Ticket to the Big Leagues
Athletes use sporting success as way into college
By Danielle Olson
April 25, 2008
Though many use academics and extracurricular interest groups to build the bridge from high school and college, some students use their athletic abilities in order to make this jump.
Beginning as soon as freshman year, athletic recruitment is a channel that brings student athletes closer to their futures by gaining the interest of college coaches in search of new talent. These coaches can sometimes be so influential that through their negotiation with a school’s admissions office, desired athletes can and will be accepted into the school without application or even initially meeting academic standards.
“In Division I, if you’re good at sports but your grades really don’t support it, they’ll find a way to get you into the school no matter what if they really want you.” Senior Jake An said. “The coach has a lot of power with the school; if they want a certain player, they get them. I never applied to any colleges, so [through sports] I took a shortcut compared to a lot of other students.”
The recruitment process often begins with informal, regular contact, usually through email, with college coaches. This communication can either be initiated by the student, or, if the athlete is nationally ranked or their name has been publicized through athletic success, by college coaches.
Through regular communication, coaches can become acquainted with the academic and performance qualities of a potential athlete. If a student has an upcoming showcase tournament, they may invite college coaches to come watch them play in order to augment their athletic reputation with the school. Or, if coaches are unable to attend games, students may achieve this through sending tapes that highlight impressive game footage.
By whatever means an athlete goes about being recruited, the process entails specific rules that have been created by college athletic associations in order to keep it professional and fair. Coaches and athletes who fail to remain aware of and comply with these rules must face consequences that may preclude an athlete from reaching their goals.
Sarah Phelan, senior
Grants to play lacrosse at Virginia Wesleyan College
“The lacrosse coaches found out about me...through different travel lacrosse tournaments and stuff...You just kind of have to put your name out there, that’s the biggest thing...I just picked Wesleyan. I got recruited to Christopher Newport and to the Naval Academy, and that’s about it. [Division] III schools, which is Wesleyan and CNU, they don’t offer scholarships, just grants, but the Naval Academy was offering scholarships.
Chris Yates, senior
Baseball scholarship at William & Mary
“[William and Mary] just came up out of the blue. I was going to be in a tournament about an hour from the school. I sent the coach an email and said ‘come look at me.’ He showed up, invited me on the way back from the trip to come on a visit and offered me there. [The scholarship they offered me] is just about 60 percent, just tuition not room and board.”
Austin Decker, senior
Football walk-on at Virginia Tech
“They film every football gave so...my dad and I went through all the games and picked out plays, going minute by minute. As far as Virginia Tech goes, I got noticed by them by sending them a tape. I was calling all of these colleges on a regular basis. I usually get one call a night, give or take. One day [the recruiter] called me and said that I have the preferred walk-on spot.”
Christina Patten, senior
Lacrosse walk-on at Virginia Tech
We had tournaments and coaches were [at them] this past summer. Then the Tech coaches contacted me through email and calling a couple weeks after the camp. I’ve always wanted to go [to Virginia Tech], so I was very interested in that school. I applied to the school regular admission and...they told me I had basically gotten accepted, they sent my letter, and I signed the letter saying I was committed to the school.
Jake An, senior
Golf; not attending college, but received offers from Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, Coastal Carolina, UVA, Virginia Tech, University of Denver, and Northwestern University.
“I don’t think [my parents] were expecting me to get full scholarships from big-name schools, but I was ranked pretty high last year so that’s how it happened. Coastal offered me a full scholarship. ... At first I verbally committed to Coastal Carolina, but I’ve been thinking of not going to school at all and just playing to become professional in three years. I know it’s a rough world to get to the professional level, but I’m going to work hard and see what happens.”
Megan Fouse, junior
uncommitted for softball
“I’ve been going to camps, emailing coaches and occasionally calling them, even though that’s not very preferred. Hopefully this summer something happens. I guess one of my first choices would be Emory. But [just a few of the schools I’ve contacted have been] Bucknell, UPenn, UNC Wilmington. I do mass emailing, so it started out around 20, I’d say. Right now, I’m trying to narrow it down to a top ten or so. I’m doing a lot of unofficial visits on weekends and stuff like that. For schools like UPenn and Emory, I couldn’t probably get into them without softball, so that’s kind of the boost for the more rigorous schools.”
Academic grants: Partial scholarships that help athletes pay for their tuition, books, and other fees. Because NCAA Division III cannot grant athletic scholarships, they offer this type of financial aid.
Athletic scholarships: Awards of money granted to athletes in return for their competing on a college sport team to help them pay for their college tuition, either in part or in full. Generally, NCAA Division I offers more athletic scholarships than Division II.
Walk-on: An athlete who does not receive athletic scholarships but still plays the sport and is considered a part of the athletic team.
General NCAA recruitment rules and regulations
• Coaches cannot have in-person recruiting encounters with high-school prospects until July 1st following their junior year unless the prospect is on their institution’s campus (June 15th for Division II).
• Coaches may only make telephone calls to prospects once per week after July 1 following their junior year (June 15th for Division II). Coaches may receive phone calls from prospects at any time.
• Each institution may have a total of seven recruitment opportunities per prospect, and only three of these may be off-campus contacts (unlimited evaluations and three contacts for Division II).
• Prospects may sign an NLI, which is a binding agreement between the prospect and the institution, during the early (one week in November) or regular signing period (mid-April to September). If the NLI terms are not fulfilled, prospects may lose a maximum of two years of eligibility.
• For Division I and II Schools: Prospects may make up to five official (paid) visits, but no more than one to a single institution. The visit may last up to 48 hours and all meals and entertainment must be comparable to normal student life. These visits may start after the opening day of classes during the prospect’s senior year. For Division II Schools: Prospects may make an unlimited amount of visits to schools, but only one official visit per school.
•All Divisions: Prospects may make any number of unofficial visits at their own expense and receive up to three complimentary admissions to home contests during the visits.