Becoming Eligible for College Athletics
Speak with your high school counselor about your goals. Plan your high school curriculum as early as you can, speaking through your goals with your high school counselor. Your counselor will know the NCAA core requirements and help ensure that you take all the necessary classes while still in high school. Talk honestly with your high school counselor about what you want to achieve as a college athlete, and the counselor will help you meet your goals. Speak with your counselor as soon as you can, as it is important to get your high school curriculum on track right away.
Take the necessary high school core classes. Both Division I and Division II schools have strict core academic requirements that must be met during your high school career. There are 16 core classes that must be completed during your high school years, ranging from math to english courses. If you can, begin taking these core courses early in your high school career so that you can complete them in four years.
Complete the ACT or SAT. As a junior in high school, you should complete both the ACT and SAT standardized tests and submit your scores to the NCAA in preparation for your enrollment. Although each NCAA division has different standardized test requirements, taking the tests early in your high school career will allow you to retake them later on if you need to. Your SAT combined score or ACT sum score should match your overall high school GPA, and the mandatory overall GPA will depend on which NCAA Division you aim to qualify for. Trying the SAT and ACT earlier in school will allow you to get to know the exam, first and foremost, which will then help you get a better score and perform better, being more comfortable with it overall, especially in a timed environment.
Prepare yourself for Division I academic eligibility. Division I schools and athletic programs are the most competitive and have specific academic requirements that must be met before being considered. High school athletes hoping to play football for a Division I school must complete the 16 NCAA approved core classes throughout their four years. You must also maintain a 2.30 overall high school GPA and an SAT or ACT score that matches this overall GPA. NCAA Division I eligibility requires a student to complete four approved english, math, science, and social science courses, one each year of high school.
Decide that you want to become eligible for a Division II team. Division II eligibility requires that you complete 16 approved core courses, but the specifics of these courses are more open than that of Division I requirements. You must maintain an overall GPA of 2.20 throughout your high school career and receive an equivalent score on your SAT or ACT standardized tests.
Become eligible for Division III college athletics. All Division III schools set their own academic eligibility requirements and the guidelines for each school may differ. The best way to find out what a Division III school requires for academic certification is to contact the school directly or visit eligibilitycenter.com for specifications.
Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. In order to become eligible for NCAA applications, no matter which division you are aiming for, you must register with the NCAA Eligibility Center at eligibilitycenter.org. Register with the NCAA early on, as this will allow you to make changes to your high school curriculum if you need to. As a part of your registration, ask your counselor to send your transcripts to the NCAA Eligibility Center after six semesters of high school.
Contacting the Colleges of Your Choice
Make a list of the schools you want to apply to. Research schools with a balance between their football and academic programs, making sure that there is balanced focus between the two. Consider where the school is located and whether or not you would enjoy living in the area, or whether you would be willing to travel away from your hometown. Finding a program that is a good fit for you, both academically and athletically, will be an important part of your future as both a student and an athlete.
Attend any camps held by your top schools. Many college programs hold showcasing camps during the summer, through which they become familiar with high school talent. These camps are a great way for you to show your abilities, while also improving your skills as an athlete. Attend as many of these camps as possible during your high school career. You can find what camps and programs a school offers on the school’s athletic website, or by visiting the NCAA website. The connections made at these camps might be able to lead you to not only to personal letters of recommendation and personal connections, but a good network of folks in the industry, potentially helping you moving forward in your career.
Enlist the help and guidance of your high school coaches. In order to truly excel in the recruitment and registration process with the NCAA, ask your high school coaches for help and feedback. Your coaches will be able to give you honest guidance, telling you which college division they think you will thrive in, while creating connections between you and college coaches. Start speaking with your coaches about your goals as early in your high school career as possible, and ask them what you can be doing to better your chances in the long run. The best high school football coaches have contacts at several NCAA schools and should be able to help you build relationships with the school of your choice.
Visit the campuses of your top schools and speak with the football coaches. Before you visit a college campus, contact the school and the school’s football program to schedule tours and meetings with the coaching staff. Meeting the coaching staff personally will let you know if you think you are a good fit for the program, while also showing the coaching staff that you are serious about playing for them. Examine the school’s facilities and ask yourself if both the academic and athletic facilities meet your needs.
Apply to your top schools. Once you have narrowed down five to ten schools that you would like to play college football for, begin your application process. Apply to your top colleges by January of your senior year of college to meet college application deadlines. Be sure to have your transcripts, test scores, and overall GPA on hand before applying. Some schools may require written essays as part of your application process, so put aside plenty of time to complete these essays.
Marketing Yourself as a College Athlete
Achieve as much as you can as an athlete in high school. The best way to stand out amongst your competitors and position yourself as a competitive athlete is to perform your best during your high school career. Train hard and stay dedicated to the sport while balancing your athletic achievements with academic success. Building a strong, concrete resume as a high school athlete, through outstanding personal statistics and establishing yourself as a team player will set you apart from your competition.
Showcase your athletic ability through a video or resume. Throughout your high school career, enlist someone to videotape your best performances so that you can create a showreel of your high school athletic achievements. Create a brief highlight video that can be shared with college recruiters, and post the video on YouTube. Make a brief athletic high school resume detailing your achievements and statistics while playing high school football. Creating these things early in your high school career will allow you to start the application and recruitment process before your competitors. As you get closer to graduation, send your video and resume directly to the programs of your choice.
Use an athletic recruiting service to put you ahead. Although enlisting help from a recruitment service is not necessary, some programs can help get your name through to programs that would otherwise not notice you. Consider paying organizations like Athletic Scholarships Sports Recruiting to help get you noticed, but be sure to research the organization before giving them money, and ask them exactly how they plan to help. Before committing to a service, ask the program how much they cost, how many schools they guarantee exposing you to, and what kind of services they plan to provide.
Contact the school’s athletic program directly. Once you have applied to the top schools of your choosing, reaching out to each football program individually will help you stand out amongst other applicants. Send the recruitment coach an email, or call the program’s offices directly. If you are emailing the recruitment coach, do not forget to add your highlight video and athletic resume to the email as an attachment.
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