PROSPECTIVE COLLEGE STUDENT ATHLETES
This page serves as a resource for Blake Student-Athletes and their families for the admission process regarding college athletics.
The work on this page is a collaboration between the Blake College Counseling and Athletic Departments.Â
Each spring, Blake presents a Prospective College Athlete Night where several college coaches are brought in to talk to families about the process. More information will be released later this winter regarding this event.Â
9TH GRADE YEAR
- Start doing research about the differences between schools in terms of:Â athletics, academics, location size, public/private, campus environment
- Begin researching what grades/scores you need to have in order to get into certain schools. Create solid transcripts by doing your best in school
- Focus on team participation and individual skills
- Be cognizant of leaders on team and learn from their leadership skills
- Determine how your sport works in regards to off-season or summer opportunities (i.e. club soccer, AAU basketball)
10TH GRADE YEAR
- Continue strong academic work
- Make a list of schools that may meet your academic and social needs
- Create a resume or player profile and send it to the coaches on your school list. Make follow up phone calls to the coaches to make sure they received your resume
- Update coaches regularly on your progress
- Take PSAT
- Consider going to summer camps at schools on your list
11TH GRADE YEAR
- Continue strong academic work
- ACT prep conducted by College Counseling Office
- Take the ACT and/or SAT. Update coaches with text scores
- Talk to the coaches at each school to determine your market value. If possible, begin taking some unofficial visits
- Consider going to summer camps at schools on your list
SUMMER GOING INTO 12TH GRADE YEAR
- Find out which schools accommodate your athletic and academic long term goals
- Find out what college coaches would like you to be doing during your senior year, both on and off the field/court, in order to be best prepared for college athletics
12TH GRADE YEAR
- Continue strong academic work. Consider retaking ACT and/or SAT
- Setup and take your 5 official visits and unlimited unofficial visits. Determine scholarship availabilities and amounts for each school.
- Speak with coaches about where they see you playing if you were to attend their school. Speak with current and former athletes at the schools that you are interested in
- Commit!
NCAA RULE DEFINITIONS
Contact – A contact is classified as a face-to-face encounter between a college coach and the student athlete (or their legal guardians or relatives) where more than a greeting occurs. Anything beyond a hello is considered a contact.
Contact Period – College coaches are allowed to have in-person contact with you or your legal guardians. This period means coaches can watch you compete anywhere, and the coach can write and make telephone calls
Dead Period – The college coach cannot make in-person contact with you or your legal guardians. This prevents the coach from making any evaluations of you whatsoever. However, the coach can make telephone calls to you or your legal guardians
Official Visit – Any visit to a college that is paid for by that university. You and/or your legal guardians will have your transportation to and from the college paid for. Also paid for by the college will be your room, meals (three per day), and entertainment expenses. Generally you will receive three free passes to the college’s home game the weekend you are in town
Unofficial Visit – Anytime you or your legal guardians visit a college campus that is funded by you. You can take as many unofficial visits as you would like. During dead periods you cannot speak to any of the coaches while visiting the campus. Three free tickets to a home game is the only thing a coach can give you during an unofficial visit.
Quiet Period – During this time a college coach can not watch you compete. It is allowed for the college coach to make in-person contact with you or your legal guardians if it occurs on the coach’s campus
ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIPS
It is important to be fully informed and have the right expectations to make the best choice for you.
Getting a full-ride scholarship is assumed to be the pinnacle for athletes in pursuit of an athletic scholarship. Unfortunately, there are only a few sports and division levels where this happens because the majority of scholarships are partial scholarships. Head count sports are the college sports where all of the scholarships are full rides. The rest of the college programs are known as equivalency sports and most scholarships are partial scholarships.
Head Count Sports (Full Ride Scholarships) – D1 only. Men’s Football and Basketball. Women’s Basketball, Tennis, Gymnastics, and Volleyball
Equivalency Sports (Partial Scholarships) — All other NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA sports except NCAA DIII. NCAA DIII programs do not offer athletic scholarships
FAQS
FAQs about the NCAA Eligibility Center
Student-athletes must register with the NCAA Eligibility Center to be eligible to play NCAA Division I or II sports in college. Athletes playing in Division III do not have to register.
WHAT IS THE NCAA ELIGIBILITY CENTER?
The NCAA Eligibility Center certifies whether prospective college athletes are eligible to play sports at NCAA Division I or II institutions. It does this by reviewing the student-athlete’s academic record, SAT or ACT scores, and amateur status to ensure conformity with NCAA rules.
WHAT ARE NCAA DIVISIONS I, II, AND III?
The NCAA is the governing body of many intercollegiate sports. Each college regulated by the NCAA has established rules on eligibility, recruiting and financial aid, and falls into one of the three membership divisions (Divisions I, II and III). Divisions are based on college size and the scope of their athletic programs and scholarships.
WHEN SHOULD STUDENTS REGISTER?
The NCAA recommends that student-athletes register at the beginning of their junior year in high school, but many students register after their junior year. There is no registration deadline, but students must be cleared by the Eligibility Center before they receive athletic scholarships or compete at a Division I or II institution.
HOW DO STUDENTS REGISTER?
Students must register online at the NCAA Eligibility Center. They will have to enter personal information, answer questions about their course work and sports participation outside of high school and pay a registration fee.
