All information was extracted from the NCAA official website at ncaa.org

NCAA recruitment criteria – Part 2* Key topic

Key topic

This is the second lesson we will be devoting to the recruiting criteria of the NCAA. It is important that you familiarize yourself with these criteria to be able to cope with the recruitment process. We will start with our recruiting guide and then move to explore Academic qualifications which can be rather confusing. The last thing we will explore will be the controversial amateurism criterion, the changes that took place in the summer of 2021 and how they affect you.

Learning objectives

• Plan on incorporating all academic requirements in your high school life
• Understand how to follow the NCAA rules and avoid violations
• Discover the vitality of amateurism in the recruiting process
• Create and sustain the conditions that will allow you to be eligible for collegiate sports

Recruiting guide

The below are extracted from the manual provided by the NCAA.  They represent details and explanations for the entire process.

The above table refers to all sports in Division-I except lacrosse, softball, baseball and men’s ice hockey. There are seven recruiting opportunities (contacts and evaluations combined) per Perspective Student Athlete, between September 1 and May 31. Beginning August 1, before the PSA’s junior year, not more than three of the seven opportunities may be contacts, each year.

Contact – A contact is any face-to-face encounter between a prospective student-athlete (PSA) or the PSA’s parents, relatives or legal guardian(s) and an institutional staff member or athletics representative during which any dialogue occurs in excess of an exchange of a greeting. Any such face-to-face encounter that is prearranged (e.g., staff member positions himself or herself in a location where contact is possible) or that takes place on the grounds of the PSA’s educational institution or at the site of organized competition or practice involving the PSA or the PSA’s high school, preparatory school, two-year college or all-star team shall be considered a contact, regardless of whether any conversation occurs.

However, an institutional staff member or athletics representative who is approached by a PSA or the PSA’s parents, relatives or legal guardian(s) at any location shall not use a contact, provided the encounter was not prearranged and the staff member or athletics representative does not engage in any dialogue in excess of a greeting and takes appropriate steps to immediately terminate the encounter.

Evaluation – Evaluation is any off-campus activity designed to assess the academic qualifications or athletics ability of a PSA, including any visit to a PSA’s educational institution (during which no contact occurs) or the observation of a PSA participating in any practice or competition at any site.

Evaluation Days – An evaluation day is defined as one coach engaged in the evaluation of any PSA on one day (12:01 a.m. to midnight); two coaches making evaluations on the same day shall use two evaluation days.

Recruited PSA – Actions by staff members or athletics representatives that cause a PSA to become a recruited PSA at that institution are: a. Providing the PSA with an official visit;  b. Having an arranged, in-person, off-campus encounter with the PSA or the PSA’s parent(s), relatives or legal guardian(s); or c. Issuing a National Letter of Intent (NLI) or the institution’s written offer of athletically related financial aid to the PSA (excluding summer term awards prior to initial full-time enrollment).

Telephone Calls – All electronically transmitted human voice exchange (including videoconferencing and videophones) shall be considered telephone calls. All electronically transmitted correspondence (e.g., electronic mail, Instant Messenger, text messages) shall not be considered telephone calls.

Off-Campus Recruiters – An institutional staff member is not permitted to recruit off campus until they have been certified on an annual basis as to knowledge of applicable recruiting rules.

Telephone Calls During Conduct of an Institution’s Athletics Contest – Telephone calls to a PSA (or the PSA’s relatives or legal guardians) may not be made during the conduct of any of the institution’s intercollegiate athletics contests in that sport from the time the institution’s team reports on call at the competition site at the direction of the coach until the competition has concluded and the team has been dismissed by the coach.

Telephone Calls – Institutional Staff Members – General Rule – All telephone calls made to PSAs (or the PSAs’ parents, legal guardians or coaches) must be made by the head coach or one or more of the assistant coaches who count toward the numerical limitations in that sport.

Visits to a PSA’s Educational Institution – Visits to a PSA’s educational institution that will occur during that portion of the day when classes are being conducted for all students must receive the approval of the executive officer (or the executive officer’s designated representative) of the PSA’s educational institution.

