recruiting brick wall. Because unfortunately, being truthful about your capabilities can be downright frustrating and isn’t always easy. It is, however, absolutely necessary if you aspire to play in college.

Legendary softball coach Mike Candrea once told me that he “truly believes there is a place for every athlete to play in college” and that is was “up to the athlete to figure out where that place is.” Think about that. He didn’t say a place for “some” athletes, he said a place for “every” athlete. That’s you, and you, and you! But you’ve got to be honest with what you’re capable of doing. Know your strengths, know your weaknesses and know what type of college program makes sense for you. Not every basketball recruit is going to end up at Kentucky, just like not every volleyball recruit is going to end up at Nebraska. And that’s ok.

If your goal is to be the most recruit-able athlete you can be, align your capabilities with the college programs you pursue.

Adaptable

“I’ve sent 10 emails to college coaches and not one of them responded.” “The coach came to watch two of my games and hasn’t talked to me since.” “I’m a senior in high school and haven’t had any college coaches contact me, yet.” “My high school coach is such a jerk and won’t call any college coaches for me.” And on, and on, and on.

Have you uttered any of these comments or something similar? If you have, I hope since then, you’ve figured out that recruiting doesn’t always work out the way that we want it to. It’s just the nature of the business. That’s why you have to roll with the punches and adapt to your situation. Learn from each and every experience, then apply what you learn to the process, moving forward. If you aren’t being recruited, figure out why. If you aren’t getting replies to your emails, maybe you’re sending emails to the wrong programs. If your high school coach isn’t helping, find another coach that will. Just like any good quarterback, you’ve got to be able know your plays, read the defense and go through your progressions to find the open receiver.

If your goal is to be the most recruit-able athlete you can be, have the ability to adapt to what is going on around you.

1. Regardless of who finds who, an introduction is how this all starts.
2. Once a coach knows who you are, just like any relationship, it’s time to get to know each other.
3. And, after some time building a relationship, well it’s time to figure out how serious this is going to be.

If college recruiting sounds a lot like dating and marriage, well, it kind of is! Whether we’re talking about an elite Division I basketball recruit, or an “under-the-radar” NAIA football recruit, makes no difference. Because when it comes to landing a roster spot at the next level, you will experience each one of these stages in that exact order.

Today, I’m going to focus on good old No. 1: making the introduction, by way of an email. Because for the unknown recruit, email is one of the most effective ways to get on a coach’s radar.

Here are a few things you need to do if you want the coach to hit reply.

Make your point

It’s important, for you to understand that college recruiting is seriously competitive. Simply sending an email makes you no different than the other 100 recruits that are doing the same thing, each day. That said, don’t waste a coach’s time by sending a 20-page explanation on why you’re so great.

The reality is, they aren’t going to read it all anyway. Instead, send a brief overview of why you should be considered for their program. Ask them for their valuable feedback and what you can do to learn more about their program. Get to the point where that coach can make an easy, early assessment of you and do your best to create a conversation.

Make that happen in no more than two paragraphs!

Link a video

If a coach could only make an evaluation of you based on video, what would you want them to see? Send that.

The reality is, most college coaches will see a recruit for the first time on video. It’s the world we live in! Whether it’s game film or a skill-specific workout, college coaches can watch a video and tell whether a kid can play or not. You don’t have to break the bank making some elaborate “Rocky” themed video, either. Remember, they aren’t going to watch the whole thing anyway. Just make sure they can clearly see your athleticism and what you have to offer.

Oh, and if a coach doesn’t know who you are, and you don’t include a video link, don’t expect a reply to your email.

Be decisive

College recruiting is about you, the student-athlete. It’s about what you want. It’s about your education, your playing experience and the college life you ultimately want to live. That is the fundamental idea you need to build your recruiting foundation on.

If you can’t make decisions about what you’re looking to accomplish, you’re leaving your future in someone else’s hands. Additionally, your indecision is a loud, ringing bell to college coaches and quite frankly, they aren’t interested in that kind of athlete.

In fact, they handle impersonal emails the same way you handle your spam mail. Delete.

So, dig in, figure out what you want and express it to the coaches you’re sending emails to. Communicating why you want to be a part of their program drastically increases the odds of a coach hitting reply to your email.

Luckily, NCSA recruiting experts have created a guide to the water polo recruiting process to help student-athletes through a stress-free recruiting journey.

NCAA Water Polo Recruiting Rules and Calendar

As a result of recent changes made to the NCAA recruiting rules, men’s water polo recruiting will likely begin earlier than it has in past years.

These changes are rooted in a 2017 NCAA study on the college recruiting experience that revealed a rapidly growing trend of early recruiting across the majority of NCAA-sponsored sports. Effective as of May 2019, communication between college coaches and student-athletes is prohibited until June 15 after the athlete’s sophomore year. The NCAA also changed the date that water polo recruits can start scheduling unofficial and official visits to after August 1 of their junior year.

To review a full list of the NCAA recruiting rules across each division level, visit our guide to the NCAA water polo recruiting rules and calendar.

Water Polo Recruiting Guidelines

Did you know that the college water polo course is 30 meters, while water polo courses at the high school level are only 25 meters? The two most important skills athletes must have to successfully adjust to the eight-meter difference are speed and swimming ability. While college water polo coaches do consider player stats, such as goals scored, ejections drawn and assists, it’s skills such as speed and swimming ability that coaches put the most emphasis on when evaluating recruits.

To see if you have what it takes to set yourself apart from the crowd of college-bound water polo athletes, check out our recruiting guidelines section, where we outline the experience level and skillset that college coaches look for at each division level.

The Recruiting Process

The water polo recruiting process starts long before college coaches can begin contacting recruits. Below is a look at steps you should be taking to prepare for the recruiting process as early as your freshman year:

• Research water polo programs: Start by identifying which of the 43 college water polo programs you feel are the best fit for you academically, athletically, financially and socially.
• Build a recruiting profile: College coaches search NCSA recruiting databases regularly to evaluate talent. Build a recruiting profile that college coaches can access to evaluate your stats and recruiting video. Create your free NCSA recruiting profile here,
• Create a recruiting video: College coaches typically start the evaluation process by reviewing recruiting video. To ensure that your recruiting video features the skills college coaches are looking for, visit our How to Get Recruited for Men’s Water Polo for a list of recruiting video tips by position.
• Attend water polo camps: What are the best water polo camps to attend? Find a list of 2019-20 water polo camps on the East and West Coast and in the Midwest here.
• Contact college coaches: College coaches cannot contact you until after June 15 after your sophomore year. In the meantime, show coaches that you are interested in their program by sending an introductory email. Learn how to write an introductory email.

