If you are a high school graduate, then this article is for you. After reading this, you will have an understanding of what you will have to do in order to compete at the college level.
It May Not be too Late
High school graduates can still be considered eligible for college competition, unless they fail to meet the NCAA eligibility rules. NCAA Division I and Division II colleges must follow eligibility guidelines set in place to make college competition fair. Athletes that hope to compete at these levels must register with the NCAA eligibility center in order to pass academic and amateur compliance.
NCAA recruiting rules are Aimed at Current High School Students
Being recruited as a student athlete is a task requiring lots of time and dedication. College coaches are actively seeking high school athletes because of their current athletic involvement. As a high school graduate or college student, you will need to make your presence known to coaches in order to gain exposure.
Understanding the Recruiting Timeline
Once student athletes graduate from high school, their NCAA eligibility clock begins ticking. Athletes have approximately five years to complete four years of college eligibility at the NCAA Division I and Division II levels. High school seniors and graduates who do not sign an NLI within the mandated time frame for their sport will no longer be recruited by college coaches.
Another obstacle that graduated players face when trying to find a college team to play for is keeping up with sports training and skill development. Athletes that have been sedentary and have not been active in their sport will be passed over quickly by college coaches. If you are still looking for the right program, you will need to find a way to continue training and competing.
College coaches want to get a sense of the type of player they are dealing with and want to view current video and current competitive standings. If you are not involved in playing your sport, it will be difficult for coaches to understand your athletic ability. In some cases, there are special circumstances; check out how this college freshman was able to get noticed by college basketball coaches.
Getting There
If you are already enrolled in college, reach out to the college coach of your sport, ask about walk-on opportunities, and explain to them why you want to be a part of the team. As an enrolled student, you may have an advantage of being considered for walk-on tryouts.
Contact college coaches at universities that you want to apply to and study at. At this point, you will not be actively recruited because you are not a high school senior. Your best chance is to inquire about “walk-on” opportunities. Send coaches your sports resume and a current skills video. From here, you will need to be enrolled in a college in order to try out for the team.
Special Note
Athletes who are able to join athletic programs will not be more than likely offered an athletic scholarship until their second competing season, which gives coaches time to evaluate the player and determine if they are ready to continue being part of a team. Walk-on athletes will be eligible to receive other forms of financial aid during their initial year. It’s not unheard of for walk-ons to gain athletic scholarships, but it is rare.
Consider NCAA DIII, NAIA, and NJCAA
High school graduates should not limit themselves to contacting only NCAA sports programs. The NAIA and the NJCAA have outstanding sports teams that may be a perfect fit for student athletes.
We are here to help you with your recruiting process. If you have questions about recruiting, then leave a comment below or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. We are happy to help with any questions you may have.
Do you have questions about getting recruited? Leave them in the comments section below or ask us on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+!
Is it possible to get recruited as a student athlete from Africa?
Thank you for your question. Yes athletes from Africa can get recruited and play college sports in the US. Here is a very helpful blog we wrote on how to get started.
Let us know if you have any questions. Thanks.
What should I do if I got hurt my senior year of high school and didn’t get to play 8 games of the season and wasn’t able to get recruited. What should I do if Im able to play football now?
That depends on when you graduated and what you’ve been doing since then. If you are already enrolled in college, try talking to the coach of your football team about a tryout. If you are looking to go somewhere else, then you need to start contacting coaches and look for a walk-on opportunity.
I graduated in 09′ have stayed very fit since high school. I played football in hs but I didn’t ply my senior year. I’m currently not enrolled in college but would love to try out at any college football team. Is it still possible?
What you need to do is find a college you want to attend and begin communicating with the college coaching staff to see when they will be holding walk-on tryouts. Some coaches will require you to be enrolled before trying out- it will be up to you to reach out and begin contacting coaches. Are you interested in particular college programs?
I graduated 2012 and went to a school without walk-on try outs. I turned down a DIII offer for financial reasons. I would love to find a school to try-out for cause I kind of regret my decision. I am a 5’8 guard but I am still in good shape. What can I do at this point?
Brandon, the best option is to find a couple schools you want to play for and begin contacting those coaches. Once you have contacted the coaches they can begin letting you know what it will take in order to play for them. Good luck.
thank you!
Hi My Name Is Devonte Im A Senior Graduating On The Minimum Plan In 2013 Which Is 24 Credits Instead Of 26 I Was Wondering Will Universities Still Accept Me And Will I Be Still Be Eligible For NCAA Eligibility Center? Also How Do I Get Colleges To Look At Me If My Stats Werent That Good And I Didnt Play That Much And Also Will I Be Able To College Summer Camps After I Graduate This Comin May
You will want to double check that you are going to meet the core course requirements here. Even before you know your eligibility status you will want to begin reaching out to college coaches and getting them your highlight tape. Going to camps after your senior year is going to be too late.
