A student’s search for the right athletic fit can be a daunting process. Not only does the student-athlete have to deal with the college admissions process and finding the right fit academically they have to have a parallel search for the right fit athletically.  In the end the two must be woven together to find the right fit both academically and athletically for the student-athlete.

I have worked with college and High School students for three and a half decades as a coach and counselor.  I have coached college football for 34 years at Union College, the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University.  I also spent a year coaching football at the Lawrenceville School, a private boarding School. I have also coached a men’s and women’s Alpine Ski Team and men’s Lacrosse at the college level. In addition I worked as an Assistant Dean of Admissions at Union College for a decade.

The two biggest myths in Athletic recruiting are ‘Full Rides’ and ‘Offers’.  As a college coach for 34 years I can not tell you how many times I have heard someone say to me that they know a student-athlete who received a ‘full ride’ to play a sport at a school that does not even offer athletic scholarships or if it does has never offered more than a half athletic scholarship. Even more often I have heard a parent exclaim that a student-athlete they know has received an ‘offer’ at a college to play a sport and has ‘committed’ to said college already. This in and of itself is not unfounded but the way it is insinuated leads one to believe that the student-athlete is all signed, sealed and delivered as early as their freshman or sophomore year of High School.

My presentation will take these aforementioned statements head on and explain the system along with its pitfalls and ways to read coaches words.  It will cover the basics of college recruiting from a college coach’s perspective and how it relates to the student-athlete.

The following topics will be covered in the presentation:

• Money: Scholarships, partial scholarships, academic scholarships and Financial Aid. The Divisional breakdown (D1, D2, D3 and NAIA) will also be covered as far as what they are allowed to do for student athletes.

• Academics: The very real part that a student’s academic record plays in the recruiting process at all levels. Test scores, GPA, honors courses as well as options such as Junior Colleges (JUCOs) and Post Graduate years (PG). The difference between graduation requirements and NCAA requirements.

• Offers: Verbal and written. As well as the pitfalls that can befall a student-athlete between the time an offer is verbalized and finalized in writing.

• Coach Communication: When and how a coach can communicate with prospects. How to read the communication from a coach. How to reach out to coaches. When is a student athlete being recruited?

• Camps: What camps should I attend and how many of them? I can not afford to go to camps at every school I am interested in financially or time wise. Which camps will give me the most benefit for my time and money?

Also covered will be Recruiting timelines for all Divisions, College Visits, Walk Ons and Personal factors involved in the process.

This can be done as a general all-sports presentation or as a sport-specific presentation. The presentation will last over an hour followed by an open ended question and answer period. Any question that I cannot answer, I will make a note and personally find an answer to that question to the best of my ability.

See cost here