College Placement

TYPICAL RECRUITING PROCESS

  • Build your recruiting profile
  • Take necessary academic tests (See more information on SAT and ACT)
  • Register with the NCAA or NAIA Eligibility Center
    See more information on NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA
  • Research schools & teams
  • Set up a list of target schools
  • Contact college coaches
  • Build relationships with coaching staff
  • Apply to universities
  • Receive scholarship offers
    See more information on Scholarship types and Out-of-pocket expenses
  • Commit to a program

RECRUITING OPTIONS

Getting recruited has changed over the years. If you ask someone from the 80s and 90s, they will tell the stories about how they had to send VHS tapes and handwritten letters to colleges in order to get on a coaches' radar the way of the past. 

With more information at your fingertips than ever before, it hasn't necessarily become easier, but there are ways to stay on top of things. The big question many athletes (families) ask themselves is the following: How should I tackle the project of finding a school, team & scholarship offer, allowing me to spend 4 really important years of my life, which will set me up for my future career?

3 RECRUITING OPTIONS

1. "Do nothing – just wait"

This recruiting option is not going to work for 9 out of 10 people. You have got to be among the very best in your sport, winning championships, leading the various rankings, or showing an impressive development of your personal best times. But even then, “just sitting back and waiting” means you may deprive yourself of the school that could be the perfect fit for you, as the school may not have you on the radar (yet). This option works, but it only does so for a very small number of people. 

2. Do-It-Yourself (DIY)

The DIY-approach can mean anything from being all on your own to getting help from  your loved ones, friends, or coaches in high school/ local clubs. This is an option which can work out wonderfully, but it's important that you have somebody in your team with strong knowledge of what's being required. This could be yourself who really is on top of things or mom and dad, who devote significant amount of time to helping you. Either way, you have got to be able to navigate through the pitfalls. Needless to say, you or whoever supports you will invest countless hours in your recruiting process.

3.  Online Recruiting Profile

Complementary to running your own strategy, an online profile on a recruiting platform comes with lots of advantages. Exposure, researching schools, seamless contacting of coaches, understanding which teams fit to you, structure. We can only speak about our recruiting platform of course, but an online OffersRecruiting Profile is a small investment and comes with plenty of useful features! Some of the features our users appreciate the most are:

  • Personal Fit Rating (5-star scale, telling you how well you match with a school)
  • Conversation tool (reach any coaches directly through the platform)
  • Find a University (up-to-date database of all schools across divisions)

RECRUITING TIMELINE

Timelines below can vary by school and male/female athletes*

  • FRESHMAN YEAR

    • Start thinking about your future. What do you want to do with your life; academically, athletically?
    • Think about what kind of school would fit to you? Big, small, rural or in a city, private or public? The criteria are endless, but you may be able to define some that are important to you.
    • Understand the level of play or athletic performance you will need to display to get recruited by your dream school.

  • SOPHOMORE YEAR

    • Build your recruiting profile, for example your OFFERSRECRUITING PROFILE.
    • Understand what is still missing and start working towards adding those bits and pieces.
    • Collect game highlights, if your sport is a team sport (e.g., soccer, volleyball, football, basketball, etc.)
    • Consider getting a first college highlight reel, which you can use when contacting coaches.
      (Don't worry, you can "update" the video later on, as you get stronger)
    • Research schools and start building a list of schools you are interested in.

  • JUNIOR YEAR

    • Finalize your "longlist" of schools.
      1/3 should be schools you would love to get recruited by, but are a long shot
      1/3 should be schools which are perfectly within reach for you
      1/3 should be schools you would be fine going to, but not your first choice.
    • Think about how to present yourself and reach out to coaches. “Coach, check out my video!” won't do it :)
    • Get in contact with college coaches.
      This could be by reaching out on your own or by working with a recruiting service.
    • Register with the NCAA or NAIA Eligibility Center (in case applicable).

  • SENIOR YEAR

    • Apply to school(s).
    • Be prepared to commit the very latest in your senior year.
    • For most D1 schools and some other lower division school, commitments may be made in your junior year already.
    • Sign in “Early Signing Period” of “Regular Signing Period” (for NCAA D1 or D2).

    Master all remaining administrative paperwork.

NCAA ELIGIBILITY CENTER

How do I get eligible to compete for a NCAA school?

  • The “National Collegiate Athletic Association” (NCAA) provides all things ”Eligibility” on their website at NCAA Eligibility Center. Besides finding information and resources that have to do with requirements, timelines, definitions or decisions, you are able to register and set up an account.
    Unlike the NAIA Eligibility Center, you don't have to complete the entire registration right away. You can register and take a break, as long as you log back on and pay the registration fee (150 USD) within the next 30 days.

What is the purpose of the NCAA Eligibility Center?

