Throughout a college-bound junior player’s
competitive career, understanding the
recruiting process and the NCAA Recruiting
Rules can aid in positioning a young player
properly to be recruited.
This month we outline the major milestones and
to-do’s for players in the 11th and 12th
grades. In future articles we’ll examine and
review the recruiting rules for NAIA and for
the NJCAA.
A similar review of this information can be
found in the Ping College Golf Guide
11th Grade
Key Terms: SAT, ACT, TOEFL, NCAA
Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse and
Contact
Student-Athlete Responsibilities:
Prospects are encouraged to take the SAT and
ACT exams as often as necessary to earn the
necessary scores for the university they are
interested in attending. There is no limit on
the number of times a prospect may sit for the
exams and to determine a student’s overall SAT
score, the aggregate of their best math and
best verbal sections is compiled.
International students should prepare for and
take the TOEFL (test of English as a foreign
language) as most universities will require
international students to provide a TOEFL
score. Visit the following websites for
additional information on these three key
exams:
For the SAT, visit
www.collegeboard.com
For the ACT, visit www.act.org
For the TOEFL, visit
www.ets.org/toefl/index.html
Students should register with the NCAA Initial-
Eligibility Clearinghouse after the completion
of their junior year in high school. At that
time, a current high school transcript should
be sent to the clearinghouse and should
include their SAT/ACT test scores. Students
are encouraged to elect on the test
applications to have their scores forwarded
directly to the clearinghouse. For additional
information regarding the NCAA Initial-
Eligibility Clearinghouse, visit their website
at:
www.ncaaclearinghouse.net
Applicable NCAA Rules:
College coaches may write and/or email
prospective student-athletes beginning
September 1st of the prospect’s junior year in
high school. College coaches may call and/or
contact prospective student-athletes July 1st
following the prospect’s junior year in high
school. Calls are limited to once per week
and a total of three contacts may be made
throughout the recruiting process. For
recruiting purposes, a contact is any face-to-
face encounter between a prospect and a coach
that exceeds a casual greeting. Additional
information regarding the specific rules and
regulations that apply to college coaches and
prospective student-athletes can be found
at:
www1.ncaa.org/membership/membership_svcs/eligib
ility-recruiting/index.html
12th Grade
Key Terms: National Letter of Intent
and Official Visit
Student-Athlete Responsibilities:
Prospective student-athletes are permitted to
participate in no more than five official
visits during their senior year of high
school. This restriction forces recruits to
narrow their list of potential schools down to
five or less. An official visit is one that
is arranged and financed by the host school.
Official visits can last up to 48 hours.
Additional schools may be visited on
an “unofficial” basis as mentioned above.
Seniors may only sign a National Letter of
Intent during one of the two designated
signing periods. The early period occurs for
one week in mid-November whereas the regular
period begins in mid-April and continues until
August 1st. For additional information on the
National Letter of Intent, visit:
www.national-letter.org
Applicable NCAA Rules:
Students are allowed five official visits
(financed by the school) during their senior
year. Coaches can call prospects once per
week and a total of three face-to-face
contacts can be made between the coach and the
prospect unless the contact is made on the
coach’s campus.
|
Back to Going to College