Counting Contacts and Evaluations – Evaluations that occur September 1 through May 31 count against the permissible number of recruiting opportunities for a particular PSA, except for evaluations that occur on the same day as a permissible contact. From June 1 through August 31, evaluations do not count against the annual number of recruiting opportunities for a particular PSA.  Contacts that occur with a PSA count against the permissible number of total recruiting opportunities regardless of the time period (e.g., academic year or outside the academic year).  All contacts and evaluations are subject to recruiting calendar restrictions.

Contact at PSA’s Practice or Competition Site – It is permissible to make phone calls or send electronic correspondence to a PSA (or a PSA’s parents or legal guardians) while the PSA has reported on call for competition and competition-related activities, provided the PSA is otherwise permitted to receive phone calls and electronic correspondence. Recruiting contact may not be made with a PSA at any site prior to any athletics competition (including a noninstitutional, private camp or clinic, but not an institutional camp or clinic) in which the PSA is a participant on a day of competition, even if the PSA is on an official or unofficial  visit.  Contact includes the passing of notes or orally relaying information to a PSA by a third party on behalf of an institutional staff member. Contact may occur after the PSA’s competition concludes for the day and the PSA has been released by the appropriate authority (e.g., coach).

Visit (Without Contact) to PSA’s Educational Institution – A visit (without contact) by a coaching staff member to a PSA’s educational institution counts as an evaluation for all PSAs in that sport at that educational institution.

Evaluations Are Sport Specific – The limitations on the number of evaluations are sport specific; therefore, a PSA being earnestly recruited by an institution in more than one sport may be evaluated on the permissible number of occasions in each of those sports from September 1 through May 31. Evaluations are counted against the sport of the coach making the evaluation.

Exception: Recruiting Opportunities in Cross Country and Track and Field – An institution is limited to a total of seven recruiting opportunities (contacts and evaluations combined) from September 1 through May 31 during which the PSA competes in any or all of the sports of cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field, provided not more than three of the opportunities are contacts (contacts are permissible during the senior year only).

Evaluations in Team Sports – In team sports, an institution shall use an evaluation for each PSA participating in a practice or contest observed by the institution’s coach, except for an evaluation that occurs on the same day as permissible contact. An institution’s coach who is attending an event in which PSAs from multiple educational institutions participate in drills (e.g., combine) shall use an evaluation only for each PSA participating in the event that the coach observes engaging in the drills.

Evaluations in Individual Sports – An institution’s coach who is attending a practice or event in which PSAs from multiple institutions participate in drills (e.g., combine) or competition in an individual sport on a specific day shall use an evaluation only for those participants that the coach observes engaging in practice or competition. The evaluation is not counted for a particular PSA if a contact is made with that PSA during the same day.

Tournament Evaluations – Evaluation during each day of a tournament held between September 1 through May 31 shall count as a separate evaluation except as follows: a. Evaluation of multiple contests in a tournament that occurs on consecutive days (and normally at the same site) shall count as a single evaluation; b. Evaluation of multiple contests in a single tier of a tournament (e.g., sectional, district, regional) shall count as a single observation.  If a tier of a tournament is subdivided into identifiable segments (e.g., conducted on different weekends), evaluation of contests in each identifiable segment counts as a single observation.

Other Multiday Events – Evaluations at a multiple-day event (e.g., jamboree, round robin, showcase) constitute separate evaluations for each day of the event unless the event is conducted in a tournament format in which a winner of the event is determined.

Evaluations/Contact at PSA’s Educational Institution – If a coach makes an in-person recruiting contact at a PSA’s educational institution, all evaluations (other than observations of athletically related activities) made on that calendar day at the PSA’s educational institution shall not count among the permissible number of evaluations for any PSA at that institution in the applicable sport.