Scholarship Opportunities

If you play a position that is versatile and directly impacts scoring opportunities, like goalie or utility player, you are more likely to receive an athletic scholarship offer. But it takes more than just playing one of these positions to earn a scholarship. College coaches reserve their scholarship budget for elite-level all-star talent that can immediate impact the team’s growth and success in their first season.

College water polo programs have a small scholarship budget with the NCAA allowing just 4.5 full-ride equivalent scholarships per team each year at the Division I and Division II levels. This budget is even smaller when the program is not fully funded by the institution. As a result, coaches are more likely to divide their scholarship budget to award multiple athletes a partial scholarship, rather than full rides.

Read more: Men’s Water Polo Scholarships.

Top Ranked Men’s Water Polo Colleges

Where will you play collegiate water polo? Selecting a list of prospective schools to find your college match takes time, but with our Power Rankings, you can more easily find programs that meet your needs when it comes to size, location, cost and academics. View a complete list of colleges offering men’s water polo.

So, I have a question for you high school athletes looking to play at the next level: Do you know the truth about where you stand as a college recruit, or are you just assuming you do? I sure hope you know exactly where you stand! Because, one of the worst things you can do is to trust something is happening, when in reality it’s not. In fact, not knowing the truth just might cost you the opportunity of playing in college. Here are a few assumptions you need to absolutely avoid as you navigate your recruiting journey.

 Don’t assume someone else is handling it for you

For the record; college recruiting is all about you. If ever there was a right time to be selfish and opinionated, now would be that time! You have to decide what you want out of your college career, both academically and athletically. This isn’t just a decision that will affect you right now, this is a decision that will impact the rest of your life. If you think that someone else should take care of that for you, you should probably reconsider whether you really want to play in college, or not.

Now, you might be fortunate enough to have a helpful coach or play for a really good team. Even then, never assume that someone else is doing the heavy lifting for you. Be involved in the process and express to your support system what you want and need. If someone is helping you, know exactly how they’re helping and what they’re doing. Bottom line: you should be driving this process, regardless of the amount of help you are getting, or not getting.

Don’t assume getting attention is going to lead to an offer

Of all the assumptions you can make, this might be the most dangerous of them all! Why? Because when you land on a coach’s radar, even if it is just one, recruits tend to put it on cruise control. They think that the scholarship offers are going to come pouring in and they can just sit back and chill. Don’t let that happen to you. If a college coach takes notice of you, the process is just beginning.

The difference between a coach noticing you and a coach making an offer is like the difference between dating and marriage! There’s a fact-finding, getting-to-know stage and there’s a ready-to-settle down, commitment stage. Just because a college coach is paying attention to you, doesn’t mean they’re going to offer you roster spot or scholarship. Mutually, you and the coach should be figuring out if you’re a good fit for that program. Until you’ve received and accepted an offer from an interested coach, don’t assume it’s going to happen.

Don’t assume it’s just going to happen one day

This one’s especially intended for you high school juniors and seniors. If you haven’t been seen yet, how is that going to change now? That’s not meant to sound sarcastic, trust me. But it should serve as a dose of reality. With every passing day, your recruiting window is shutting, and as frightening as that can be, it’s the truth. If you have the desire to play in college and you think that eventually the college coaches will notice you, you might be right. But, are you willing to bet a college career on it?

Stay away from this assumption by understanding the most basic principle of recruiting: you have to be noticed to be wanted and you have to be wanted to be offered. It is on you to do whatever it takes to get a coach to see you. Make it happen!

How a recruit goes from being a prospect to being a recruit

“Contact, contact, contact!  Being from a JUCO, we normally don’t have great recruiting budgets to either fly to locations or to fly in recruits.  Our best form of getting guys on a radar is by either developing relationships with high school coaches, subscribing to recruiting services, or athletes actually doing their own homework on contacting us as individuals.

Once contact is made, assuming we don’t know anything about the players, we start doing character checks with their coaches or other coaches who compete in their same league.  We then move on to look at academic standards and then if those all check out we determine, hopefully through video, if the athlete has the necessary skills we need to compete at our level.  If those check out, we set up a visit.”

NJCAA Baseball Coach of Miles Community College, Jeff Brabant

“Be Seen, somehow get on campus and be seen by the coach. Anymore, we are flooded with emails that are just impossible to answer in a timely manner. Good old fashioned mail and actually somehow getting on campus are the best bets.”

NAIA Men’s Basketball Coach of Lindsey Wilson College, Chris Starks

“BE PROACTIVE in your recruiting!! That is the number one thing. But the most important thing is to remember, the POTENTIAL STUDENT-ATHLETE (PSA) should be pro-active!!

When we get interest from a PSA w/out film, we immediately look at a few things. We are looking at their online presence (social media, YouTube, Facebook) to not only see if there is any game footage, but to also see what type of person they are. We have dropped quite a few kids in recruiting because of their social media accounts.

Secondly, we begin to dig into the background as much as possible. We call teachers, coaches, and other people involved in their inner-circle to really find out about them as a person and as a player.

If things check out, we definitely move towards the academic side and make sure they will be successful at school.

If everything looks great, we make contact with the PSA and start talking to them to get them excited about being recruited! I love that I can call anytime during the year (another perk of NAIA schools) and get to know them, because that is most important to me. Will they succeed here in school? Will they be a great fit for my current team, and my coaching style? It’s all about relationships that we build with them!”

NAIA Women’s Basketball Coach of Missouri Valley College, Timothy Dixon

The first step every prospective recruit needs to take

“If a high school athlete is interested in our program they should go on our athletic site and fill out our form. This will come directly to our coaching staff and we will reach out to you.”

NAIA Track and Field Coach of Taylor University, David Neville

Note: You can find a recruiting form or questionnaire on any program’s website. This is a must for reaching out to schools you are interested in.

“A student athlete that has interest in a particular school should have his or her coach contact the school.  If the coach won’t help the athlete and/or their parents should contact the school. Times, heights, and distances that a recruit has achieved are important.”

NCAA Division 1 Track and Field Coach of the University of Nebraska, Gary Pepin

You are not a recruit until you develop a relationship

“The obvious step is to run fast. The nice thing about recruiting cross country and track is that determining an athlete’s ability is relatively easy.

I like it when athletes are proactive and initiate the contact and interest. There are so many athletes out there with the potential to run at the DII level that it is impossible for a coach to contact everyone with the potential to help their team.

