Recruiting
Timeline
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Freshman
At the beginning of your 9th grade year, you
become a prospective student athlete. All rules
regarding recruiting go into effect at this
time. You may visit an institution at your own
expense as often as you wish, and all contacts
with a coach must be on the college campus.
The athlete can call the coach, but the coach
cannot return the phone call, email, instant
message, text message or encourage contact of
any kind prior to the athlete’s junior year.
In this early stage, an athlete should be choosing
prospective colleges (40-50 recommended)from
criteria that is important to the athlete. Introduction
letters and major showcase tournament schedules
should be sent. Taking the PSAT's are highly
encouraged to get ready for the SAT's. Meet
with your hs guidance counselor to ensure your
course selections are NCAA approved core courses
and appropriate for the minimum standards (listed
below). Attend all the college/recruiting camps
as possible. |
Sophomore
You may visit an institution at your own expense
as often as you wish, and all contacts with
a coach must be on the college campus. The athlete
can call the coach, but the coach cannot return
the phone call, email, instant message, text
message or encourage contact of any kind prior
to the athlete’s junior year. This is a very
important year for you to get on the coach's
radar. You should be playing in the appropriate
tournaments and keeping in regular contact with
your college list. You should be increasing
contact with your prospective colleges (40-50
recommended). Replace any drops from your list
with another college. Fill out the online questionaire's
at your colleges website. Take the PSAT and
SAT several times. Scores do not need to be
reported to the Eligibility Center unless they
are outstanding. Meet with your hs guidance
counselor to ensure your course selections are
NCAA approved core courses and appropriate for
the minimum standards (listed below). In the
sophomore year, a skills A skills video may
entice a college coach to watch a particular
athlete in a major showcase. Attend all the
college/recruiting camps as possible. |
Junior
Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. As
your SAT scores improve, have those scores updated
on your profile in the Eligibility Center. September
1st: Coaches may send athletes recruiting letters,
emails, instant messages, text messages and
information about the athletic program. Coaches
may not call prospects, however, until after
July 1 for Division I and June 15 for Division
II. (Players may call coaches, but coaches can't
return these calls until the specified dates.)
At this point, you may have reduced the number
of prospective colleges from your original list.
Replace those with new college prospects and
send them your information. Fill out their online
questionaire's. After meeting with your hs counselor,
appropriate actions should be taken if you are
not on target with the minimum requirement for
core courses- summer school, night school, juco
courses, etc. Attend all the college/recruiting
camps as possible. |
Senior
In person, face-to-face contacts can begin -
a Division I college is allowed three total
off-campus contacts with a prospect during her
senior year in high school. Coaches may only
call prospects once a week, and these calls
include conversations with any family members.
It is strongly recommended that you register
with the NCAA Eligibilty Center. It is up to
you to update this information every semester!
Your skills video may need to be updated in
early fall and re-sent. Widen your scope of
college interests. There is a college out there
for you! |
Recruiting
Calendar
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| NCAA Division I Softball Recruiting Calendar
August 1, 2011 through July 31, 2012 (See
NCAA Division I Bylaw 13.17.7 for softball
calendar formula) The dates in this calendar
reflect the application of Bylaw 13.17 at
the time of publication of this manual but
are subject to change per Constitution 5.2.3.1
or if certain dates (e.g., National Letter
of Intent signing dates are altered).
(a) Contact Period August 1 through November
23, 2011, [except for (1) below] *:
(1) Dead Period November 7-10, 2011:
(b) Quiet Period November 24, 2011 through
January 1, 2012, [except for (1) below]:
(1) Dead Period November 30,2011 (12:01 a.m.)
through December 4, 2011, (12:01 a.m.):**
(c) Contact Period January 2 through July
31, 2012, [except for (1) and (2) below]:
(1) Dead Period April 9-12, 2012:
(2) Dead Period May 29 through June 7 (noon),
2012:
(d) Evaluation Period During high school
regional and state championship competition
that does not occur during a dead period:
(e) Quiet Period The following state specific
contact/evaluation periods are permissible:
(1) In Hawaii, contacts and evaluations shall
be permissible between November 24, 2011 and
January 1, 2012, [except for (a) below)].
(a) Dead Period 12:01 a.m. on the day of
registration for the national convention of
the National Fastpitch Coaches Association
November 30, 2011, (12:01 a.m.) to on the
day after adjournment of the convention December
4, 2011 (12:01 a.m.)
(2) In those states that play high school
softball season in the fall, evaluations shall
be permissible during those seasons, except
during dead periods. * Each institution is
limited to 50 evaluation days (August 1 through
July 31) per Bylaw 13.02.6.2, which do not
include employment of coaches in instructional
camps/clinics or the observation of prospects
participating in high school softball competition.
** Dates are based on the National Fastpitch
Coaches Association Convention (November 30
through December 3,2011).