  • The Eligibility Center is a service center for all member schools, existing for one reason:
  • Certifying any prospective student athlete, looking to play college sports and making sure academic and athletic requirements are fulfilled in order to allow for a level playing field.
  • In other words, only student athletes who have completed high school (thus entitled to pursue a degree at university level) and who are amateurs by definition, will be determined eligible by the NCAA Eligibility Center.
  • As a result, the NCAA is the final stakeholder in the process, confirming whether you are able to receive the scholarship at a D1 or D2 member school and represent the sports team or not.
  • Note that NCAA D-III competition does not require you register with the NCAA Eligibility Center.

ELIGIBILITY TYPE

  • NCAA DIVISION I

    • NCAA Division 1 is known for having the highest level of competition and the best athletes in all of the NCAA divisions. Generally, Division I schools have the biggest student bodies, the largest athletic department budgets, and the most athletic scholarships for their student-athletes.
    • In NCAA Division I, there are almost 350 schools that have more than 6,000 teams. More than 170,000 student-athletes participate in Division I sports.
    • All of the major sports conferences, including the SEC, Big Ten, Pac-12, and ACC, are composed of Division I schools.

  • NCAA DIVISION II

    • Division II athletics programs foster a balanced and inclusive approach in which student-athletes learn and develop through their desired academic pursuits, in civic engagement with their communities and in athletics competition. 
    • Division II schools are typically smaller than Division I schools but larger than Division III schools. They offer student-athletes the chance to compete at a high level and earn partial sports scholarships .
    • Currently, there are 280 Division II schools across 47 states in the U.S., including Alaska, Hawaii, and the District of Columbia . 
    • Most Division II schools offer sports scholarships, but it’s important to note that your student-athlete might be less likely to get a full-ride sports scholarship at a Division II school. 
    • However, Division II schools provide reduced tuition costs and financial aid options. This means your student-athlete could end up with a financial package that is equal to or better than what Division I schools can offer .

  • NCAA DIVISION III

    • Division III is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. It consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletic scholarships to their student-athletes .
    •  D-III schools are not allowed to offer athletic scholarships, while D-II schools can. D-III is the NCAA’s largest division with around 450 member institutions, which are 80% private and 20% public. 
    • Approximately 40% of all NCAA student-athletes compete in D-III .

  • NAIA

    • The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), is the ONLY athletic association that serves the interests of small colleges through holding national championships and by driving student-athlete enrollment and financial sustainability.
    • NAIA schools are most comparable with NCAA II and NCAA III schools in terms of size, enrollment numbers, and level of competition; although there are exceptions with some of the strongest NAIA programs (across sports) competing on a level comparable to D-I schools.
    • It had 241 member institutions, of which two are in British Columbia, one in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the rest in the continental United States, with over 83,000 student-athletes participating.

  • NJCAA

    • The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions across 24 states and is divided into 3 divisions.
    • The NJCAA is a very popular choice for student-athletes who aren’t as strong academically as the eligibility profile of schools under its umbrella is more lenient than those of NCAA or NAIA standards.
    • Community colleges, despite the name, are still classified as universities but more often than not are utilized as an educational stepping stone for entry to an NAIA or NCAA-level institution where they can finish the remaining 2 years or more of their degree.

  • NJCAA DIVISION I

    • Division 1 colleges may grant full athletic scholarships (tuition, books, fees, room & board), up to $250 in course required supplies, and transportation costs one time per academic year to and from the college by direct route. Each sport has limits on the number of scholarships that can be granted.  
    • The division only has 19 Sports, 25 Conferences, & 321 Universities.

  • NJCAA DIVISION II

    • Division 2 Colleges may grant athletic scholarships, but scholarships are limited to tuition, books, fees, and up to $250 in course required supplies. Each sport has limits on the number of scholarships that can be granted. 
    • The division only has 18 Sports, 21 Conference, & 230 Universities.

  • NJCAA DIVISION III

    • Division 3 Colleges are not permitted to offer any athletic scholarships, does not offer any form of athletic financial aid to go towards the cost of tuition and other expenses.
    • The division only has 17 Sports, 17 Conference, & 137 Universities

How do I get started?

As an athlete, learn how to get started and begin connecting with coaches today.

Build Your Profile

The first step is building your profile, where you'll showcase your academic info, sports stats, highlight videos/photos, contact details, and even links to your social media accounts. Completing your profile is super important because it gives coaches a full picture of who you are as an athlete. So let's make it shine and show them what you've got!

Add Your Schedule

On the tab, mark showcases  you'll be competing in. This way, coaches will know exactly when and where they can catch you in action.

Connect with colleges

When you're ready to connect with colleges you're interested in, head to the search tab and look for those schools. Once you've found the right fit, simply click on the "share" button to send your profile directly to the head coach. If the coach isn't using Offers Recruiting yet, they'll receive an email inviting them to join and view your profile. And if they're already on the app, your message will be shared with them instantly.