Make your interest in a college program known to eliminate the risk of being overlooked as cross country has a very high participation rate at the high school level!”

NCAA Division 2 Cross Country Coach of Edinboro University, Rick Hammer

“If a high school golfer wants to get on our radar, the best thing they can do is email or call us, and submit an online recruiting questionnaire on that school’s website. Coaches in any sport can’t possibly contact every quality athlete in every single state. If you’re not hearing from a coach, that doesn’t mean the school isn’t interested in you, it just means you need to make the first contact. It’s important to me that the athlete reaches out, not his or her parents. That shows us maturity and initiative, two things that are important in college athletics. After we hear from a prospect, we will typically respond within 24 hours, if not sooner.”

NCAA Division 3 Men’s and Women’s Assistant Golf Coach of Allegheny College, Abby Sorensen

“Gymnastics is a sport where recruiting is done very early. We begin to make scholarship offers in their sophomore to junior years. In most circumstances this is late for Division 1 programs to make scholarship offers. Many D1 programs are making offers to the best gymnasts in their 8^th or 9^th grade years.

The best way to get on our radar is to contact us through phone or email to let us know that they are interested. Of course we are not able to initiate a phone call or email, so they will not receive a response until September 1^st of their junior year. Contacts are made through coaches.

Phone messages or emails should include graduation year as well as links to YouTube or websites. It is best that their websites stay up to date with videos of practices as well as competition videos. This helps us to see the progress an athlete makes throughout the year.”

NCAA Division 1 Women’s Gymnastics Coach of Temple University, Umme Salim-Beasley

How video will help make you a serious recruit

“We encourage all recruits to send in game film or links to online game film. Highlight films are often disregarded by our staff in our pursuit of recruits. We prefer full games to get an accurate measure of the player’s on field endurance and full game decorum.”

NCAA Division 1 Women’s Rugby Coach of Quinnipiac University, Becky Carlson

“Put a brief video profile together and email it with a short video link showing some ‘eye popping’ highlights of them playing.

I personally like to watch short clips of video, nothing more than 10 minutes, but I want to see something that will excite me about a player.

It’s quicker for us to click a button and watch a few clips rather than read through another standard letter and resume which we get a lot of.

I also feel attending ID Camps of schools you are particularly interested in gives you a chance to see the coaching staff and players more closely and you can see how they interact with their players, assess their coaching styles, and honestly find out if they are interested in you and your abilities.

A coach will typically make it known to you if they like what they see and are interested in recruiting you!”

NCAA Division 1 Women’s Soccer Coach of the University of Arkansas Little Rock, Adrian Blewitt

Communication is the key that makes college coaches take a recruit seriously

“I love it when a recruit reaches out to us. It shows initiative and genuine interest. We will first talk about what they are looking for in a college experience to see if we may be a fit. If they are, we will want to see them play. There are several ways to do this, but the easiest is if they send me their upcoming schedule.

Recruits should make themselves familiar with NCAA recruiting rules. Coaches do have restrictions on how we are allowed to contact a recruit. It doesn’t mean that a coach is not interested if you don’t hear back from them. Further, I personally have to filter through 40-50 emails a day. It can get tough sometimes to respond in a timely manner!”

NCAA Division 2 Women’s Soccer Coach, of Union University, Isaac Brooks

“First and foremost, athletes need to be proactive. College soccer is not like college football where there are a dozen plus coaches at every school. Most staffs have 3 full time coaches and recruiters, with some schools only having 2. This makes seeing every player very difficult. I encourage athletes to send emails, make phone calls, attend camps, and be proactive. Once you have a staff’s attention it is about seeing if there is a fit academically, athletically, and culturally.”

NCAA Men’s Associate Soccer Head Coach of Oregon State University, Ben Stoddard

“In order to get on a coaches radar, a high school athlete should have researched the schools they are interested in, and have a decent knowledge about the program and its accomplishments.

They then need to reach out to the coach themselves, not their parents, but on their own to introduce themselves either via phone, email or both.

Make emails personal, include specifics to that program or coach, your Year of Graduation, positions, team, coach’s information, game schedule and a video. Make the emails brief to the point and again make them PERSONAL.

Once you have reached out continue to do so when you have something to share; not necessarily every day, but you need to be somewhat persistent.

A phone call also goes a long way. It is an intimidating process, but a young athlete being able to pick up the phone and carry on a good conversation with a coach is a quality that will in the least pique our interest.

In addition, you need to get in front of the coach for face time; attend the university’s camps, camps the coach might be working at, and continue to update game schedules and invite the coach to come watch.

These are all ways to get our attention but it will ultimately be your performance, execution, and character on the field and in the classroom that will keep our attention.”

NCAA Division 1 Softball Coach of Bryant University, Shayne Lotito

“Once they contact me I usually ask them about their experience and what they are interested in studying. I can usually get a feel for what they are interested in and how well they might fit in to my specific program by first speaking with them.”

NCAA Division 1 Wrestling Coach of Wyoming University, Mark Branch

“The first step is to send an email to the coach or complete our on-line recruiting information page. Most, if not all, colleges now have a link to a questionnaire for recruits.

An e-mail expressing interest is also important. When you email make sure to include a resume with key academic and athletic information. There are many times I get a general e-mail for a recruit and that will be my first request – send me your transcripts, board scores and your best events and times.”

NCAA Division 3 Swimming and Diving Coach of Mount Holyoke College, Dave Allen

“An email to introduce themselves is always a good idea. If a player contacts me by phone or email, I try to respond to their message as early as possible. I would then ask them to answer a few background questions about their tennis career, high school grades, NCAA Clearinghouse Status, and Test scores. We usually like to receive a video to have an idea of what their game looks like. If their level of tennis, academics, personality, and goals match the culture of our program we would usually want to have them come on an official visit, so that they can meet us and the team, practice, and visit our university.”

NCAA Division 2 Assistant Tennis Coach of Barry University, Maria Lopez

“First and foremost, student-athletes can reach out via email and identify themselves as being interested in learning more about our volleyball program and institution.

Secondly, fill out our online recruiting questionnaire.

Lastly, come to one of our camps! There is no better way for you as a recruit to evaluate coaches than by being actually coached by them! In the same regard, there is no better way for coaches to evaluate recruits than by working with those players.”

“As a staff we look for recruits who are willing to put themselves out there. Don’t forget to let a little bit of your personality shine through!”