Communication After Commitment – The restrictions on the forms and frequency of communication shall no longer apply after: (1) the PSA signs an NLI or the institution’s written offer of admission and/or financial aid; or (2) the institution receives a financial deposit in response to the institution’s offer of admission.

Attendance During a Quiet or Dead Period – During a quiet period or a dead period, a coaching staff member may attend a meeting or banquet where PSAs are in attendance provided: a. The event is not organized to recognize PSAs; b. The event is initiated by an entity outside the institution; c. The event is open to the general public; d.  The coach does not evaluate, make a recruiting presentation or have direct contact with any PSA (or PSA’s family member) in attendance.

Academic qualifications/eligibility

If an athlete wants to compete in NCAA sports, at a Division I school, the athlete will need to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center to make they stay on track to meet initial-eligibility standards. Below there is an outline of actions that should be taken by athletes, wanting to play NCAA Division I sports, in order to be academically eligible:

Grade 9
Ask the school counselor for a list of the high school’s NCAA core courses to make sure they take the right classes.

Grade 10
Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center at www.eligibilitycenter.org.

Grade 11
Check with high school counselor to make sure they will graduate on time and with the required number of NCAA core courses. Athletes should take the ACT or SAT exams and submit the scores to the NCAA. At the end of the year, they should ask their counselor to upload the official academic transcript to the NCAA Eligibility Center.

Grade 12
Athletes should finish the last NCAA core courses and take the ACT or SAT again, if necessary, and submit the scores to the NCAA. They should also complete all academic and amateurism questions in their NCAA Eligibility Center account. After they graduate, they should ask their counselor to submit their final official academic transcript with proof of graduation to the NCAA Eligibility Center.

Division I academic eligibility
To be eligible to compete in NCAA sports during their first year at a Division I school, athletes must graduate high school and meet all the following requirements:

• Complete 16 core courses:

• • Four years of English
  • Three years of math (Algebra 1 or higher)
  • Two years of natural/physical science (including one year of lab science, if the high school offers it)
  • One additional year of English, math or natural/physical science
  • Two years of social sciences
  • Four additional years of English, math, natural/physical science, social science, foreign language, comparative religion or philosophy
• Complete 10 core courses, including seven in English, math or natural/physical science, before your seventh semester. Once you begin your seventh semester, you may not repeat or replace any of those 10 courses to improve your core-course GPA.

• • Earn at least a 2.3 GPA in core courses.
  • Earn an SAT combined score or ACT sum score matching the core-course GPA on the Division I sliding scale, which balances test score and core-course GPA. If an athlete has a low test-score, they need a higher core-course GPA to be eligible. In case of a low core-course GPA, then the athlete needs a higher test score to be eligible.

If one has not met all the Division I academic requirements, they may not compete in the first year at college. However, if they qualify as an academic redshirt, they may practice during the first term in college and still receive an athletics scholarship for the entire year.

To qualify as an academic redshirt, an athlete must graduate high school and meet all the following academic requirements:

• Complete 16 core courses:

• • Four years of English
  • Three years of math (Algebra 1 or higher)
  • Two years of natural/physical science (including one year of lab science if the high school offers it)
  • One additional year of English, math or natural/physical science
  • Two years of social science
  • Four additional years of English, math, natural/physical science, social science, foreign language, comparative religion or philosophy
  • Earn at least a 2.0 GPA in core courses.
  • Earn an SAT combined score or ACT sum score matching the core-course GPA on the Division I sliding scale.

If an athlete is concerned about not meeting Division-I academic requirements, then the athlete should consider taking the following actions:

• Ask for advice and accountability from the high school counselor. Check in with the admissions or compliance office at the college of choice.
• Get tutoring or other study help.
• Graduate on time. Division I schools allow college-bound student-athletes who graduate on-time to take one core course during the year after they graduate high school.
• Avoid quick fixes through credit recovery programs. These courses may not be accepted by the NCAA.
• Keep the coursework. If the NCAA Eligibility Center needs to review the record due to irregularities, the athlete may be asked to provide the coursework.
• Follow the high school’s policies. The best thing to do is work within the rules.

