Basic College Recruiting Rules
Know the rules and create an efficient path to eligibility.
Before you can effectively market yourself to coaches, you must be familiar with the three different college sports associations:
NCAA - National Collegiate Athletic Association
NAIA - National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
NJCAA - National Junior College recruiting rules.
If you know the basic regulations you can learn important tips in communicating with programs. When developing your list of schools, be aware that each college division and association have different rules and criteria. You must research sources and become familiar with the strict guidelines that coaches must follow. To complicate things, some sports follow different timelines and dates in recruiting. Here are just a few general tips to know:
You become a Prospective Student Athlete when you enter the 9th grade
The NCAA has the most cumbersome recruiting rules and process, then NAIA followed by NJCAA
For a more in-depth, detailed look at the specific rules and regulations for each association's recruiting process, purchase my 10-part video series on the College Recruiting process.
Betty Baird Kregor is an LPGA Master Teaching Professional and owner of StraightShot Inc., specializing in the DISC personality system to mentor and advise athletes of all ages and abilities.
In 2014, Kregor retired from over 27 years of teaching golf to consult athletes in the mental aspects of sport an serve as a "performance coach" for goals, scheduling, practice programs, college advising and more.
Her LPGA education in DISC profiling allows an athlete to maximize their performance with "self awareness" of their strengths and weaknesses. It is also an important tool in finding the right college fit. College athletic consulting is a service that benefits 9-12th graders in learning how to market their talents, schedule college visits and value the importance of academics.