NCAA Division 2 Volleyball Coach of Urbana University, Timothy Balice

If you’re a high school football player wanting to play in college, it’s safe to say you’ve probably asked every one of those questions. And, rightfully so! This college recruiting stuff can be as confusing as trying to figure out a Rubik’s Cube.

Well, they probably won’t help you with a Rubik’s Cube, but these coaches can definitely help you figure out how to become a college recruit. From getting their attention, to understanding what you control in the recruiting process, here is advice from some of the best football coaches in the country.

Jeff Scott, Clemson

Q: What does it take for a recruit to get the attention of the Clemson football staff?

A: Because of everything that Clemson has to offer, we can recruit at a very high level. We are looking for elite players. For a guy to get our attention, he really needs to be dominating at the high school level. It should be obvious. When we turn on that game film, my wife should be able to pick out who we are watching! If we can’t tell who we are watching after a few minutes, we’re probably watching the wrong video.

Additionally, our coaches know what they are looking for and what we, as a team, are needing. That can change from year-to-year, so that also plays a factor into who we are recruiting.

If we’re losing two 6-foot-4 receivers and we don’t have any more guys on the roster that are over 6-foot-3, than we may only be looking for 6-foot-3-plus receivers during that recruiting cycle. Much of the attention a recruit will receive from us is based on what we are looking for out of that particular recruiting class.

I will also say that we don’t go very far with any recruit before we get a transcript to see where they stand academically. The academic transcript tells us a lot about them as a person. We believe that grades are indicative of character and a commitment to be great.

We are not just trying to find the best players we can find. We want the kids that are elite, high achievers on and off the field.

Troy Calhoun, Air Force

Q: What does a student-athlete control during the recruiting process?

A: You really control all of the intangibles that are a part of how you’re being evaluated. As a student-athlete, you certainly control how well you’re doing in school. You control the strength of courses you’re taking and the grades you’re achieving. You control how good of a student you are.

You also control the respect you have for other people and how hard you work. When we visit the school of a young man we’re recruiting, we’ll ask a ton of questions and get as much feedback on him as possible. From the principal to the custodian, we want to know how others perceive him. Is he treating everybody with respect? Is he kind and thoughtful? Is he among the hardest workers in the school?

Being a 16-year-old kid that shows regard for others and exhibits a strong work ethic are huge indicators for us in terms of the caliber of teammate you’ll be. It reveals a level of maturity that you don’t always see in teenagers these days.

Your academic achievements, your personal code of conduct and your work ethic are all things you control. And they’ve got nothing to do with how high you jump, how big of frame you have or what kind of quick-twitch fibers you have.

Chris Petersen, Washington

Q: So much of the recruiting process is about understanding your ability levels. How can a high school athlete go about getting an objective evaluation?

A: Getting that objective evaluation is probably one of the most important things for any recruit. Without it, you have no idea where you even need to start the recruiting process.

I think getting that evaluation is all about communication. As a recruit, you need to get with people that will give you honest information about what level is right for you and that probably starts with your high school coach.

Listen, just because you want to play Division I football, doesn’t mean you can play Division I football. Heck, I was one of those guys when I was in high school! Fortunately for me, my dad was a coach. He could give me that honest information and help me understand what level was a better fit for me.

You can also get feedback directly from the programs you’re interested in. There’s so much football being played at the various levels, so the opportunity is there. Reach out to a few FBS schools. Reach out to some FCS and Division II schools. Ask them for genuine feedback on where they feel you fit, as a player.

Because if you start talking to enough people, you’re going to discover the options that actually exist for you.

John Stiegelmeier, South Dakota State

Q: How important are camps in your evaluation process of a recruit?

A: It’s a make-or-break type of deal. Here’s why: getting a thorough evaluation on a young man is the most important part of the recruiting process, for any program. The only way you can accurately evaluate a player is by seeing them in your environment, and vice-versa.

We get to know a player that comes to our camp infinitely better than from just watching his film. You get to see his personality. You get to see if the kid has grit. Listen, I don’t want any player coming here if he isn’t going to fit in with what we’re doing. The greatest loss that can be experienced in the recruiting process is when one, or both sides involved, don’t do a thorough enough job of evaluation. It’s not a fun situation when you get something different than what you were expecting. So, camps are crucial in all of that.

Many, many decisions are made during a camp setting. That’s true for most schools, not just SDSU.

Steve Ryan, Morningside

Q: What’s something every high school athlete should know about the recruiting process?

A: I had two daughters go through the recruiting process. So, it’s not only my job as a coach, but it was my job as a parent to help my daughters figure out what was best for of them.

What I told my own kids is what I tell all young men and women: What are the schools you want to go to? Don’t assume that the coaches at those schools know who you are. Take the initiative and reach out to them. In turn, those coaches can take your inquiry seriously and recruit you, or they can delete it. That’s really what it comes down to.

If you’re taking the initiative to reach out and let them know how interested you are in their school, then at least you don’t have to wonder “what if” the rest of your life. The reward far outweighs the risk for a recruit to be proactive in this process.

What you or your athletes focus on is a choice, so choosing to dwell on mistakes is like purposely and personally fracturing your confidence and programming more poor play. Have you ever been overtaken by negative thoughts? Did those negative thoughts motivate you to perform better? Did those negative thoughts raise your level of play afterwards? Furthermore, has negative thinking ever enhanced your confidence?

If you want to improve confidence, you must make a choice on what you will focus your mental energy on. You have three choices: you can focus on the past, future, or present. Only one option will lead to peak performance and that’s the present! I

f you want to have a break-through game or season, stop dwelling on past mistakes and focus on what you can directly control: your effort, execution, and focus on the present moment. Let go of the past by reminding yourself that you can’t get a do-over or get it back. The best thing is to move on and focus on a strong finish. If you make a mistake, say “that’s over” and refocus on the next, play, pitch, or touch. Don’t waist your mental energy on past mistakes. Save them for the next practice when you can use them to learn and grow!

This is why getting noticed at recruiting events is so important for your athletes. Fortunately, as a high school or club coach, you can help your athletes get more recruiting exposure by having them follow a few steps. Read up on what your athletes should do before, during and after a recruiting event to get noticed by college coaches. Just remember that every sport and event is different—though this guide should provide a solid template for what to do.

Athletes and parents: You can apply these tips directly, but also feel free to share them with your high school or club coach.

Before an event

It’s important to note that most college coaches go into a recruiting event with a list of athletes they are planning to watch out for. If your athletes want to make sure they are noticed, they have to prepare in advance.

