To all aspiring college level swimmers out there, here are 10 things you should know about the college recruiting process.
ONE
You are allowed to contact any coach via e-mail at any time. This includes sophomores and freshmen. During that time, however, coaches are only allowed to send general info via snail mail. As a sophomore & junior, your job is to fill out recruiting forms of any college you are interested in swimming for. Be sure to fill out as many of the fields as possible, as accurately as possible. This will create a file of your information in the coach’s office.
TWO
“General correspondence” can begin any time after September 1st of your junior year. General Correspondence means that a coach can begin to contact potential recruits via e-mail. These emails will likely invite you to fill out a recruiting form on their website if you haven’t already. If you are interested in a coach who reached out to you, keep the contact going. Update the coach on your athletic and academic progress. The more you improve both in and out of the pool, the more they will want you. Remember: even though coaches are allowed to e-mail you, they are not allowed to call you. You are, however, permitted to call them. If they are able to answer, they can talk to you, but they are not allowed to call you under any circumstances, including returning a voicemail.
THREE
The summer following your junior year is when coaches are allowed to contact recruits via phone (July 1 for D-I, June 15 for D-II, no restrictive dates for D-III or NAIA).
FOUR
If a coach is interested in you, they will invite you on an official recruiting trip. These give you an opportunity to stay over in a dorm with members of the swim team, go to class with them, and get a feel for what it would be like to attend the school. Official recruiting trips are typically paid for by the team, though policies are changing to increase the financial burden on a prospective athlete. Unofficial recruiting trips require the athlete to pay for their food and other fees while they are visiting, in addition to covering their transportation and housing costs. But remember, an unoficial trip can become official if a team so much as buys a recruit a hot dog. Coaches will often invite high school juniors to attend a more general Junior Day, which are often available to all prospective students, not just student-athletes. Official visits only allow a recruit to be on campus for 48 hours.
FIVE
As seniors, athletes are limited to 5 official visits to Division I schools. Because Division III schools do not offer athletic scholarships, student athletes can take recruiting trips to an unlimited number of Division III schools, but only one official visit per school. As of last year, Division II now allows unlimited official visits by prospective student-athletes.
SIX
High school student athletes are not allowed to practice with Division I teams on recruiting trips, though they can use the practice facility as long as coaches are not present. Athletes can practice with Division II teams.
SEVEN
Rules about accepting compensation to swim are very complex. The NCAA rules were changed a few years ago and this area is still pretty gray. If a recruit has inadvertently accepted “prize” money they can usually return it and regain their eligibility. As long as money is given for expenses recruits are allowed to receive it. As you know FINA has also started to sponsor swimmers from underdeveloped countries by paying for everything including extra living expenses, which is allowed by the NCAA. When in doubt, seek out advice directly from the NCAA.
EIGHT
Once you have received your athletic scholarship details, you may decide to sign a letter of intent. This binding agreement commits you to attend the university and swim for their team, receiving the amount of scholarship money you have been given.
NINE
Once you have signed a letter of intent, you are allowed unlimited contact with your future coach.
TEN
Before the signing periods, an athlete may verbally commit to a college or university, however, verbal commitments can be broken.
Although it can be overwhelming, remind yourself that whatever happens, you will end up at a school where you can excel academically and athletically. Have fun when choosing the best place for you. You are preparing for what has the potential to be the best four years of your life.
Confused by number 7 – if my child is at a meet in Canada that gives prize money for the top 3 places they are ineligible to swim for an NCAA school? Please clarify.
Hi Wade – these questions are quite complicated, and so we won’t say it’s a definitive answer, but your swimmer can accept prize money to cover their expenses, but no more. You should reach out to the NCAA if you need further clarification.
Does anyone know what is more benifical for college recruitment High School or Year Round swimming?
http://www.ncaapublications.com — click on NCAA manuals – there is one for each division!
There is a tremendous amount of info in each manual, but the index in front helps a lot! The pdf file is free.
Happy reading!
Thanks for the tips. The NCAA seems to do its best at establishing nonsensical rules and hiding information. Do you have a link to the NCAA website (or anywhere else) where the NCAA rules are published? Any help would be appreciated.
As a Div. II coach, the practice rules are complicated. 1. You can only have a single workout/tryout. 2. You can only workout/tryout with team if your HS is opposite to when you visit. So if your HS champs are in March and you visit in September you can do a single workout. You can workout if you don’t swim HS. 3. You need a medical form no older than 6 months and 5. you need to sign the sickle cell waiver. see below for actual NCAA wording:
13.11.2 Permissible Activities.
13.11.2.1 Tryouts. A member institution may conduct a tryout of a prospective student-athlete only on its campus or at a site at which it normally conducts practice… Read more »
Congratulations to the 5 Patriot High School Swimmers in Nokesville,VA who signed today!!!!
I have just spoken with several D-III coaches I know and here are the rules:
D-III schools are allowed to provide official visits. A visit becomes official if the athletic department pays for anything over and above what the school would pay for a regular prospective student. Normally a D-III school with provide a meal to prospective students.
Recruits are allowed to take official visits to an unlimited number of D-III schools, but can only take one official visit per school.
A new D-III rule that is expected to pass (in the next few months) will allow coaches to bring recruits on an official visit near the end of their junior year. D-III coaches are allowed unlimited emails and phone… Read more »
…picture of dorm living, but I thought most schools parked recruits in hotels during their official recruiting visits.
Most (if not all) schools have them stay in dorms. If the recruit flies in or arrives the night before the visit begins, they are required to stay in a hotel as to not increase the length of the visit past the permissible time.