The fall recruiting season is in full swing, which means you should be checking off important recruiting steps before the winter season begins. NCSA has created individual fall recruiting checklists for each grad year based on the recruiting process and the NCAA recruiting rules and calendar. Have you completed these fall recruiting steps? Freshman Year As a freshman, you should be meeting with your high school/club coach for recruiting advice and evaluations and brushing up on your financial literacy. But the most important step recruits take their freshman year is researching and building a ..read more

The NCAA Eligibility Center is the part of the NCAA that ensures recruits meet the minimum academic requirements and are considered an amateur athlete for all DI and DII student-athletes. The most important thing to understand as a recruit is that the NCAA does not provide guidance on how to get or maintain your college eligibility, they merely determine your eligibility. It is your responsibility to understand the academic and amateurism requirements and meet those requirements with the help of their high school guidance counselor and school administrators. How does the NCAA Eligibility Cente ..read more

One of the best ways for high school athletes to gain exposure is attending softball recruiting events. These events are offered locally, regionally and on college campuses. To find the right event for you, it’s important that you first understand the differences between each event. NCSA has put together a guide to each softball recruiting event and a complete list of 2022 summer events.  What are the various types of softball events? There are four main softball recruiting events: camps, showcases, combines and clinics. The benefits of each event vary when it comes to your individual col ..read more

With summer camps just a couple months away, the spring season is a great time to refresh your skills video. A well-crafted skills video can be a highly effective recruiting tool. According to NCSA research, student-athletes with a video on their online profile are 10 times more likely to get viewed by coaches. Plus, throwing together a new video gives your child a great reason to email coaches and continue the campaign to get on their radar. To make sure your video shows off the best of your athletic performance, follow these four important steps. Focus on skills footage For softbal ..read more

As a sports parent, you’re probably asking how you can help your student-athlete navigate the college recruiting process. Specifically, what role should you play in communicating with college coaches? While your athlete will undoubtably want and need your help through the process, it’s essential that you avoid taking the lead when interacting with college coaches.   Here are three do’s and three don’ts for parents of high school athletes:  Do understand that college coaches evaluate parents, too. College coaches aren’t just evaluating student-athletes’ athleticis ..read more

What qualifies a college campus visit as an official visit? Any visit to a college campus in which any part is financed by the school is considered an official visit. Official visits are invite only and coaches tend to reserve these invitations for their top recruits. Being invited to an official visit is a huge step on your recruiting journey, so it’s important to prepare in advance. How do you schedule an official visit? Depending on the sport and division level, athletes can begin taking official visits junior year. You will likely be invited by a college coach via phone call, email, text o ..read more

While parents are encouraged to let their student-athlete take the lead when communicating with college coaches, there are times when it’s acceptable for parents to play an active role in the conversation. One of those times is during an official visit to the college campus and parents should come prepared with a list of questions to ask. Here are 8 questions parents should ask college coaches that will help them evaluate whether or not the program meets their athlete’s needs and wants: What does a day, week or year in the life of one of your student-athletes look like? Asking this allows fami ..read more

FAFSA is an acronym for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This application is an online form filled out by prospective students who wish to apply for financial aid to help cover the cost of college or graduate schools. Completed forms are submitted to the U.S. Department of Education, which uses the information on your application to determine eligibility for federal aid opportunities, such as direct subsidized and unsubsidized student loans, grants and work-study programs, as well as aid on the state and college levels. While every student planning to attend college is encourage ..read more