Amateurism

The NCAA promotes amateurism to create a level playing field for all student-athletes. The young men and women who compete in college sports are students first, athletes second. If an athlete wants to compete in NCAA sports at a Division-I school, they must be an amateur athlete.

Prospective student-athletes enrolling for the first time at a Division I or II school must receive a final amateurism certification before being eligible to compete. This includes transfers from junior colleges, NAIA, international or Division III schools.

To receive an amateurism certification, prospective student-athletes should:

• Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center;
• Fill out the “Sports Participation” section during registration;
• Request final amateurism certification promptly; and
• Monitor tasks assigned to their account.

Below are some situations that may impact a prospective student-athlete’s amateur status.

• Taking  a  break  between  high  school/secondary  school  and  full-time  collegiate enrollment and continuing to participate in your sport(s).
• Using a recruiting agency, scholarship agent or a scouting service.
• Receiving payment from a sports team to participate.
• Receiving funds or money to offset training expenses.
• Accepting prize money based on performance/finish at a competition.

As of July 2021, and following an unsuccessful court battle, the NCAA has altered its NIL requirements substantially vis-à-vis amateurism. Put simply, student-athletes can now benefit financially from their NIL. However, high school athletes should tread carefully when looking into ways they can monetize on their NIL, while in high school. While the NCAA rules say a high school student-athlete can begin to monetize their NIL in high school, doing so could violate their high school/ sports association rules and jeopardize their eligibility within their sport or high school.

At the time of writing this, many high school associations had already released statements highlighting that the changes in the NCAA NIL policy does not change high school rules. Darren Heitner of Heitner Legal and Chief Editor of Sports Agent Blog, had his team review states’ NIL laws established by the high school athletic associations and found that:

California is the only state that clearly allows high school athletes to pursue NIL opportunities. California high school athletes can profit from their NIL, provided they do not use their high school’s name or marks.  Here is a relevant clip prepared by the NCSA:

NIL Explained | What is NIL? What is Name Image Likeness? | Collectives Explained CleanKonnect

Action steps – Exercise (12 minutes)
Let’s  see  what  you  took  away  from  today’s  lecture.  Please  respond  to  the  following statement with a True or False (T/F)

1. Evaluation is any off-campus activity designed to assess the academic qualifications or athletics ability of a Prospective Student-Athlete ___       
2. An institutional staff member is permitted to recruit off campus, however they see fit and with no strings attached ___   
3. In grade 10, you should ask the school counselor for a list of the high school’s NCAA core courses to make sure they take the right classes ___          
4. In grade 10, you should register with the NCAA Eligibility Center (www.eligibilitycenter.org.)   ___      
5. To be eligible to compete in NCAA sports during their first year at a Division I school, athletes must graduate high school and meet very specific requirements. One of those is four years of English ___          
6. To qualify as an academic redshirt, an athlete must graduate high school and meet specific academic requirements. Two of those are, 4 years of Math and 1 year of social sciences ___          
7. To receive an amateurism certification, prospective  student-athletes  should register with the NCAA Eligibility Center, fill out the “Sports Participation” section during registration, request final amateurism certification and monitor tasks assigned to their account  ___   
8. You will not lose your Amateur status if you received payment to compete for a team at the age of 16 ___          
9. Following the changes in the NCAA NIL requirements, California is the only state that clearly allows high school athletes to pursue NIL opportunities. The rest of them are either against or unclear about it ___          

Answer sheet

Lesson wrap-up

Today we concluded our sessions on the NCAA recruiting criteria. We have covered the recruiting guide and the academic qualifications as set forth by the organization. Moreover, we discussed amateurism and the recent changes to it.

At this point we will wrap up today’s lesson. First, we will go over the learning objectives of this lesson and we want your feedback as to whether they have been achieved and then we will address any questions you may have. Please feel free to ask anything you’d like in relation to today’s lesson and we would love to hear how the concepts we discussed today relate to you and your life!