The NCAA & Eligibility
NCAA Application Instructions
To register, student-athletes should visit www.eligibilitycenter.org.
Once a student applies online, please be sure to print a copy of the Release Form, which needs to be signed and given to the student’s School Counselor. This gives Mountain Lakes High School permission to release your transcript and test record to the Clearinghouse.
NCAA Eligibility Brochure, by NCAA
NCAA Guide for College Bound Student Athletes, by NCAA
An all-encompassing resource on athletic recruitment. Some of the topics discussed include the varying academic standards for Divisions I, II, and III athletics, information on scholarships, national letters of intent, recruiting calendars, and much more.
Divisions I and II extend COVID-19 initial-eligibility policies, by NCAA
"Students who initially enroll full time during the 2021-22 or 2022-23 academic years and intend to play NCAA Division I or II athletics will not be required to take a standardized test to meet NCAA initial-eligibility requirements."
Contacting Coaches
The first point of contact is often completing the prospective student-athlete questionnaire. This is found on a school’s official athletics homepage or on each of the team-specific pages. While they vary by school and sport, here’s an example from Syracuse University to see the types of questions that are asked on a typical student-athlete questionnaire.
If you don't hear back after completing a questionnaire (give it some time - coaches are busy), be sure to follow up. That being said, if a coach doesn't respond after a few points of contact, they're likely not interested.
Questions to Ask Coaches
Contacting Coaches and Athletic Resume - a guide from our previous College & Career Counselor
Helpful Articles
Athletic Recruiting 101: What Student Athletes Need to Know, by IvyWise
7 Tips to Prepare for the Athletic Recruitment Process, by College Data
"It’s very exciting to go through the process of reaching out to a coaching staff... I encourage my student-athletes to create some kind of tracking document or system to have everything in one place. As a starting point, general information to keep track of includes: name of college, coach's name and contract info, date of initial communication, date of coach's response, and date of highlight video/athletic resume sent. "
Athletic Recruitment 101, by College Admission Strategies
How Do College Coaches Recruit?, by RecruitRef
"While coaches do an extensive amount of research to find the athletes that best fit their program, reaching out and contacting them is a great way to get yourself on their radar. Don’t sit around and wait to be recruited."
Is Division 1 Really the Best?, by USA Today
What Are Some Questions to Ask a College Coach, by RecruitRef
When Can a High School Athlete Verbally Commit?, by RecruitRef
Five Most Common Questions About Verbal Commitments, by USA Today
What Happens After You Verbally Commit to a College, by RecruitRef