We all know how competitive the college recruiting process can be. Never fear, there are several things student athletes can do that will increase the odds at earning an athletic scholarship.

Every year, the competition increases for roster spots on college athletics teams across the country. Currently there are over 7.8 million high athletes many of which compete for 460,000 roster spots on NCAA teams. In football 6% (1 in 16) will play college football and in basketball 3.1 (1in 35) will go on to play on a college team.

All these numbers can be disputed as far as how many seniors want to play football, how many have the size and skills to compete at the next level, plus the number of students who actually want to play sports in college.

The key is targeting the right schools early.

Kids who have heart, drive, and the commitment to play their sport at the next level is as important as having the talent to compete.

If you think school is hard now, just wait until you get into college! Your work load both on the field and in the classroom will be much harder.

Here are a few important things a student athlete can do to help increase his odds at receiving a scholarship is to start early.

• Meet with a counselor your freshman year to ensure your taking the correct core classes that the NCAA requires.
• Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center is a requirement for football and basketball recruits.
• Continue to improve your grades and test scores. This is as important as your athletic ability. A strong GPA and good test scores will increase your options.
• Take your SAT/ACT tests early as to give you the best chance of seeing where you may need to improve, and then take the tests again.
• Create a verified online presence with an online recruiting service such as NCSA, Max Preps or Rivals. These third party companies evaluate student athletes and help coaches in the recruiting process.

Today, 95% of the recruiting process is now done online. For example, coaches watch video to help them evaluate student athletes. But, don’t just have a Youtube channel and send out your link to coaches. Recruiting services have become the ‘one stop shop’ to help coaches match student athletes with college programs using sophisticated algorithms.

Having all your information in one place simplifies and streamlines your important information where coaches can look at your grades, videos, test scores and stats, helps coaches evaluate efficiently student athletes.

NCSA does just that with technology to help both the student athlete and coaches connect. At NCSA, we come up with a match percentage helping kids target the schools that are a right fit. The cutting edge technology NCSA uses helps student athletes communicate with college coaches helping make the difficult process a little easier.

Recruiting services really do help. There are no second chances at the recruiting process, and to not take advantage of all the tools and resources available is like joining a gym and not showing up to use it. Unless you are a rare highly recruited athlete going to a top school or you have college coaching relationships, there is no better way to help student athletes.

Overall a little over 7% of high school athletes (about 1 in 14) went on to play a varsity sport in college, and about 2% of high school athletes (1 in 50) went on to play at the NCAA Division I level:

 

 

The number of participants in high school sports increased for the 25th consecutive year in 2013-14 with a record total of almost 7.8 million, according to the annual High School Athletics Participation Survey conducted by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).

Here are the Top Ten high school sports by the number of students who participated in them in the 2012-2013 school year:

1. Football, 1,088,158 (1,086,627 boys; 1,531 girls)

2. Outdoor Track and Field, 1,053,611 (580,672 boys; 472,939 girls)

3. Basketball, 971,796 (538,676 boys; 433,120 girls)

4. Soccer, 782,514 (410,982 boys; 371,532 girls)

5. Baseball, 476,050 (474,791 boys; 1,259 girls)

6. Volleyball, 470,561 (50,353 boys; 420,208  girls)

7. Cross Country, 463,569 (249,200 boys; 214,369 girls)

8. Fast-Pitch Softball, 363,944 (1,456 boys; 362,488 girls)

9. Tennis, 338,363 (157,247 boys; 181,116 girls)

10. Swimming and Diving, 302,169 (138,177boys; 163,992 girls)

Although the odds can be daunting in receiving a athletic scholars

Playing college sports is a dream for most high school athletes. Make your dream a reality by preparing to put yourself in the best position to earn an athletic scholarship.

***Interested in taking your game beyond the high school level? Let me help you get a college scholarship! Contact me at chris@coachchris99.com, Head Scout for NCSA. National Collegiate Scouting Association® ~Chris Burget

(NCSA) was founded in 2000 to help student athletes and their families navigate the cutthroat, competitive, and often confusing world of college recruiting. Our team of former college athletes, coaches and scouts, our network of 99% of American college coaches, and our custom technology and tools give you the edge you need in the most important game of your life.