Urgent! NEW NCAA Recruiting Rules in Effect! Do not get sent packing before you have begun to unpack!
On Sunday evening I received an alarming email from a family whose daughter was recruited to play volleyball in college. This family shall remain nameless for purposes of privacy, yet what they shared with me was frightening! The family had heard about Eric Sato and I last year, however their daughter was receiving interest and offers, so they decided not to move forward with hiring the My Recruiting Solutions team. When the student athlete was committed and signed, they family kept me up to date, and were thrilled she would be playing for a NCAA Division II volleyball program. At this point, you can understand how I was surprised to receive a message from them stating their daughter was not eligible to play and they were distraught!
The student athlete had performed well enough in the classroom to play in college. She had discussed with her high school counselor that she wanted to play at the next level, and she was on track to achieving her goals. Her high school counselor knew she was receiving interest from college coaches, had a checklist of the classes she would need to take to be eligible to play, and one by one they were checking classes off the list as she progressed through the years! So what was the problem? The NCAA released changes to the “core course” academic requirements over 5 years ago, for NCAA Division II programs, which were not scheduled to take effect on or after August 1, 2013. This high school counselor did not continue to keep herself updated on the changes, so this student athlete hadn’t reached the eligibility requirements to play. No one caught on until the athlete was headed to college!
Now, this student athlete has traveled across the country and thought she was all set to begin her college career, only to find out that she was not even eligible! She hadn’t taken enough math, and she was 1 class short. Had the counselor remained updated on the recruiting rules, this would NEVER have happened! Remember, these rule changes were released over 5 years ago! In the years previous, athletes only needed 14 core course to be eligible to play in Division 2. This student athlete only took 2 years of math, yet the new rule states you must complete 16 Core Courses in order to be eligible, which is the same for student athletes who want to play in Division I. She needed to take 1 more year of math. What is even more frustrating about this situation, is she could have taken this class over the summer and fixed the problem! This recruiting rule took effect on student athletes who enrolled for college on or after August 1, 2013.
Please do not be sent packing before you even unpack to play in college! Either hire a professional, or do your own research and meet with your high school counselor regularly to ensure you are on track for success! This is a scary reality, and this athlete is now in debt! She lost her scholarship! She had to take out a loan in order to begin college. She lost her spot on the team, and now her dreams of playing in college have been put on hold. She will have to reevaluate to decide whether she wants to go through the recruiting process again, or if she wants to transfer to a community college. She lost her spot on that roster and the coaches have already found a replacement.
Click here to see the NCAA Course Work Academic Requirements.
As a college volleyball recruiting expert, I cringe when I hear stories like these. In less than 48 hours, I have already found a few solutions for her to transfer, but this is not easy. It’s complicated! I am available to offer your family a free consultation to help you create a strategy and ensure you are eligible. I am passionate about helping student athletes and their families understand the college recruiting process, and find the perfect academic, athletic and social fit in a college. To schedule an appointment, email Kara@myrecruitingsolutions.com or call me at 888-354-0052.