The National Collegiate Athletic Association
March 30, 2011
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Academic
Requirements
See pg 6 in the '11-'12 Guide for the College Bound
Student Athlete
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DIVISION I
If you want to participate in athletics or receive
an athletics scholarship to a Divisi, you must:
• Graduate from high school;
• Complete these 16 core courses:
- 4 years of English
- 3 years of math (algebra 1 or higher)
- 2 years of natural or physical science
(including one year of lab
science if offered by your high school)
- 1 extra year of English, math, or natural
or physical science
- 2 years of social science
- 4 years of extra core courses
(from any category above, or foreign language,
nondoctrinal religion or
philosophy);
• Earn a minimum required grade-point average
in your core courses; and
• Earn a combined SAT or ACT sum score that
matches your core-course grade-point average
and test score sliding scale (for example,
a 2.400 core-course grade-point average needs
an 860 SAT).
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DIVISION II
2008 - 2013
If you enroll in a Division II college and
want to participate in athletics or receive
an athletics scholarship during your first
year, you must:
• Graduate from high school; • Complete these
14 core courses:
- 3 years of English
- 2 years of math (algebra 1 or higher)
- 2 years of natural or physical science
(including one year of lab
science if offered by your high school)
- 2 additional years of English, math, or
natural or physical science
- 2 years of social science
- 3 years of extra core courses
(from any category above, or foreign language, nondoctrinal
religion or philosophy);
• Earn a 2.000 grade-point average or better
in your core courses; and
• Earn a combined SAT score of 820 or an
ACT sum score of 68.
2013 and Later
If you enroll in a Division II college on
or after August 1, 2013, and want to participate
in athletics or receive an athletics scholarship
during your first year, you must:
• Graduate from high school
• Complete these
16 core courses:
- 3 years of English
- 2 years of math (algebra 1 or higher)
- 2 years of natural or physical science
(including one year of lab science if offered by your high school)
- 3 additional years of English, math, or
natural or physical science
- 2 years of social science
- 4 years of additional core courses
(from any category above, or foreign language, nondoctrinal
religion or philosophy);
• Earn a 2.000 grade-point average or better
in your core courses; and
• Earn a combined SAT score of 820 or an
ACT sum score of 68.
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DIVISION III
Division III athletes are not certified through
the Eligibilty Center. Athletes are encouraged
to contact their prospective schools to ensure
each schools requirements are being met.
|
Definitions:
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Contact. A contact occurs any time a coach
has any face-to-face contact with you or your parents
off the college's campus and says more than hello.
A contact also occurs if a coach has any contact
with you or your parents at your high school or
any location where you are competing or practicing.
Contact period. During this time, a college
coach may have inperson contact with you and/or
your parents on or off the college's campus. The
coach may also watch you play or visit your high
school. You and your parents may visit a college
campus and the coach may write and telephone you
during this period.
Dead period. A college coach may not have any in-person
contact with you or your parents on or off campus
at any time during a dead period. The coach may
write and telephone you or your parents during this
time.
Evaluation. An evaluation is an activity by a coach
to evaluate your academic or athletics ability.
This would include visiting your high school or
watching you practice or compete.
iEvaluation period. During this time, a college
coach may watch you play or visit your high school,
but cannot have any in-person conversations with
you or your parents off the college's campus. You
and your parents can visit a college campus during
this period. A coach may write and telephone you
or your parents during this time.
Official visit. Any visit to a college campus by
you and your parents paid for by the college. The
college may pay all or some of the following expenses:
• Your transportation to and from the college;
• Room and meals (three per day) while you are visiting
the college; and
• Reasonable entertainment expenses, including
three complimentary admissions to a home athletics
contest.
Before a college may invite you on an official
visit, you will have to provide the college with
a copy of your high school transcript (Division
I only) and SAT, ACT or PLAN score and register
with the Eligibility Center.
Prospective student-athlete. You become a “prospective
student-athlete” when:
• You start ninth-grade classes; or
• Before your ninth-grade year, a college gives
you, your relatives or your friends any financial
aid or other benefits that the college does not
provide to students generally.
Quiet period. During this time, a college coach
may not have any in-person contact with you or your
parents off the college's campus. The coach may
not watch you play or visit your high school during
this period. You and your parents may visit a college
campus during this time. A coach may write or telephone
you or your parents during this time.
Unofficial visit. Any visit by you and your parents
to a college campus paid for by you or your parents.
The only expense you may receive from the college
is three complimentary admissions to a home athletics
contest. You may make as many unofficial visits
as you like and may take those visits at any time.
The only time you cannot talk with a coach during
an unofficial visit is during a dead period.
Verbal commitment. This phrase is used to describe
a collegebound student-athlete's commitment to a
school before he or she signs (or is able to sign)
a National Letter of Intent. A collegebound student-athlete
can announce a verbal commitment at any time. While
verbal commitments have become very popular for
both college-bound student-athletes and coaches,
this "commitment" is NOT binding on either
the college-bound student-athlete or the institution.
Only the signing of the National Letter of Intent
accompanied by a financial aid agreement is binding
on both parties.
National Letter of Intent. The National Letter
of Intent (NLI) is a voluntary program administered
by the Eligibility Center. By signing an NLI, your
son or daughter agrees to attend the institution
for one academic year. In exchange, that institution
must provide athletics financial aid for one academic
year.
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