Every year thousands of high school athletes have a dream come true when they get an offer for a scholarship to play their sport in college. For many others, it a realization that just being a good athlete isn’t enough. So why does one athlete succeed, while another with seemingly similar skills, fails? The main reason is that they don’t know the rules of the game.
There are a few things to consider as you work through this process. First and foremost is to remember, most athletes will never play at the professional level. You have t look at getting a scholarship to play your sport as an opportunity to get your education paid for. So when you consider what schools you want to go to, look for schools that offer degrees in what you’re interested in studying.
The next thing to consider is whether you are more interested in being on a team for a major university, or getting playing time. Most major universities get an abundance of athletes wanting to be a part of their programs. They have the luxury of being able to pick from the best athletes from across the country. Unless you are a blue-chip player, chances are you will end up as part of a practice squad, waiting for an opportunity to play in a real game.
Many smaller schools do not have the same overload of players. They are looking for people who are able to come, and start playing quickly. In some of these schools you will have opportunities to play, even as a freshman. If you are willing to play for Division 2, Division 3 and NAIA schools, you will have a much better chance of getting playing time.
It’s been said that to get an athletic scholarship you have to have GAME. That stands for Grades, Ability, Motivation, and Exposure
Grades
Unless you are a nationally ranked player, grades are critical. If two players with similar abilities apply for a scholarship, the athlete with better grades will get selected. Most schools have a limited amount of money to spend on athletic scholarships, so they are somewhat selective in the athletes they recruit.
If you are interested in playing for an NCAA school, you’ll need to check out the NCAA Clearinghouse at https://www.ncaaclearinghouse.net/NCAA/common/index.html. They give you all the academic requirements for being eligible to play in the NCAA.
Ability
Schools are looking for athletes with the ability to play at the college level. Unfortunately for many athletes coming form public schools, the level of competition isn’t high enough for you to be able to stand out from the crowd. Do an internet search for club teams in your area that play at a higher level of competition.
Playing for a more competitive team will help you in two ways. First, is the improvement in your playing ability. There is an adage that says “steel sharpens steel”. If you want to improve as a player, you need to compete against better players. Beating up on lesser teams may make you look good on paper, but it doesn’t help you improve as a player.
Second, many colleges will pay closer attention if they see you have experience competing against more talented competition. College coaches understand the differences in the levels of competition between club teams and public school teams. They want to see that your are willing to do what it takes to improve your abilities.
Motivation
That brings us to motivation. Are you willing to do what it takes? Getting a college scholarship for a school you want to go to is a lot of work. You have to be willing to commit the time and energy it takes to get what you want. This isn’t just time on the field improving your game; it’s also spending time in research, and contacting schools.
Motivation ties into every area of the process of getting a college scholarship, and it shows the college coaches and recruiters a glimpse of your character. It shows them that you are not afraid of hard work. It shows them a willingness to do difficult tasks in order to achieve the results you want. From grades, to performance on the field, to being proactive in contacting coaches, your motivation is a critical piece in getting an athletic scholarship.
Exposure
One key point you have to remember is, college coaches can’t recruit you if they don’t know you’re out there. At the end of the day, it comes down to marketing. You have to know how to present yourself in a way that catches the attention of college coaches and recruiters.
A misconception among high school athletes and parents is that college recruiters scour randomly show up at high school games looking for that diamond in the rough that they can recruit into their college program. The truth is, colleges don’t have that kind of budget. There are too many schools, and too few recruiters for that to happen. Recruiters and coaches that do go out are looking at a few specific players. Unless you are a blue-chip player (if your not sure, your probably not), recruiters are not coming to your games to look at you.
In order to catch a coach’s attention, you need to start preparing marketing material on yourself. You also need to get that material into the hands of as many coaches as possible. It’s a numbers game: the more coaches you can get your information to, the better your chances of getting the scholarship you want.
There are organizations that can help you with this process. Organizations like National Collegiate Scouting Association at www.ncsasports.org have programs that will help you put your materials together, and they maintain a database of coaches for every sport that they can send your information to. These organizations cost money, though. Plan on spend between $2,000 – $3,000 for their help. They are expensive, but they will save you a lot of time.
If you decide you are going to do this yourself, you need to start by preparing a profile sheet on yourself. Make sure it is formatted so the information is organized and easy to read. Whenever you contact any college coach, include a copy of your profile. Your profile should contain:
– Athletic Information – Height, weight, position played, right/left handed, and coach contact information, physical abilities (speed in the 40, standing high jump, etc.).
– Athletic Awards – List any awards, as well as camps and tournaments you took part in.
Once you have your profile, start putting together a highlight video of game play as well as skills and drills. You will have to be selective in choosing what goes into your video. While you want it to be a good look at your ability, you don’t want it to be too long. Remember, the bigger the school, the more athletes will be sending in information. Coaches will appreciate an athlete that gets to the point without taking up too much time.
When your video is completed, burn it onto cd’s. Like your profile, you will want to get your highlights into the hands of as many coaches as possible.
The recruiting and selection process takes time. The earlier you get started, the better your chances of getting a scholarship. While it’s never too late, you should really start working toward your athletic scholarship during your sophomore year. Get your video and profile sheet together, then update the information each time something changes. Take the video clips from your junior year and combine them with your sophomore year clips, then edit your video down to get a short highlight cd. You will have to do that again after your senior season.
During your sophomore year, you should be starting to look at schools you might like to attend. A good place to find information about different schools is CollegeNet, at: http://collegenet.com/elect/app/app. They have gathered a lot of useful information about all of the colleges in the US.
While working through this, keep an open mind about where you would like to go. Pay special attention to the schools that offer courses that interest you. Remember, this whole process is about getting a college scholarship to pay for your education. Look for schools that interest you, and don’t worry too much about the availability of athletic scholarship money. Many smaller schools have very limited budgets when it comes to athletic scholarships, but they can be creative in packaging together other scholarship money that will pay for most or all of your college tuition. Sometimes there is money set aside for out of state students.
When colleges start sending you information, make sure you respond to everything. Younger athletes may not here from a coach directly. They will receive information about the school, or perhaps a soccer camp that is being offered at the school. Make sure you respond to the coach, thanking them for the information, and letting them know you are interested in learning more. Do this even if it is a school you are not overly interested in. A year from now you may change your mind. It may also be one of a limited number of schools that is interested in you.
By your senior year you should be in direct contact with some coaches that are interested in you. You may even get an invitation to visit their campus and meet them in person. Before you get too excited about the prospect, listen to what they are saying. You want them to offer you a “paid visit”. That means they are willing to pay the expenses for you to visit their campus. This is an indication that they are truly interested in having you on their team. Accept ALL paid visit offers. Visiting a coach is not a binding agreement. You can visit as many campuses as you like, and listen to all their offers. Nothing is binding until you sign a National Letter of Intent. If you change your mind after signing an NLI, you could lose up to one year of eligibility.
The key is to not give up. Keep sending out letters and contacting coaches until you get an offer of financial aid.
While it’s not an easy task, college scholarships are available for athletes who want to continue playing after high school. If you are willing to put in the work to get what you want, you can have a great opportunity to get an athletic scholarship to pay for your college education.
