College Athletic Recruiting

The college athletic recruitment process can be both exciting and challenging for student-athletes and their families. At Georgetown Prep, our athletes will find a network of resources including Prep coaches, college counselors, and me to support and advocate for them throughout the process.

Georgetown Prep student-athletes across all sports have gone on to compete at the NCAA Division I, II, and III levels. Our graduates represent colleges and universities in athletic conferences such as the Patriot League, NESCAC, ACC, Big Ten, A-10, Ivy League, Big East, Centennial Conference, United States Services Academies, and more.

Competing at the collegiate level is a rewarding experience that can open doors for talented student-athletes. The key question for the student-athlete is: What steps can I take in the recruiting process to find the right school that fits me both for academics and athletics? If a student thinks that athletics may play a role in his college admission process, I encourage him to complete this questionnaire so that I might assist better.

Navigating the recruitment process can be complex, and every situation is unique. Much depends on the particular college and sport, as well as the individual student’s academic record and level of play. Student-athletes need to be proactive in their search for the right school to continue their academic, athletic, and personal growth. We look forward to helping each student-athlete on their journey at Prep and beyond.

Mr. Andrew Hilgartner
Assistant Dean for Career and College Athletic Placement
Head Varsity Lacrosse Coach
ahilgartner@gprep.org

“Prep was a tool in the toolbox that helped me get to play Division I college baseball. Prep prepared me for the skills I needed to handle that schedule and showed me how realistic the recruitment process was going to be. I worked a lot with Coach Begin and Dean Rodriguez on the recruiting side and they helped lay out the best options for me. I’m grateful for their support.”Antonio Perrotta ’23, baseball University of Virginia

Ronnie Rosa Benicio '22 plays soccer for Union College

Nate Kabiri '23 plays lacrosse for Princeton University

Recruitment Timeline

Freshmen Year

Freshmen Year

Do your academic best. College coaches want to recruit successful student-athletes, not just athletes.
Work on your athletics skills and training. Compete for Prep and a club team (if appropriate), utilize Prep's Strength & Conditioning director and facility, participate in summer camps and showcases. If possible, attend camp at a college you are interested in applying to/attending. Coaches are your best resource for appropriate club teams, tournaments, showcases, etc.
Get involved in the Prep community with clubs and service.
Keep track of your awards, leadership positions and athletic stats - this will be important as you create your athletic resume next year.

Note: Because the recruitment process varies from sport to sport, it is important to understand the timelines for your specific sport. In some cases, recruitment occurs two or three years before an athlete is due to enter college. Fill out online college questionnaires, which will enter a student into the college’s recruiting database and may trigger an email from the coach in order to gather more information. Those who have achieved a high level of play early in high school may start getting letters of interest from various coaches as early as freshman and sophomore years. If students are interested in a program, they should respond to these letters to remain on the program’s mailing list.

Sophomore Year

Sophomore Year

Continue to do well in classes. If you have a goal to possibly compete in Division I or Division II, stay on course with the NCAA core course requirements for those schools.
Review the Student-Athletic section of NCAA.org
Seek leadership positions where available
Meet with your coach to help with questions about recruitment and how he/she can assist you
Be proactive - fill out questionnaires, write emails to coaches, send videos
- Get a copy of your transcript and test scores to send to coaches
Meet with your college counselor in the spring for help with course selection and to discuss the recruitment process.
Explore summer programs designed to help you address the areas of growth your coach has identified for you as an athlete. Go to camps, showcases and/or and tournaments. Coaches are your best resource when making summer plans.
Create an athletics resume (template example)
Register with the NCAA

Junior Year

Junior Year

Continue to strive for good grades
Take the SAT and/or the ACT
Seek leadership positions where available
Meet with your coach to help with questions about recruitment and how he/she can assist you
Meet with your college counselor, finalize course selection for senior year
Be proactive - fill out questionnaires, write emails to coaches, send videos
- Get a copy of your transcript and test scores to send to coaches
Plan college visits
- Meet with a member of the coaching staff
- Attend an admissions information session
- Take an admissions tour
- Attend a practice or a contest

Senior Year

Navigating the NCAA

Divisions

Divisions

NCAA Division I - highest level of competition at the collegiate level. Most athletic powers, most athletic scholarships, most rules, scholarship athletes sign an institutional athletic financial aid agreement.
NCAA Division II - smaller budgets, less athletic scholarships, fewer rules, scholarship athletes sign an institutional athletic financial aid agreement.
NCAA Division III - academics is a priority, no athletic scholarships, no recruiting calendars, scholarship, athletes do not sign an institutional athletic financial aid agreement.

Source: NCAA Guide

Recruitment Calendars - Division I and II

Recruitment Calendars

NCAA member schools have adopted rules to create an equitable recruiting environment that promotes student-athlete well-being. The rules define who may be involved in the recruiting process, when recruiting may occur and the conditions under which recruiting may be conducted.

Note: Division III does not use recruiting calendars or reminders.

More information is available here.

Register for NCAA

Students who hope to practice, play, or receive an athletic scholarship at the Division I or II level must register with the NCAA. A student can do this at any point during his high school career, but this must occur by the end of junior year. The NCAA Eligibility Center requires students to submit transcripts and test scores so that they can determine eligibility for collegiate play at the Division I and II levels. ACT or SAT scores should be sent directly from the testing agency. The code for the Eligibility Center is 9999.

United States Services Academies

The U.S. Military Academy (USMA), U.S. Naval Academy (USNA), and U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) play at the NCAA Division I level. The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) both play at the Division III level. Student-athletes do not receive athletic scholarships and they do not sign an institutional athletic financial aid agreement.