• Going in, your athletes should already have a target list of colleges that they hope to get noticed by and they should be sending their full event schedule to those college coaches. Once they receive their specific game times, they should share those too.
• Events often provide a list of college coaches that will be in attendance or have previously attended. Your athletes should look at this list and contact any coaches from schools of interest.
• Your athletes should reach out to college coaches before the event to get on their radar, sharing pertinent info and providing them with an updated recruiting video. This can help separate them from dozens of other potential recruits.
• If college programs that will be in attendance have a recruiting questionnaire on their website, your athletes should fill that out.
• For college coaches in attendance, your athletes should follow them on social media.

During the event

Not every recruiting event is the same. Tournaments, showcases, combines, clinics, camps, etc., can have different rules about communicating with college coaches. Keep that in mind.

• At camps, it is usually fine for your athletes to introduce themselves to college coaches before the event. At a showcase or tournament, this usually isn’t the norm.
• Depending on the event, there can be specific rules depending on division level and grad year for how college coaches can interact at these events. Sometimes no contact is allowed, while other times contact is allowed once your team is done playing for the day or the weekend, for example.
• Typically, you should talk to college coaches in attendance at an event. If a college coach is interested in speaking with any of your athletes, they will tell you to have athletes talk to them after the game or have them follow up via email.
• “When talking to a college coach that you do not have a prior relationship with, it is important to begin the conversation with introducing yourself, background, organizational mission and what sets your program apart from the thousands of other teams,” says Sami Baugh, Director of Recruitment at OC Batbusters Chicago.
• Sami also adds that you can show your engagement by asking questions, like:
  • What are you looking for today, and how can I be of help?
  • What are the selling points of your college?
  • What majors attract students to your college?
  • What are the entrance requirements?
  • What type of student-athlete tends to succeed at your college?
  • How many scholarships does your program have and how many do you have left in each graduation year?
• You can help college coaches by having a roster sheet with basic information available for them at the event. This can help college coaches have specific conversations with you about your athletes.
• You can also use social media to post about athletes that have performed well at an event. Gavin Sullivan, Director of Midwest Prospect Academy (a travel basketball club) adds, “We will also post and retweet any social media from other sources regarding our players. We allow our players to retweet information about themselves from other sources and people. We feel that others’ promotion is better than self-promotion.”

After the event

The work isn’t done once an event is over, no matter how well an athlete performed. Your athletes need to maintain communication with college coaches in order to stand out.

• Remind your athletes to follow up with college coaches and let them know how they performed at the event.
• In follow-up communication, athletes should also ask specific questions about the college, team, coaches’ needs and next steps that they can take.
• Sami Baugh of OC Batbusters recommends that athletes shouldn’t be afraid to ask bold questions, like “After evaluating me at this past event, do you think I would be a good fit for your program?”
• You should gather information about all college coaches you spoke with and athletes you discussed. Let each athlete know who they should follow up with.
• You can send a follow-up email to any college coaches you spoke with—particularly when dealing with underclassmen—to get better feedback on if a college is interested or not. You can ask what information a college coach might need, any other questions they have and how to keep in touch with them for future events and updates.
• “If a college coach is unresponsive or does not give direct feedback regarding interest level when asked, and division rules allow for communication, chances are that the athlete will not be recruited to that school,” adds Sami Baugh. At this point, you can provide families with a status update so they can update their target list.
• You can also gather videos and photos and promote athletes on social media after the event. Gavin Sullivan of Midwest Prospect Academy adds, “We will also sometimes create highlight packages for players and teams and promote them on our social media accounts as well.”

Now: Taking pride in getting good grades and being a great student are far more important than your success as an athlete. Listen, I know you don’t want to hear that because you love the game you play more than anything and you want to believe that you’ll sign a huge million-dollar contract, someday! But statistically speaking, being a good student sets you up for a much better chance at long-term success, than being a good athlete. I’ll never tell you to not chase your dreams and go for it, that’s what life is all about. I’m simply advising you to make sure you put an equal amount of importance on both your academic career and your athletic career.

Here’s why:

• You’ll be more appealing to many more colleges, thus giving you many more options during the recruiting process. And, more options will lead to a better chance at being happy with your college selection. A lot of recruits out there have to accept a scholarship offer because it may be the only one they get. No recruit should ever limit their scholarship options because they aren’t willing to work in the classroom.
• Being a good student speaks to your work ethic and character. It’s not necessarily an easy thing to do, but it is worth the effort and grind. Every college coach in the country would tell you that if they were deciding between two recruits with the same physical abilities, they will take the recruit that is the better student. Why? Because the better student is likely to have that same work ethic on the field as they do in the classroom. They can be trusted with expectations, and getting good grades is an indicator of self-discipline.
• No matter how good of an athlete you are, your career will end! Even if you end up in the 1% of athletes that make it professionally, you still have the great majority of your work life to live. The worst feeling about your career ending is not knowing what you will do next. On the flip side, there’s nothing better than to have a career waiting for you when the other one ends. Understand something… you’re in total control of what career awaits you!

Then: How can I get the most out of my college recruiting process?

Now: You drive the bus, no one else. You have to know exactly what you want out of this process and you have to be willing to put yourself out there. Don’t be afraid of rejection from college coaches and don’t be scared to take risks. Know your strengths as an athlete and know what colleges are looking for a player like you. Have an opinion on what you want to major in and what career path interests you, after college.

Above all else, you have to understand that if you’re going to stand by and let destiny take its course, you will no doubt miss some amazing opportunities. If you think your college recruiting process is mom and dad’s job, your coach’s job or anyone else’s job, you are 100% wrong.

Then: When I’m 40, what will have meant the most to me about my college career?

Now: The relationships you create and the fact that you can say you were a college athlete on your resume will be gold to you. Your work career will most likely be a direct result of your college athletic career, so treat your coaches, teammates and opponents with respect. Your batting average won’t get you a job, your ability to treat people right, will.

Don’t concern yourself with winning and losing, so much as you concern yourself with the process. Winning and losing are emotional events that you cannot control. Practice and hard work are rational events that you can control and apply every day for the rest of your life.

If you want to join the roughly 6,200 NCAA college field hockey athletes, you’ll need to first learn how to effectively manage your recruiting process.

This includes understanding how and when to update your recruiting profile, research prospective schools, effectively communicate with college coaches, decipher which recruiting events to attend, schedule unofficial and official college visits, determine NCAA eligibility and meet all application deadlines.

While parents, guidance counselors and high school and club coaches make great resources, NCSA experts are also here to help you navigate the recruiting process with our complete guide to college field hockey recruiting.

