Understanding Your Rights and

Responsibilities as a High School

Student

Coach McGeorge

Specifics on the What’s and When’s

• What’s–As a high school student YOUR

NUMBER 1 responsibility is to DO WELL in the classroom. Without this, the recruiting process will be very short!• Minimum GPA for college eligibility is a

2.0 or better• Must have passed 16 CORE course

–English, Math, Foreign Language, Social Studies, Science.

ACT vs. SAT

• Take the SAT or ACT. They either score. – Difference between ACT/SAT

• ACT is a content-based test– The ACT includes a science reasoning test; the

SAT does not. – The ACT math section includes trigonometry.– The ACT tests English grammar; the SAT does

not. • SAT tests critical thinking and problem

solving.– The SAT tests vocabulary much more than the

ACT. – The SAT is not entirely multiple choice. – The SAT has a guessing penalty; the ACT does

not.

Understand Financial Aid• They may be renewed

annually for a maximum of five-years (within a 6 year period).

• It can be cancelled or reduced at the end of one year. – However, they must

provide you with an opportunity to appeal.

• Grant in aid can be awarded in a variety of amounts, ranging from full scholarship (tuition, fees, room, board, books, meals) to only books.

What is a recruited athlete?

• Providing the prospect with an official visit.

• Having an arranged, in-person, off-campus encounter with the prospect or the prospect's parents or legal guardians for the purpose of recruitment

• Initiating or arranging a telephone contact with the prospect, the prospects relatives or legal guardians on more than one occasion for the purpose of recruitment

• Issuing a National Letter of Intent or the institution written offer of athletic related financial aid to the prospect

When’s

• You must register with the NCAA Clearinghouse (www.eligibilitycenter.org.)

• Beginning of Junior Year • Cost - $70 (one time fee)

NCAA Clearinghouse

• Even if you are not expecting to be recruited, but want to play in an NCAA sanctioned sport, you must register!

• Walk-ons must still be eligible!

How can college coaches have contact with you during High

School?

Freshman/Sophomore• You can receive Questionnaires and camp brochures

Junior• Recruiting Materials after Sept. 1

• Telephone Calls • One between April 15 and May 31

Senior• Telephone calls• One per week

• Off-campus contact• Begin Sept. 16

• Official visit• Opening day of classes

• NCAA Baseball Recruiting Calendar

• NCAA Football Recruiting Calendar

Important terms• Contact occurs any time a coach has any

face-to-face contact with a prospective student-athlete or the prospect’s parents off the college’s campus and says more than hello.

• Evaluation is an activity by a coach to evaluate a prospective student-athlete’s academic or athletics ability. This would include visiting the prospective student-athlete’s high school or watching the prospect practice or compete.

4 Important Periods in the recruiting process

• Dead Period - may not have any in-person contact. May write or make telephone calls.

• Quiet Period - any in-person talk with the prospective student-athlete or the parents off the college’s campus.

• Evaluation Period - a college coach may watch a prospective student-athlete play or visit the high school but cannot have any in-person conversations

• Contact Period - a college coach may have in-person contact with a prospective student-athlete and the prospect’s parents on or off the college’s campus.

Do’s and Don’ts when seeking to play in college• DO

– Go visit the colleges you are interested in. Do not wait for a college scholarship, you need to still find the right college for YOU!

– Do be positive, be available, be

excited!

– Go to Camps and other ways to get

you name seen. It is a sales job!

– Don’t wait/expect for it to happen. Keep your grades up, work hard, be a positive person.

– Don’t harass the colleges and the coaches. You can talk your way out of an opportunity. I am not saying do not stay informed, I am saying do not call a coach every week to see if Johnny is on his list yet.

• Don’t only look at the Big Three. We are fortunate and unfortunate in the area, we have three great MAJOR colleges that are seen. However, we have 127 colleges in this state. There are a lot of opportunities and be open to all opportunities.

Last notes

• If you can play, someone will find you.

• You can also earn financial aid after you have entered college. (Walking on to a program)

THANK YOU!