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ATHLETES WANTED
Athletes should:
• Have a list of the colleges they communicate with the most. • Reference the NCSA Collegiate Power Rankings (www. althleteswanted.org) to determine which colleges rank best in academic, athletic, and graduation rates.
• Cross-reference these lists with the colleges that are most likely to accept them and show high interest, invite them for an official visit, and offer a scholarship. Critical to this is an athlete’s ability to gauge where he stands at his colleges of choice. Student-athletes should not be afraid to simply ask: “Where do I stand on your list of recruits?” If invited by a college coach, especially a coach they are trying to impress, student-athletes might consider going to camps to improve or demonstrate their skills. Camps are a good opportunity for student-athletes to experience campus life, evaluate a college, or continue developing a relationship with coaches who are already recruiting them; however, student-athletes are rarely discovered at camps. See Chapter 12 for more information about the role of camps in a student’s recruiting potential. An athlete invited to a prospect camp or a one-day visit camp has a strong indication that the student-athlete is being recruited and evaluated by the camp’s coaching staff. On the other hand, if an athlete is not invited to such camps by the end of the junior year, a student should shift expectations and expand the search to programs that are more realistically compatible with the athlete’s competition level.