NCAA Field Hockey Recruiting Rules and Calendar

A 2017 NCAA study on the college recruiting experience revealed that 70% of Division I field hockey players reported their first contact with a college coach happened before their junior year of high school. With field hockey being just one of a handful of sports that revealed a trend of early recruiting, the NCAA updated the recruiting rules and guidelines to slow down the process and create a more equal and positive recruiting experience for student-athletes. College coaches are prohibited from contacting recruits until after June 15 of the athlete’s sophomore year. With the rule change, student athletes must wait until August 1 of junior year to meet with coaches on campus.

View a comprehensive list of the NCAA recruiting rules across each division level in our guide to the NCAA field hockey recruiting rules and calendar.

Field Hockey Recruiting Guidelines

What are college coaches looking for in field hockey recruits? While college coaches expect all recruits to possess some level of field hockey IQ, versatility and athleticism, they also have position-specific expectations across the four field hockey positions. For example, Division I college coaches look for goalies that are unfazed in high pressure situations, make consistent saves and have excellent hand-eye coordination.

In our field hockey recruiting guidelines, we outline the experience level and skillset that college coaches look for in goalies, defenders, midfielders and forwards at each division level.

The Recruiting Process

The college recruiting process doesn’t start when college coaches can begin contacting recruits. Instead, you and your family should kickstart the recruiting process during your freshman year with the following steps:

• Research field hockey programs: There are 281 college field hockey programs scattered across the Northeastern, Mid-Atlantic, Southeastern and Midwest regions, with three programs in California. Start the recruiting process by identifying which of these programs best fit your academic, athletic, financial and social needs.
• Build a recruiting profile: To get discovered by college coaches across the country, you’ll need to build a strong recruiting profile with relevant stats and a recruiting video that coaches can reference when creating their list of prospective recruits. Create your free NCSA recruiting profile here,
• Create a recruiting video: As a result of the new NCAA rules, your recruiting video is likely the first time a college coach will see you compete. It’s important that your recruiting video highlights your versatility, field hockey IQ and athleticism, as well as the position-specific skills outlined in NCSA’s field hockey recruiting guidelines. Learn how to create and share your video.
• Attend field hockey camps: Whether you’re attending a clinic, camp or showcase, these events can positively impact your college recruiting process by increasing your access and exposure to college coaches. Find a field hockey camp near you.
• Contact college coaches: While you won’t hear from college coaches that are interested in recruiting you until after June 15 of your sophomore year, you can still reach out to coaches at your prospective schools to introduce yourself and express interest in the program. Learn how to write an introductory email.

Read more: How to Get Recruited for Women’s College Field Hockey.

Scholarship Opportunities

When awarding athletic scholarships, college coaches tend to prioritize athletes who demonstrate strong leadership ability and understand how to be a team player. These athletes positively contribute to the team with both their skillset and team-oriented attitude.

As an NCAA equivalency sport, fully funded Division I and Division II college field hockey teams are allotted 12 and 6.3 full-ride equivalent scholarships, respectively. Unfortunately, not all programs are fully funded, leaving some college coaches with even smaller scholarship budgets. To make the most of this budget, coaches will award partial scholarships, rather than full rides. Student-athletes who receive a partial athletic scholarship are able to combine alternative forms of financial aid to cover costs.

Read more: The Ultimate Guide to College Field Hockey Scholarships.

 Top Ranked Women’s Field Hockey Colleges

To find the right college fit, you’ll want to begin your recruiting journey by evaluating what colleges offer academically, athletically, socially and financially. To help student-athletes through this process, NCSA develops annual Power Rankings that rank the top colleges and universities with field hockey programs based on factors, such as cost, size, location and academics. View a complete list of colleges offering field hockey

This is why getting noticed at recruiting events is so important for your athletes. Fortunately, as a high school or club coach, you can help your athletes get more recruiting exposure by having them follow a few steps. Read up on what your athletes should do before, during and after a recruiting event to get noticed by college coaches. Just remember that every sport and event is different—though this guide should provide a solid template for what to do.

Athletes and parents: You can apply these tips directly, but also feel free to share them with your high school or club coach.

Before an event

It’s important to note that most college coaches go into a recruiting event with a list of athletes they are planning to watch out for. If your athletes want to make sure they are noticed, they have to prepare in advance.

• Going in, your athletes should already have a target list of colleges that they hope to get noticed by and they should be sending their full event schedule to those college coaches. Once they receive their specific game times, they should share those too.
• Events often provide a list of college coaches that will be in attendance or have previously attended. Your athletes should look at this list and contact any coaches from schools of interest.
• Your athletes should reach out to college coaches before the event to get on their radar, sharing pertinent info and providing them with an updated recruiting video. This can help separate them from dozens of other potential recruits.
• If college programs that will be in attendance have a recruiting questionnaire on their website, your athletes should fill that out.
• For college coaches in attendance, your athletes should follow them on social media.

During the event

Not every recruiting event is the same. Tournaments, showcases, combines, clinics, camps, etc., can have different rules about communicating with college coaches. Keep that in mind.

• At camps, it is usually fine for your athletes to introduce themselves to college coaches before the event. At a showcase or tournament, this usually isn’t the norm.
• Depending on the event, there can be specific rules depending on division level and grad year for how college coaches can interact at these events. Sometimes no contact is allowed, while other times contact is allowed once your team is done playing for the day or the weekend, for example.
• Typically, you should talk to college coaches in attendance at an event. If a college coach is interested in speaking with any of your athletes, they will tell you to have athletes talk to them after the game or have them follow up via email.
• “When talking to a college coach that you do not have a prior relationship with, it is important to begin the conversation with introducing yourself, background, organizational mission and what sets your program apart from the thousands of other teams,” says Sami Baugh, Director of Recruitment at OC Batbusters Chicago.
• Sami also adds that you can show your engagement by asking questions, like:
  • What are you looking for today, and how can I be of help?
  • What are the selling points of your college?
  • What majors attract students to your college?
  • What are the entrance requirements?
  • What type of student-athlete tends to succeed at your college?
  • How many scholarships does your program have and how many do you have left in each graduation year?
• You can help college coaches by having a roster sheet with basic information available for them at the event. This can help college coaches have specific conversations with you about your athletes.
• You can also use social media to post about athletes that have performed well at an event. Gavin Sullivan, Director of Midwest Prospect Academy (a travel basketball club) adds, “We will also post and retweet any social media from other sources regarding our players. We allow our players to retweet information about themselves from other sources and people. We feel that others’ promotion is better than self-promotion.”

