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The Recruiting Process:

1. When Does Recruiting Begin?
2. School Visits
3. Film Evaluation
4. Camps & Combines
5. Offers
6. Letters of Intent
7. What Neuqua Football Does

When Does Recruiting Begin?

Division I programs will typically begin recruiting a player during their junior year of high school. Whereas Division II, III, NAIA, and Junior Colleges begin their search in November of the player’s senior year.  

School Visits:

College recruiters from all levels visit Neuqua Valley from November through May. The visit involves speaking with the head coach and possibly the players they are interested in. The conversation centers around questions regarding a player’s ability, size, speed, character, toughness, work ethic, academics, and home life.

Film Evaluation:

Coaches from each college review all film specific to the position they coach. Coaches like to see a short highlight and two game tapes of the player. The game film is normally provided by the head coach.

Camps & Combines:

Many schools will try to get a player to attend a “One Day” camp at their school during the summer. This allows the coaches to make a live evaluation of the player. Combines are one-day events that are typically conducted by an outside organization to showcase the player’s speed, strength, and ability for the college recruiters in attendance. It is important to note that college coaches report that the results from these combines serve only to exclude players from their recruiting based on poor performances, not to add anyone to their recruiting.

Offers:

An offer of a football scholarship can be either a partial or full scholarship. Typically, Division I FBS schools will offer a full scholarship, meaning all expenses, i.e. tuition, room and board, books, etc. are all covered. Partial scholarships can be anything from books to full tuition, and these are typically offered by Division I FCS, Division 2, NAIA, and Junior Colleges.

The decision to offer a player a scholarship is strictly up to the college football staff. The NCAA and NAIA limit each division to a maximum number of scholarship players that a team may have on its roster. Therefore, very few scholarships are available, resulting in only ONE percent of high school players nationwide that are awarded a football scholarship. The most common factors that exclude a player from receiving a scholarship offer are:

1. Academics 
2. Size and speed relative to position
3. Ability to play at the perspective level as determined by the recruiters

Letter of Intent:

The National Letter of Intent (NLI) is a binding agreement between the school and the athlete. The first date that it may be signed is the first Wednesday of February of the player’s senior year.

More Information: For more information regarding the NCAA recruiting rules and procedures visit www.ncaa.org

What Neuqua Football does:

• Annually contacts over 130 college recruiters with information regarding Neuqua Valley football prospects. The information provided is: Name, Ht, Wt, Grad Yr; Academic info: Cum GPA (NOT NCAA Core), ACT score, Class Rank; Personal contact info: phone number, cell phone, and home address.
• Provides game film to recruiters as requested.
• Answer calls and questions from recruiters, players, and parents.
• Promotes Neuqua Valley prospects through personal and professional networks.
• Provide in-school meetings with recruiters and players.

What you need to do:

• See your counselor to register with the NCAA Clearinghouse
• Determine, with the help of your counselor, your NCAA Core GPA
• Begin to select schools that you are interested in and contact the football staff of those particular schools
• Create a personal resume and make a personal highlight (not more than 30 plays of most current games) followed by 2 game films to send to recruiters.
• Narrow your search based on feedback from recruiters
• Schedule and make campus visits that include the football staff/recruiters
• Submit financial aid paperwork quickly
• Make a selection of the program you would like to play for combined with the academics you desire and a financial package that is suitable to you

For more information relative to eligibility visit www.ncaaclearinghouse.net