The best way to prepare for the recruiting process is to develop a recruiting plan as early as ninth grade. That may sound early, but there are many colleges to choose from and it is smart to begin early to help the student-athlete find the right fit.

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The first phase of the plan should be to select the colleges the student-athlete is interested in attending. Ask them general questions such as:

1. Do you want to attend a small or large school?
2. Do you want to go far away or stay close to home?
3. Would you like the college to be in the city or country?
4. What major would you like to take?
5. What sport are you interested in playing in college?

After identifying the colleges that meet the student-athlete's criteria, combine that list with the list of colleges that have already sent them letters. Have the student-athlete fill out as much information on the College Information Sheet as possible.

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Some information may be obtained at the college's website. If the college website is not known, use a search engine to find it. Certain details may require the student-athlete to call the college instead. Phone numbers can usually be found on the college's website, the school library, or a good reference is The National Directory of College Athletics. This resource tool lists all colleges in the United States and includes the coaches' names, phone numbers, and addresses. There are two directories, one for men's sports, and one for women's sports. This book can also be found online at http://www.collegiatedirectories.com/.

Encourage student-athletes to contact college coaches to express their interest. Phone calls and emails generated by the student-athlete are allowed at any time. Student-athletes should inform college coaches' about any special programs or evaluation events they will be attending. Being proactive and persistent may be the deciding factor that ultimately gets a financial aid offer. Ask the coach what they would like to see specifically in a "marketing packet" so that they can begin the evaluation process, and get that information mailed to the coach immediately.

Many student-athletes choose the wrong level of college. Then they find themselves sitting the bench for two or three years or maybe never stepping onto the playing field or court. One way to help make the right college choice is to have them take several unofficial visits to different size schools.

"Unofficial Visits" are trips to a college or university that the student-athlete pays for, as opposed to an "Official Visit" which is paid for by the college. Student-athletes should take at least one unofficial visit to each of the NCAA Divisions and one to an NAIA school. This will provide a look at the different sizes of athletic programs, quality of players already on campus, and a feel for campus life and will also help them find their "COMFORT LEVEL". Student-athletes should ask both the school counselor and their high school coach to help them pick which colleges to visit. It is extremely important that they take these visits as early as 9th grade. We recommend taking two (2) visits during their freshman year, four (4) their sophomore year, and four (4) their junior year. This will allow them time to decide what level of colleges to focus on, where they will fit best, and where they can play. Then, they will have three (3), or four (4) years, to prepare for college athletics mentally , physically, and academically.

Setting up an unofficial visit is relatively easy. Student-athletes should call the college they would like to visit and ask for the athletic office of the sport they play. Then they should ask to speak to the recruiting coordinator or recruiting coach for their area. Tell them you would like to visit their school and get a better look at their athletic facilities and their academic programs. Generally, they will bend over backwards to get the student-athlete there. This could be the next superstar that will help their program WIN! Have student-athletes tell the coaches that they would like to visit their school and get a better look at their athletic facilities and academic programs. After agreement on an appropriate date for the visit, have the student-athletes ready to give the recruiting coordinator a list of things they would like to see and do while visiting the campus. Below is a list of items to include:

• Tour the campus, attend a class if possible (15 minutes or so)
• Meet with the head coach
• Meet with your position coach
• Meet with the academic advisor for your sport
• Visit their playing and practice facilities and weight room
• Visit the head trainer and physical therapy area
• Look at a typical dorm

Student-athletes should also meet with an athlete already on the team. Encourage the student-athletes to NOT tell the coach about this request prior to arrival. The student-athlete does not want them to "hand pick" someone to meet. By waiting until the prospects are on campus, they get an unrehearsed account of what the athletic program is like and how the athletes feel about the coaching staff and facilities. Below, are some questions to ask the college athletes.

1. Start by asking their hometown and high school size.
2. Ask how they seem to fit at this university and what the transition was like.
3. Has the coaching staff delivered on promises they made during the recruiting process?
4. Ask them to rate the coaching staff
5. What is the training regiment like?
6. Does the academic support staff actively work with the athletes?
7. How often are they able to get home?
8. Do they encourage parents to visit the campus?
9. If they could do it all over again, would they still come here?

Have the visiting athlete ask the college athletes any other relevant questions and thank them for being helpful.

Remind the student-athletes to finish filling out the "College Information Sheets" during and after the unofficial visits. Have the student-athletes answer all questions and be sure to rate all the facilities and coaches they met. This will be a great help to them later when you try to evaluate and compare each university and athletic program. By the time they leave, they will know if they would fit there or not. Have the student-athlete plan another unofficial visit and repeat the process.

After student-athletes have made as many unofficial visits as possible, they should sit down with their parents, and or coach and evaluate each university using the college information sheets as a guideline.