The most important things is that you get a list of schools and begin finding the coaches who would be interested in recruiting you. Once the coaches have interest in you they can have their compliance office determine your eligibility. Good luck.
Hi my name is Isaac I’m a junior in high school i know that it’s early for me to ask these questions but I want to look forward to my future I play basketball I’m 6″3 SG but the coach won’t play me so I just wanna ask will that affect me to not being able to go to a NCAA college for basketball and for my education what can I do?
If you are not getting the playing time you need with your high school team, I would look for a travel team. Find an AAU team in your area, tryout and make sure you are going to be able to get some playing time. It is important to get a highlight tape together because when you begin contacting coaches you are going to want to be able to share a highlight tape with them. Good luck and let me know if you have more questions.
Thank u :)
I graduated in 2012 and recruiting left me in Divison III. I am currently on a D3 team and want to transfer to D1. Are there still camps during the Spring, such as the various ones High School recruits go to, that students in college can go to? Let me know. thank you
Many of the prospect camps are only for current high school athletes, so I wouldn’t recommend going that direction to get recruited as a transfer athlete. Here are the complete instructions for what it takes to transfer from one four year school to another. The best option is to get a highlight video of your games in college and be prepared to send them out to coaches at the D1 level at the schools you are interested in. Good luck and let me know if you have more questions.
I have recently completed an undergraduate degree at an Australian University and am looking to start a Masters at a US University in the near future. Am I eligible to play NCAA college football and if so at all levels? Thank you.
You might have one year of eligibility left. From the time you start University you have 5 years to play 4 years of a sport. So you might have one year of eligibility left. The best resources for you will be once you have contacted a coach and they are interested in recruiting you.
I am currently a D1 track athlete, I am planing on transferring to a D2 school to do outdoor track. Would it be possible for me to try out for the basketball team eventhough I havent played in college ? I did all four years of high school though.
It might be possible to try and walk on to the basketball team. It all depends on the walk on policies of the basketball team. I would contact the coach at the school you are going to transfer to and let them know you would like to try and walk on.
I am a high school senior football player and wanting to play college football. I have sent out highlight tapes and gotten a few responses but no offers yet. What is the latest month in 2013 can I be recruited. I graduate in May 2013. THANKS
Tomorrow February 6th is the first date athletes can begin signing offers. This signing period runs through April 1st. Keep in mind this is for only D1 schools, if you are contacting schools at the NAIA level you will be able to sign up until the start of school in August.
I graduated in 2012 and I’m 6’3 245 I played TE and I’m looking to play for a NAIA or NJCAA but I’m not sure were to start in getting on a team or getting scouted I need some info on were to start at I have a high light tape and things. If you can help thanks.
You want to begin contacting coaches over email and phone. If you have a list of schools you are interested in, then go to the team website where you can get the coaches email and phone number. Good luck.
Ok so i’m currently a senior didn’t pay soccer my last three years of school last time I played was a freshman cuz of an injury but last time I checked my email Coach Luis Cottrell from West Virginia Tech send me an email saying he wants me to go and tryout for him My question is should I tell him I haven’t played in a team since three years or take the opportunity and see how it goes? I still play soccer in mini leagues with my uncle and his friends who are in their mid 20s early 30s. I just want to do the right thing and what’s best for me
I am sure the coach knows you haven’t played at the high school level the last few years. If you want to tryout and play for the coach, then go for it. If you don’t like the school, then don’t worry about it. It really is up to whether you want to or not. Good luck.
What if you didn’t play any high school basketball can you still play at the college level? If so could you list me any colleges willing to give me a chance to try out and walk on?
If you want to play in college as a walk on, the first step is getting into a college. Most universities have walk-on tryout’s it’s just a matter of you emailing coaches and finding out what it takes in order to try out. Good luck.
Hello, I’m currently a sophomore at Old Dominion, which did really bad this year. I didn’t play basketball for my high school. Would I have a chance to play here?
My advice would be to go to pick games in the gym where the basketball players are playing and play with them. Within 5 minutes you will know if you can play with them or not. If you play well against them and keep coming back it is a great time to begin talking to the players about walking on. Good luck.
I completed my Undergraduate Degree in Canada, but did not play any varsity sports (lots of family and personal issues). However, I am looking to complete my Masters in the States, and was wondering, would I be able to play under the current eligibility rules of the NCAA?
You have 5 years to play 4 years of a sport. You might have a year or two of eligibility, but it is going to be very difficult to get a coaches attention because you haven’t been playing for a couple of years. As a graduate student you need to find the schools you want to study at and then begin contacting the coaches at those schools.
