Student-Athlete Recruiting | Competitive Divisions | Clearinghouse Eligibility | Recruiting Rules | National Letter of Intent | Agents | Video-Taping
The recruiting process for both players and parents can be an overwhelming endeavor. This section is presented to provide prospective collegiate athletes and their parents a “step-by-step” guide on how to proceed. Most importantly, your daughter needs to pick a college that best suits her overall needs - not just volleyball. Each student-athlete should contact collegiate coaches (of their choice) themselves either by phone or email. Before this occurs, make sure you are very familiar with their program. If coaches contact you, regardless of your interest or not, please respond to their email or phone call and let them know your intentions. Additional information can be found on the following web-sites:
All athletes must register with the NCAA Clearinghouse ($30 registration fee) to determine if they are eligible to participate at Div. I & Div.II programs. Student academic records (test scores, transcripts, etc) are evaluated and this information is sent to all colleges upon their request. Registration can be done online at www.ncaaclearinghouse.net. Registration must be completed after your junior year in high school.
All collegiate coaches and prospective student-athletes must follow recruiting regulations and guidelines. For detailed explanations see Appendix E of the NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete (PDF - requires Adobe Reader).
A contact occurs any time a coach has any face-toface contact with you or your parents off the college’s campus and says more than hello. A contact also occurs if a coach has any contact with you or your parents at your high school or where you are competing or practicing. For more information, see the NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete (PDF - requires Adobe Reader). Page 27 includes a table of when contacts may occur.
Div. I - August 1 to July 31 with the following exceptions (see www.ncaa.org for more information):
Red Shirting: As a red shirt athlete, you may practice but you can not play one second during a college game or scrimmage. The red shirt year does not count as one of the four years for playing eligibility
The purpose of the "National Letter of Intent" is to secure a binding agreement between the college and the student-athlete. Once an athlete has signed this letter, they are obligated to play for that school and should not receive any more recruiting contacts from other schools. The National Letter of Intent program is not under NCAA affiliation but is under the Collegiate Commissioners Association. Failure to honor this commitment may cost a player up to two years of eligibility at another institution. There are two signing periods for Volleyball: Nov. 9, 2005 (after 7:00am) to Nov. 16, 2005 and April 12, 2006 (after 7:00am) to Aug. 1, 2006. More information: www.national-letter.org
During high school and club seasons many student-athletes are contacted by individuals who "act" as agents and are interested in representing or promoting players in the recruiting process. These services can be very costly (usually a base price of $1000.00). With a little research, you will find several individuals that offer these exact services at no cost to the families. One such service can be found at www.recruitingregistry.com by Rich Kern. Rich's website is devoted to volleyball and provides a wealth of information and services.
Another individual that is well respected among the college coaches and that NORCO relies on very much is Bill Feldman. Bill is a full-time volleyball scout that over 184 colleges subscribe to: "American Volleyball Scouting Report."
Due to NORCO's national and regional reputation and the exposure our players get, it is recommended that parents DO NOT pay for recruiting services.
After contacting several Division I - Division II coaches, there seems to be a general consensus on what needs to be included in formatting a Recruiting Video. A skills portion (5-10 minutes) and a game portion (10-15 minutes) are a must for every quality tape.
At the beginning of the tape briefly introduce yourself and state physical data such as standing reach, approach jump and block. If possible, stand at the net and do several stationary blocks to demonstrate reach.
Emphasize your specific position.
Camera and tripod should be placed at the back of the court where the entire match can be viewed.
No coaches expect an absolute error-free tape, but you need to feel confident in your results. The edit button is there for a reason.