I was talking to a college coach, but now I can’t seem to get a hold of him. We were emailing and talking on the phone but he has not responded to me in over a week. What does this mean?

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My high school team is not very good should I transfer high schools to play on a better team? I’m afraid college coaches won’t recruit me because my team is bad.

This is a tough one. Family plays a very important role in an athlete’s life – I know I still count on the support of mine! At the same time, you don’t want to miss out on your dreams.

Sometimes this can be as simple as explaining to your family the huge difference that college athletics can make in your life. It’s an opportunity to get a great education, and to save them a lot of money! Some athletes get scholarships worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, but even smaller scholarships can make a big difference, especially in these tough economic times. And, maybe most important, it’s a chance for you to follow your dreams and play the sport you love in college.

But hear out your folks’ concerns, too. There may well be more to those concerns than them not wanting an empty nest! If they don’t want you moving halfway across the country to a place you may not be comfortable, maybe they have a good point. If you’re a lifelong New Yorker, will you really be a happy in a little Midwestern town? Or, the other way around: if you’re a farm boy like me, how will you feel about moving to the big city? It’s important, when you’re picking a school, not to think only about where can you get in and where can you play, but also: where will you be happy, and what schools have what you want?

So don’t sweat it too much – it’s not uncommon for athletes and their parents to disagree. At worst, you might have a couple awkward evenings around the dinner table. At best, you’ll both realize that the other one has a good point and when you finally commit to the perfect school, you’ll be glad you talked about it.

First, make sure you have the basic information you need:
1. Academics (grades, honors/AP classes, test scores – click here to read more about academic eligibility)
2. Athletics and training (examples: Club teams, attended a combine or training camp, All-District award, Team MVP, varsity starting years)
3. Physical stats like height, weight, bench, 40 time, any sport-specific stats (you can check out recruiting guidelines for every sport by clicking here, just pick your sport from the drop-down menu near the top of the page, then look to the right of your screen for “YourSport Recruiting Guidelines”)
4. Extracurricular activities (ex.: National Honor Society, Student of the Month, 4H volunteer)
5. Videos (highlights, skills, any other applicable)

Then get all this information in one place (like, say, in a free online recruiting profile in the NCSA Network – you can click here to create one if you haven’t already) where coaches can look at it. Find schools where you are a good fit athletically, academically, and that you want to attend. Start reaching out to coaches there by phone and email, and send them a link to your profile (take it from me – a big stack of papers will get lost on the desk of a modern coach). If your communications with the coach go well, you may be able to take an unofficial visit, and maybe eventually an official visit.

Once those coaches know you and know what you can do – then they’ll start showing up to your games! And if you’ve built a good foundation, I can guarantee you they will recognize and appreciate you. But they won’t just show up one day, see you make a good play, and start asking “who is that kid?” It only works that way in the movies. Great athletes don’t just wake up great one morning great – they work every day to make themselves that way. Recruiting is no different. Now go get ‘em!

My son is in the midst of the recruiting process right now. Occasionally we hear that coaches cannot contact us because we are in a “dead period.” What exactly does this mean, and is this something that happens at every division level in recruiting?

1. Improve your academics. If you wants to transfer from a community college to any NCAA school, you will need at least a 2.3 and likely a 2.5 GPA (unless you are transferring immediately – 2.5 GPA is the new transfer requirement as of August). I know this can be difficult but unfortunately it is not negotiable.

2. Keep in good physical shape. If you have opportunities somewhere, you will want to be in good condition to take advantage of them. 3. Consult with a Scout. A third party with a deep understanding of college football will be able to discuss what schools would be a good fit for someone in your position. We offer free scouting consultations, and you can reach our Scouts at 866.579.6272. There may be schools who are interested in someone like you that you was not even aware of. Geographic reach can be a big advantage. 4. Create an online profile. This is key for getting out there and letting coaches outside the local area see what you’ve got – like Facebook for athletes. This is another resource NCSA offers for free, and you can set up your free profile in less than 5 minutes by clicking here. 5. Get educated about the recruiting process. Chris Krause (our founder and a former college football player himself) wrote a book about this called Athletes Wanted. You can order a hard copy through our website at a discounted price, or we offer a free digital copy. Check that out here: http://www.ncsasports.org/about-ncsa/Athletes-Wanted/. 6. Put together a good highlight tape. Sometimes a great player can have a highlight tape that doesn’t full showcase his skills. It’s got to be in the right format, the right order, and with the right content. He needs to put his best foot forward when trying to find a new place to play football. 7. Find coaches at programs where he would be a fit and start reaching out to them. You can’t wait for them to come to you! Not only are they probably not aware of your son, they have a million other things to do and rules restricting their ability to contact recruits. If you start reaching out to them with letters, emails, phone calls and unofficial visits, you can at least get on their radar.