4 Things the NCAA Eligibility Center Needs from Every Athlete

I found a great article written by JC Kibbey of NCSA about the "4 Things the NCAA Eligibility Center Needs from Every Athlete" that I thought was worth reposting for you to learn from.  

Here is the link to the article: http://www.ncsasports.org/blog/2012/06/20/4-things-the-ncaa-eligibility-center-needs-every-athlete/

 

The NCAA Eligibility Center (formerly called the NCAA Clearinghouse) checks every athlete who want to play sports in college to make sure they’re eligible (except at the NAIA and junior college levels). If they don’t pass you, you don’t play. So making sure you’re set with them is a key first step for anybody who wants to get recruited.

What do they look at? What can you do to comply?

Relax – it’s all here. NCSA is one of the first recruiting education and scouting groups ever to be certified by the NCAA, so we have a lot of experience with this day-to-day. We’re spilling everything we know to you, so read on to find out the four things the NCAA Eligibility Center needs from you.

1. Good grades (in the right classes) and good test scores
Maybe you’ve heard this one before – you need good grades and test scores to play in college. Like your coach telling you to hustle, you can’t say it enough. But don’t take our word for it, or your coach’s word, or your parents’ – the NCAA Eligibility Center will check .They have a specific sliding scale of what makes the grade and what doesn’t, and a list of classes that every student athlete must have taken in order to compete. Click here for more details about the academic requirements for the NCAA Eligibility Center.

2. Amateurism status
What’s amateurism? Basically, it means you’ve never gotten paid to play sports, so you’re qualified to play in college. You can see why the NCAA might not want Dwayne Wade, Tom Brady, or Serena Williams playing at the college level. It wouldn’t really be fair.

You have to prove you really are a “student-athlete.” Here’s the list of things that can potentially disqualify you from competing in the NCAA:
1. Contracts with a professional team
2. Salary for participating in athletics
3. Prize money
4. Playing with professionals
5. Trying out, practicing or competing with a professional team
6. Receiving benefits from an agent or prospective agent
7. Agreeing to be represented by an agent
8. Delaying initial full-time collegiate enrollment to participate in organized sports competition
9. Getting financial assistance based on athletics skills or participation (athletes at Ohio State and USC have gotten in trouble for this in the last few years)
If you want to be a college athlete, don’t do any of this, is the bottom line.

3. Following the rules
Besides grades and amateurism, there’s a whole list of rules the NCAA Eligibility Center has for student-athletes. And all the rules need to be explained to the smallest detail so there’s no confusion.
Lucky for you, they put all this stuff in one place: The Guide for the College-Bound Student Athlete. You can see or download the latest (2011-2012) version of this guide by clicking here. It’s a must-read if you want to play sports in college.

4. Register
This is the easy part. You actually have to contact the NCAA Eligibility Center and register so they can verify your eligibility. Registration costs $65 if you live in the U.S., and $95 for international student-athletes – but considering the amazing benefits of college sports, this is next to nothing.

UPDATE: Effective September 1, 2012, the registration fee will increase to $70 for U.S. student-athletes and $120 for international student-athletes.
There are several ways to reach the eligibility center:

Online:
www.eligibilitycenter.org

By phone:
877-262-1492 (if you live in the U.S.)
317-223-0700 (if you don’t live in the U.S.)

By mail:
NCAA Eligibility Center
Certifications Processing
P.O. Box 7136
Indianapolis, IN 46207-7136

More questions about the eligibility center? Call NCSA’s NCAA-verified scouting team at 866-495-7727 or click here to create a free recruiting profile.

Read more: 4 Things The NCAA Eligibility Center Needs from Every Athlete http://www.ncsasports.org/blog/2012/06/20/4-things-the-ncaa-eligibility-center-needs-every-athlete/#ixzz20ozYiy2h

I hope you enjoy these articles on Recruiting. 

Thank you.

Chris Husby
Professional Kicking Coach and Owner
Special Teams Football Academy
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