Notice: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NCAA recruiting calendars and policies have been adjusted. We will continue to monitor updates as they are made available.

1. Grades Matter! Poor grades will limit the number of schools that will accept you academically, so it is very important to keep your grades up. Don’t limit your athletic recruiting options and miss out on a great school because you didn’t work hard in the classroom. Work on your Sport, but work on your grades more! It doesn't matter how much talent or skill you have; a college coach will not offer you a scholarship if he/she feels that you will not be eligible academically. Why should they waste a scholarship or a spot on their team with a recruit that will never earn any playing time because of academic ineligibility? It is in your best interest to prove, during high school, that you can take care of your academics as well as athletics. Taking care of business in the classroom helps open up more opportunities during the recruiting process. All else being equal, having better academics than another recruit just may be the factor that sets you apart from other student-athletes. Grades are the most important. Don’t slack in the classroom.

2. Test Early If you plan to attend a school that has SAT/ACT requirements, try to take these tests during your junior year of high school (if not earlier). The colleges will take your best scores from each section of each test. Most students see a 5% or more increase in their score when taking the test again. Often times college coaches will offer scholarships in the fall of a recruit’s senior year in high school, sometimes even sooner. If you have fulfilled your testing requirements and they know you will be able to be accepted by their school, it is that much easier for them to decide that you are a recruit they want.

3. Attitude Counts! If you think attitude goes unnoticed by college coaches during the recruiting process, think again. Just one player with a bad attitude can infect the entire team. Most coaches would rather have a team full of decent players who work hard, who play together as a team, and know how to pull together when it counts than a team full of all-stars incapable of playing together. You need to demonstrate your ability to work hard, support your teammates, be a leader, and most of all be coachable!

4. Contact College Coaches Do not be afraid to contact college coaches! You can call or meet with a coach at any point in your high school career. That’s right; you can call a coach whenever you want. The key here is that you are the one initiating contact with the coach and not the other way around. If you want to call a coach or visit a campus and set up a meeting with the coach, you may do so as often as you wish. If you’re a junior or a senior who has not yet heard from enough college coaches, it is imperative that you begin taking positive steps towards getting in contact with coaches as soon as possible. In other words, now!

5. Ask questions When you contact a college coach be sure to ask questions and show the coach that you are really interested in their school and sports program. No coach will respond to a message that only says "Hi Coach, you should check me out". Send Information! Too many student-athletes mistakenly think “If I’m good, someone will find me”. Don’t make this mistake! Guess What? College coaches can’t recruit you if they don’t know you exist. Put together a video, if possible, and send it to programs of your choice along with an athletic “resume” highlighting your achievements. Include stats, awards, high school transcripts, information on SAT/ACT scores, and letters of recommendation from coaches and teachers. Don’t forget your contact information.

Updated NCAA recruiting rules change the timing for certain recruiting activities
The NCAA just approved a new set of rules that will change the way Division 1 college coaches can recruit athletes during camps and visits in an effort to cut back on early recruiting, or coaches giving scholarship offers to athletes before their junior year of high school. The rules take effect immediately, starting Wednesday, April 25, 2018. Here's a quick breakdown of these changes:

Official visits Recruits can now start taking official visits starting September 1 of their junior year of high school. In the past, official visits weren't permitted until the athlete's senior year of high school, so this rule is actually bumping them up!

Camps and clinics Recruits and college coaches are not allowed to have any recruiting conversations during camps prior to September 1 of the athlete's junior year of high school. Previously, there weren't really any rules that prevented coaches from talking about recruiting to underclassmen during camps. In fact, it had become common practice for college coaches to extend verbal scholarship offers to top recruits during camps.

Unofficial visits College athletic departments-this includes college coaches-are not allowed to be involved in a recruit's unofficial visits. Quick refresher: Unofficial visits are any campus visits paid for entirely by the recruit's family. Before the rule change, unofficial visits were an easy way for underclassmen to visit a college camps, meet with the coach and get an early verbal offer. However, if athletes want to take unofficial visits now, they cannot schedule them with the coach-they should treat the unofficial visit just like any other student would. If the recruit happens to bump into the coach on campus, they can't have any recruiting conversations at that time.

When can Division I coaches contact athletes?
Generally speaking, DI coaches can send athletes recruiting questionnaires, camp brochures, and non-athletic institutional publications freshman and sophomore year. Most other contact begins either June 15 or September 1 of the athlete’s junior year, according to the NCAA recruiting rules.

Division I Women’s Basketball NCAA Recruiting Rules
Any time Athletes can receive recruiting materials from college coaches, such as questionnaires, camp brochures, nonathletic institutional publications and NCAA educational materials published by the NCAA.

September 1 of junior yearCoaches can send electronic communications to athletes, including texts, instant messages, emails and recruiting materials. According to NCAA rules, coaches can call athletes an unlimited number of times at this time.

March 1 of junior yearNCAA recruiting rules allow coaches to conduct off-campus contact at the athlete’s school or residence. No off-campus contact is allowed on the day of a recruit’s game. Coaches are not permitted to contact athletes during school hours on school days.

April of junior year starting the Thursday following the NCAA Women’s Final Four®Recruits can begin taking up to five official visits, except during the dead periods.

Senior YearA college coach can contact athletes and/or parents off campus up to seven times their senior year.