Ivy League

Some of the country’s oldest and most prestigious schools make up the Ivy League. They include:

Brown University
Columbia University
Cornell University
University of Pennsylvania
Harvard University
Princeton University
Yale University
Dartmouth University

According to the NCAA, more than 8,000 student-athletes compete every year for these schools.

Most choose the Ivy League for its ultra-high level of competition in both athletics and academics. These schools do not award academic or athletic scholarships.

Financial aid is based on needs determined by the financial aid office at each school.

Additional Insights

Recruitment Information

Pre-Reads
Many programs will look to commit their recruits either with a national letter of intent (D1) or by encouraging their student-athletes to apply Early Decision (D3). Most colleges and universities will have a robust pre-read process in place to vet students who are considering such a commitment. Please ask the college coach, and consult the Admissions and Financial Aid staffs to understand the process at each particular college. "I am considering committing to the X program, please help me understand what is required for an academic pre-read [and a financial aid pre-read ... if that is a factor]."

Most academic pre-reads will consist of the student sending their transcript through junior year of high school, senior year courses, and potentially SAT and/or ACT scores. Depending on timing, financial aid pre-reads can consist of filling out a college specific net price calculator or after October 1, the CSS Profile. Make sure to talk directly to the Financial Aid Office regarding what a package would look like should a student commit and be admitted. Coaches might be in tune with potential athletic and/or merit scholarships, but will often not be in touch with need-based awards, so vet both before committing.

Standardized Testing

Generally Prep students sit for the SAT/ACT in Spring of junior year. They can use their PSAT as placeholder. Depending on math level, a student may be able to take SAT/ACT earlier. A student should plan on taking at least one standardized test by end of junior year.

What is a Verbal Commitment?

The NCAA website states the following: “This phrase is used to describe a college-bound student-athlete's commitment to a school before he or she signs (or is able to sign) a National Letter of Intent. A college-bound student-athlete can announce a verbal commitment at any time. While verbal commitments have become very popular for both college-bound student-athletes and coaches, this "commitment" is NOT binding on either the college-bound student-athlete or the college or university. Only the signing of the National Letter of Intent accompanied by a financial aid agreement is binding on both parties.”

Scholarship Information

Athletic scholarships are only offered at the NCAA Division I and II levels. At the NCAA DI level, Head Count sports (Men's FBS Football and Basketball, Women's Basketball, Tennis, Volleyball, Gymnastics) offer full scholarships and Equivalency Sports (all other NCAA sports) generally offer partial scholarships.

Division III schools do not offer athletics scholarships. However, 75 percent of student-athletes receive some form of merit or need-based financial aid.

Additional information on NCAA scholarships can be found here.

Click here for Athletic Scholarship FAQs

Steps to Take During Campus Visits (Official and Unofficial)

Schedule a meeting with the coach. Provide him /her with a transcript and test results; if possible, send these materials prior to the visit.
If possible, watch a practice to observe the coaching style and team chemistry.
Research the team’s roster to better understand the team’s recruiting needs (for example, if a student is a goaltender and there are already have 5 on the team, it may be harder to get recruited).
Research the time commitment of playing on a particular team and understand how it will impact academic and extracurricular collegiate plans.
Unofficial visits (paid by the student/family) can often begin early in high school, though meeting with coaches is limited until recruiting contact dates begin. Recruits are limited to one official visit per school, but can take official visits to as many different schools as they want.
Division III colleges are allowed to offer official visits, but generally they do not pay for them. Unofficial visits are those made by prospective student-athletes and paid for by their families. These visits are unlimited and can occur anytime. Official visits can begin after January 1 of junior year in high school.

Questions to Ask Colleges

Some of the following questions may be important to your individual situation. If so, don’t hesitate to ask a coach or an admission officer on campus. We encourage you to have a few questions ready to ask.

Academics

Does the school have the academic curriculum I want?
Is there academic student support for athletes?
Can I study abroad if I am an athlete?
Are there required study halls for athletes?
Do athletes get registration priority for courses?
How high is the graduation rate for athletes?

Athletics

Do I have to try out for the team?
What is the expected time commitment?
How many players try out? How many travel?
Do walk-ons get opportunities to play?
What years are the athletes who play my position?
Do students get “red-shirted” in their first year?

Questions for Current Students on the Team

What happens during a typical practice?
How many hours per night do you study?
Does the coaching staff respect your academic duties?
Would you choose to come here again if you had another choice?
What is required during the season and the off-season?

Evaluate Your Visit

Did you find the coaching staff approachable? Honest?
Were they clear about academics being the priority?
Will I grow in this program?
Were the players friendly?
Would I be happy to be at this school if I never played?

Resources

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and 1 in Canada. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and helps over 500,000 college student athletes who compete annually in college sports.

Next College Student Athlete (NCSA) is the largest college athletic recruiting platform, with over 40,000 college coaches using NCSA to find athletes across 31 sports. For over 20 years, NCSA College Recruiting has offered recruiting advice and college coach connections to high school student-athletes around the world.

Georgetown Prep provided me a supportive environment that aided my personal and athletic development. I was fortunate to be mentored by highly esteemed coaches and individuals who demonstrated unwavering support towards my success. These coaches taught me principles of accountability and reliability, both on and off the court. Prep offered me a platform to demonstrate my abilities at the best of my abilities, and the opportunities I was awarded were huge in my growth.

Akbar Waheed III '25, basketball Boston College

Sean Kenny '24 plays lacrosse for Dickinson College

Nico Sclafani '25 plays football for Villanova University

See the Class of 2025 College commitments on the Athletics home page >>>

Georgetown Prep has a proud history of sending students on to play sports at the collegiate level. Explore each team page to learn more about their achievements:

Desktop Nav

Mobile Nav

Quick Links

Explore this section