Recruiting Services Review Part 3

Recruiting Services Review Part 3

In the Recruiting Services Review Part 3, we talk about part of the lack of education that these services provide. The first couple of episodes in this series talked about things you can do for yourself better than someone else can do them for you. However, any service, no matter how much it costs, needs to educate you about “The Clearinghouse” and “financial aid.” When I talk to a parent or a player who has signed up with a recruiting service and they have never heard of “The Clearinghouse” or “financial aid”, I really wonder what these recruiting services are doing.

So let’s just say you’ve got one of those cute profiles with your highlight video and you’re “connecting” with coaches all over the country.  Maybe these schools are even interested in you. So many people think the being a baller is enough.  Well beside the fact that there are a lot of ballers out there, you have to do more than just be a good player.

“The Clearinghouse”

“The Clearinghouse” verifies your eligibility to compete. If you want to play at a NCAA school and you’re not registered for the NCAA Clearinghouse, then what are you waiting for?  If you want to play at a NAIA school, then you need to register for the NAIA Clearinghouse.  It doesn’t matter if you’ve taken the SAT or not.  It doesn’t matter how old you are.  You should do that and you should do it today.  If the Clearinghouse doesn’t clear you, you can’t play. If you can’t play, you probably can’t get a scholarship. You don’t want to wait until the last minute. If you are registered for the Clearinghouse, it makes things so much easier for coaches to recruit you. You don’t want to make it hard for a coach to recruit you.

Financial Aid

This part doesn’t apply to international athletes, but it is so important for American athletes.  If you aren’t 100% locked into the financial aid process, then you’re missing out. Again, it doesn’t matter how old you are.  Understanding financial aid and how it works is critical to making college more affordable and in some cases putting money in your pocket. Every school and every level works differently, but if your recruiting service isn’t educating you about the financial aid process then you could be missing out on THOUSANDS of dollars.  It doesn’t matter if you’re a top D1 athlete or not. The financial aid process is important for ANY American athlete who wants to play collegiate sports.  The better understanding you have of the process, the more educated you can be about your decisions.