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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 Wildcat Football Does

When Does Recruiting Begin?

Major colleges (Big 10, Pac 10, SEC, Big 12, etc.) will typically begin recruiting a player during their junior year of high school. This takes place during the months of December and January. Mid-Major colleges (MAC, Conf USA, etc.) and the 1AA schools will typically begin their junior recruiting following their spring football schedule (April/May). Division 3 and NAIA schools begin their search in December of the player’s senior year. If a player has a standout senior season without having been contacted previously by a 1AA, Mid-Major, or Major college, schools will begin recruiting him if they feel he can play at their level.

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.
Outside Contacts: Most colleges will send numerous mailings if the player’s name is in their database. If the recruiter is truly interested, he will make contact with the recruit via e-mail, text messages, handwritten letters, and phone calls.

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 from the high school.

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:

Major, and some Mid-Major colleges will make “early” offers prior to the player’s senior season.  The decision to offer a player a scholarship is strictly up to the football staff of the college. The number of scholarships a school may have on a team is limited by the NCAA and NAIA. Each division (i.e. - I, IAA, II, III, NAIA) has a maximum number of scholarships that their team may carry. With such a limited number of available scholarships, the percentage of high school players that receive a scholarship is only 1%. The most common factors that limit 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 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 Wildcat Football does:

• Annually contacts over 130 college recruiters via e-mail and mailings with an informational sheet regarding NV 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 during their visit, and through the mail 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 (Bring blank tapes/DVDs to the head coach for copies of games)
• 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