After the event

The work isn’t done once an event is over, no matter how well an athlete performed. Your athletes need to maintain communication with college coaches in order to stand out.

• Remind your athletes to follow up with college coaches and let them know how they performed at the event.
• In follow-up communication, athletes should also ask specific questions about the college, team, coaches’ needs and next steps that they can take.
• Sami Baugh of OC Batbusters recommends that athletes shouldn’t be afraid to ask bold questions, like “After evaluating me at this past event, do you think I would be a good fit for your program?”
• You should gather information about all college coaches you spoke with and athletes you discussed. Let each athlete know who they should follow up with.
• You can send a follow-up email to any college coaches you spoke with—particularly when dealing with underclassmen—to get better feedback on if a college is interested or not. You can ask what information a college coach might need, any other questions they have and how to keep in touch with them for future events and updates.
• “If a college coach is unresponsive or does not give direct feedback regarding interest level when asked, and division rules allow for communication, chances are that the athlete will not be recruited to that school,” adds Sami Baugh. At this point, you can provide families with a status update so they can update their target list.
• You can also gather videos and photos and promote athletes on social media after the event. Gavin Sullivan of Midwest Prospect Academy adds, “We will also sometimes create highlight packages for players and teams and promote them on our social media accounts as well.”

While parents, guidance counselors and high school and club coaches make great resources, NCSA experts are also here to help you navigate the recruiting process with our complete guide to college field hockey recruiting.

NCAA Field Hockey Recruiting Rules and Calendar

A 2017 NCAA study on the college recruiting experience revealed that 70% of Division I field hockey players reported their first contact with a college coach happened before their junior year of high school. With field hockey being just one of a handful of sports that revealed a trend of early recruiting, the NCAA updated the recruiting rules and guidelines to slow down the process and create a more equal and positive recruiting experience for student-athletes. College coaches are prohibited from contacting recruits until after June 15 of the athlete’s sophomore year.

View a comprehensive list of the NCAA recruiting rules across each division level in our guide to the NCAA field hockey recruiting rules and calendar.

Field Hockey Recruiting Guidelines

What are college coaches looking for in field hockey recruits? While college coaches expect all recruits to possess some level of field hockey IQ, versatility and athleticism, they also have position-specific expectations across the five field hockey positions. For example, Division I college coaches look for goalies that are unfazed in high pressure situations, make consistent saves and have excellent hand-eye coordination.

In our field hockey recruiting guidelines, we outline the experience level and skillset that college coaches look for in goalies, defenders, midfielders, sweepers and forwards at each division level.

The Recruiting Process

The college recruiting process doesn’t start when college coaches can begin contacting recruits. Instead, you and your family should kickstart the recruiting process during your freshman year with the following steps:

• Research field hockey programs: There are 281 college field hockey programs scattered across the Northeastern, Mid-Atlantic, Southeastern and Midwest regions, with four programs in California. Start the recruiting process by identifying which of these programs best fit your academic, athletic, financial and social needs.
• Build a recruiting profile: To get discovered by college coaches across the country, you’ll need to build a strong recruiting profile with relevant stats and a recruiting video that coaches can reference when creating their list of prospective recruits. Create your free NCSA recruiting profile here,
• Create a recruiting video: As a result of the new NCAA rules, your recruiting video is likely the first time a college coach will see you compete. It’s important that your recruiting video highlights your versatility, field hockey IQ and athleticism, as well as the position-specific skills outlined in NCSA’s field hockey recruiting guidelines. Learn how to create and share your video.
• Attend field hockey camps: Whether you’re attending a clinic, camp or showcase, these events can positively impact your college recruiting process by increasing your access and exposure to college coaches. Find a field hockey camp near you.
• Contact college coaches: While you won’t hear from college coaches that are interested in recruiting you until after June 15 of your sophomore year, you can still reach out to coaches at your prospective schools to introduce yourself and express interest in the program. Learn how to write an introductory email.

Read more: How to Get Recruited for Women’s College Field Hockey.

Scholarship Opportunities

When awarding athletic scholarships, college coaches tend to prioritize positions that prevent scoring and put points on the board. So, if you want a field hockey scholarship, you’ll have to prove to college coaches that you can directly impact scoring opportunities.

As an NCAA equivalency sport, fully funded Division I and Division II college field hockey teams are allotted 12 and 6.3 full-ride equivalent scholarships, respectively. Unfortunately, not all programs are fully funded, leaving some college coaches with even smaller scholarship budgets. To make the most of this budget, coaches will award partial scholarships, rather than full rides. Student-athletes who receive a partial athletic scholarship are able to combine alternative forms of financial aid to cover costs.

Read more: The Ultimate Guide to College Field Hockey Scholarships.

 Top Ranked Women’s Field Hockey Colleges

To find the right college fit, you’ll want to begin your recruiting journey by evaluating what colleges offer academically, athletically, socially and financially. To help student-athletes through this process, NCSA develops annual Power Rankings that rank the top colleges and universities with field hockey programs based on factors, such as cost, size, location and academics. View a complete list of colleges offering field hockey

The NCAA and NAIA have taken note of this growth and announced the addition of 32 NCAA women’s lacrosse programs and 11 NAIA programs between 2020 and 2022. While women’s opportunities to play college lacrosse are increasing, so will competition for roster spots and athletic scholarships. If you aspire to play collegiate women’s lacrosse, this is your complete guide to women’s college lacrosse recruiting.

NCAA Lacrosse Recruiting Rules and Calendar

Did you know that the lacrosse recruiting process starts later than most NCAA sports? College lacrosse coaches must wait to contact student-athletes until after September 1 of the athlete’s junior year.

In 2017, US Lacrosse and the IWLCA/IMLCA advocated for stricter recruiting rules after a NCAA study revealed that lacrosse had the highest rate of early recruiting when compared to the other ten NCAA sanctioned women’s sports.

For a full list of recruiting rules across each division level, visit our guide to the NCAA women’s lacrosse recruiting rules and calendar.

Lacrosse Recruiting Guidelines

It takes a certain level of talent to play at each NCAA division level. Luckily, NCSA’s lacrosse recruiting experts know what college coaches are looking for in recruits. Check out our recruiting guide for women’s lacrosse recruits to see what position-specific skills you’ll need to play at each NCAA division level.