Hi, I am currently a Junior in High School who is going to be a senior next school year. I am really aspiring to play in College football and I know I can play at any level of it. I had to sit behind two Seniors at my position last season, and I didn’t get any playing time except for garbage time games, when our team was blowing out the other. Because of this, I didn’t have any plays to make a highlight tape for my Junior Season. I have made plans to go to many Spring and Summer camps and combines to generate exposure, and passing league (7on7) starts next month. Is there still a chance for me to play at the next level? If so, what must I do?
Yes you still have the chance to play at the next level. You need to make sure and contact all of the coaches at the camps you will be attending. Let the coaches know you are interested in their program and that you will be at camp. Have you created a recruiting profile on our site? There are a lot of free tools that will make it easy to find schools you are interested in and get the contact information for coaches. Good luck.
I am an international athlete and would like to study and get athletics scholarship in USA. But I am 26 year old and soon will be graduating for the masters degree in UK. Is there chance for me to study in US postgraduate studies and get sports scholarship?
No. Based on your age you would not have any eligibility to receive a scholarship. Best of luck in your studies.
I’m currently a high school senior. My high school did not have any sports. However, I have participated in some various clubs outside of school. I’ve already committed to a college. Is it still possible to join a varsity team in a DIII school? Would it help to show the school I have interest by sending back the forms with my “sports of interest”?
I would contact the coaches at the school you are going to. The email and phone number should be available on the team website. Good luck.
I am an International student and I am a tennis player wanting to join an American University with a full scholarship the past few months.After I graduated (June’12) from High school I sat the National exams to attend the University, which I succeded and I enrolled November’12.I started my courses when some University scholarship proposals from U.S.A made me think that the possibility of attending with a scholarship an American University can be achieved!So, from the beginning of 2013 I started taking intensive English lessons and recently (13/4) I sat the ACT test. The results of which I am waiting at the end of this month. In the mean time I have, among others, a very interesting offer from a University in USA. They have, just a few days ago informed me that because I am a student at the National University I have to attend as a “transfer student”.But my “special” situation is like this..Even though I have my 2 cemesters certifications of studies, I did not sit any exams because legally and by the National rules, students in my country’s National Universities are allowed to sit them after the semesters are over,whenever they want within the 4 years of the duration of the University, and I decided to take advantage of the specific rules because I wanted to focus 100% on the preparation for attending the University in U.SA.(English and ACT preparation) and practice tennis every day.The Head of my Dpt encouraged me to follow this programme because he could understand my priorities and my effort to succeed in my dream.
But the most serious thing is that since February quite a few Departments in National Universities are closed because of the announcement of some very radical changes in the National educational system in order to improve it. So, I can not sit any exams,so no grades, just official certifications of my 2 semesters.
What can I do?The University is trying to get from NCAA a waiver, but it seems so difficult!What are my options?Is there enough time left? Sorry for the…long story…
I am sorry but there isn’t much advice I can provide. It sounds like you have your University working to get you an NCAA waiver and that sounds like your best option at this point. Good luck.
Is it possible for me to play college soccer even though I didn’t make varsity my freshman year? I played JV all of freshman year, and most of sophomore year. I played in about 5 varsity games my sophomore year.
High school soccer is not as important in the recruiting process as your club team and playing in big showcases in the summer. College coaches almost never attend high school games. They prefer to go to the large summer showcases where they can watch you play against the other top players.
I am Currently a Community College Student in Saint Louis Missouri about to get a degree in December. I play for a non-pay semipro football league in order to stay in shape and get better at my position. Since my league is a little under the radar and they don’t I was already planning on trying to play at an NAIA institution; I was just curious as to how it exactly works? is it like division 2 NCAA football?
It really depends on the school. Some NAIA schools are as competitive as DII schools and some are a little below. The process of getting recruited there is much the same, contact the coaches at the schools and see if they are interested.
I am a cornerback without Junior year tape. Would I be able to make a highlight tape off of my plays from Passing League and 7 on 7 film? Would it be a good idea to do so?
If you have no other film it is better than nothing. Make sure and show the clips against the best recruits you went up against. If you have film against recruits who are being recruited by DI schools, make sure your film says that. Coaches will be more impressed if they know you are making plays against elite talent rather than just another high school player. Good luck.
I didn’t play enough my Junior year to make a highlight tape. So offseason before going into my senior year, I am planning to make a highlight tape from our teams 7 on7 games. Would this be a good idea? Would recruiters take this seriously?
Coaches are going to have serious concerns why you didn’t play your Junior Year. If you aren’t a starter as a Junior, you should be looking at Junior Colleges or maybe DIII schools. Besides that, having film from passing league is okay as long as the level of competition is high.