Here’s a quick overview:

• NCAA Division I: College coaches want athletes who maintain success both on the field and in the classroom and can use their influence over admission to secure top talent on their roster.
• NCAA Division II: Division II women’s lacrosse programs offer a smaller school atmosphere, but the competition matches that at the Division I level.
• NCAA Division III: Division III college coaches are known to recruit the same level of talent as Division I and II programs; the main difference is they don’t offer athletic scholarships.

The Recruiting Process

There’s a lot of work to be done before college coaches can begin contacting you. If you’re a high school athlete, it’s time to start preparing for the recruiting process by following the steps below:

• Research lacrosse programs: Start the recruiting process by creating your list of prospective schools from the nearly 550 NCAA and NAIA women’s college lacrosse programs. Don’t forget to check out the 20 women’s lacrosse programs sponsored by the NJCAA.
• Build a recruiting profile: College coaches use recruiting databases to create their list of prospective recruits. Build a strong recruiting profile with important stats and a recruiting video. Create your free NCSA recruiting profile here,
• Create a highlight video: College coaches rely on recruiting video to evaluate athletes when they are unable to watch them compete in person. Create a highlight video that showcases your versatility, lacrosse IQ and athleticism. Here are a few tips to help you create and share your video.
• Attend lacrosse camps: Lacrosse recruiting camps give you an opportunity to sharpening your skills while increasing your visibility and access to college coaches. If you live outside the Northeast region, with limited exposure to NCAA women’s lacrosse programs, attending camps can be particularly beneficial. Find a lacrosse camp near you.
• Contact college coaches: College coaches can’t contact you until after September 1 of your junior year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t reach out to introduce yourself and express interest in their lacrosse program. Learn how to write an introductory email.

Read more: How to Get Recruited for Women’s College Lacrosse.

Scholarship Opportunities

Despite the addition of new women’s college lacrosse programs each year, funding for these programs hasn’t increased at the same rate. While fully funded NCAA Division I and II offer 12 and 9.9 full-ride equivalent scholarships, respectively, most programs are not fully funded. Our Complete Guide to Women’s Lacrosse College Scholarships breaks down the different types of college lacrosse scholarship and roster spot offers.

Top Ranked Women’s Lacrosse Colleges

Finding the right college fit means finding a school that meets your academic, athletic, social and financial needs. To help you identify the right college fit for you, NCSA’s annual Power Rankings report ranks the top colleges and universities that offer women’s lacrosse based on important factors, such as cost, size, location and academics. You can also find a complete list of colleges offering women’s lacrosse.

Plona has dealt with every kind of college coach — from low-majors through blue bloods — and has seen seemingly every pitch.

And he’s preparing for seismic change to how recruiting is done.

The first year California’s new Fair Pay to Play Act takes effect is 2023, allowing the state’s college athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness. It’s become a national discussion since, with other states and U.S. congressmen discussing similar state and federal legislation. Meanwhile, an NCAA task force studying this model is expected to make its recommendation later this year.

“If anybody says that … money and what you can do for a kid in recruiting is not a factor, they are lying. It’s important,” Plona said. “It would alter how you have to go about being successful.”

USA TODAY Sports has talked with numerous top football and basketball recruits, junior college coaches and recruiting influencers since Gov. Gavin Newsom signed California’s bill into law in late September to weigh the potential effect of endorsements in recruiting.

What that change would look like, however, isn’t as clear.

“It opens Pandora’s Box,” said Rene Pulley, founder and owner of Twin Cities-based AAU club Howard Pulley, whose recent NBA alumni include Harrison Barnes and Tyus Jones. “There’s a lot of ways to do it. I guess I just wonder how the hell it’s going to be done.”

Here’s how the experts see things playing out.

This will not sway elite recruits as much

John Lamb runs Des Moines-based AAU basketball club Beyond Ball. He’s also a guardian of Omaha Biliew, a 6-foot-7 freshman considered one of the top-10 prospects in 2023.

Lamb knows that, by the time Biliew commits, players may be getting paid for their name, image and likeness. There would be schools where Biliew is more marketable — where he’d be in line for more money through local endorsement deals in the community.

For a top-20 prospect, though, Lamb doesn’t think that will matter much.

“You’d have to consider, and probably predict, that it’s probably better to continue to go to Duke and Kentucky,” Lamb said. “You’d have to consider that the national scale that these schools have already cemented themselves on will continually hold the upper hand.”

Sonny Vaccaro agrees.

Vaccaro, the former Nike, Adidas and Reebok marketing executive who helped create shoe company influence in recruiting decades ago, said schools that are NBA springboards will still get the country’s elite. The lottery-pick paycheck they can help players land outweighs local endorsement money.

Also, an athlete could boost their professional endorsement outlook by playing for the most visible college programs and compete for national titles.

“On that level, they’ll pick the same schools,” Vaccaro said. “If I’m LeBron James, if I’m that kid and I’m going somewhere for a year, I’m still going to go to Duke or North Carolina.”

Photo: Jasen Vinlove

Sharife Cooper is one of those elite prospects. A five-star Auburn point guard recruit and the No. 2 player in the Chosen 25, Cooper said he could see endorsement deals affecting prospects’ commitments in the future, depending in large part on their financial situations.

For him, though, he said it wouldn’t have mattered.

“More than anything, it’s about the fit and the system,” said Cooper, a product of McEachern High in Powder Springs, Georgia. “I focus on the game. The rest will come.”

The further down the rankings, the greater the effect

Once you get out of that top-20 range of prospects in basketball, experts said things could get more interesting. That’s when potential earnings in one location versus another may matter.

Jerrel Oliver is the director of Chicago-based AAU club Team Rose. Recent alumni include Kansas State freshman DaJuan Gordon and Los Angeles Lakers rookie guard Talen Horton-Tucker.

With name, image and likeness compensation, Oliver thinks more prospects would choose schools closer to home because that’s where they’re most well-known — where they’ll have the most value in endorsements and apparel sales.

“You can market this or market that,” Oliver said, “and you’re selling the fact that you can get paid to represent your hometown, where you will always come back to and end up at for the rest of your life anyway.”

Pulley said endorsement deals could especially entice four-year college prospects to stay closer to home, because their earning potential may never be higher than it is in college.

“It’d be a plus for the ones that aren’t that a five-star, guaranteed first-round pick,” he said. “You’ve got a good chance of staying at home because that’s where your marketability is.”

In football recruiting, the effect of name, image and likeness compensation would look different.

For Vaccaro, it’s simple: There’s more name recognition — and endorsement potential — in a three-player basketball class than in a 25-player football class.

Mater Dei quarterback Bryce Young