Tag Archive for: NCAA eligibility

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Common Questions Student-Athletes Ask This Time of Year

With fall sport practices starting recently at many colleges, and classes starting soon, here’s a sample of some of the questions we’ve received recently:

  • I’ve started practice with my college team, but I’m not sure this is the right fit for me and I’m thinking about leaving. When does my eligibility “clock” start?
  • Will I be considered a transfer athlete if I leave this team after starting practices at this college?
  • My new coach just informed me that I likely won’t receive any playing time this season. Do I have any options to transfer at this late date? Also, is there any way I can “protect” my scholarship for this year, or at least part of the year?
  • I just learned that I may not be able to be eligible at my new college this year because I don’t have enough transferable credit hours. Do I have any options for a waiver at this point?

If you or your athlete have questions like these, we can discuss your specific situation, answer your questions, and explain what options might be possible.

Schedule a confidential Eligibility Consult, a Transfer Consult, or a Scholarship Strategies Consult online at one of these links. Don’t worry about whether you’re choosing the correct category of consultation. Regardless of which category you choose, we’ll be sure to confidentially answer your questions and explain what options your athlete can consider.

You can also contact us directly by calling our office at 913-766-1235 or by sending an email to rick@informedathlete.com.

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How much NCAA eligibility does your student-athlete have available?

As many of you know, most Spring sport college athletes at NCAA schools were granted an additional year of eligibility for Spring 2020 since seasons were cancelled due to COVID-19.

Also, many athletes currently in Fall sports at their college are being granted an additional year of eligibility.

Did you know that your athlete might be able to gain even another additional year of eligibility if he/she:

  • Missed two seasons previously (before COVID) due to circumstances beyond their control,
  • Or were redshirted in their freshman year and then missed one other season due to circumstances outside their control?

There may not be many athletes (or parents!!) who are interested in having eligibility available for a possible 7th year of college attendance. However, while somewhat rare, it is certainly possible under the right set of circumstances.

For example, it might be something to consider for an athlete who may need a 7th year of college to complete a Master’s Degree or a second undergrad degree if the athlete has decided to change majors.

Not knowing, understanding, and meeting the eligibility rules can have serious short and long-term consequences. Problems meeting the eligibility standards can set back and even derail a student-athlete’s entire athletic career.

We help athletes and families by explaining the specific rules regarding your eligibility “timeline” and discuss how you may be able to gain additional eligibility.

We also regularly help families by reviewing their waiver documentation to make sure it’s in order and by proofreading and editing personal statements from athletes and parents that will support the waiver request.

Schedule your confidential Waivers and Appeals Consult Online to explore whether your athlete qualifies for an opportunity to regain or extend their eligibility. Or Contact us to schedule at rick@informedathlete.com or by calling 913-766-1235.

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Student-Athletes: Consider This Before Dropping a Class!

College athletes who are struggling in a class and are thinking about dropping a class before a final exam should stop and consider a few things before they take action:

  • Will dropping the class affect my current eligibility right now? If it drops you below full-time status, you’ll be immediately ineligible for competition.
  • Will dropping the class affect my eligibility next semester? That depends upon your specific situation. For some football athletes, it could even affect your eligibility next Fall.
  • If I don’t drop the class, but fail it, how might that affect my eligibility? If your GPA drops too low, you may be ineligible for next semester.

What other implications are there that I’m not thinking about?

In a confidential phone consultation, we will discuss your specific situation and the impact that dropping a class or possibly staying in it but failing the course can have on your current and future eligibility.

Schedule your Eligibility Issues Consult online or call our office at 913-766-1235.

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NCAA Preferred Walk-on: Do you know what this means?

“NCAA Preferred Walk-on” is a term that is frequently seen on social media when a high-school athlete announces that they have accepted a “preferred walk-on” offer from a University’s coaching staff.

What exactly is an NCAA Preferred Walk-on?  That term actually means nothing more than whatever that coaching staff intends it to mean.
At one university, an NCAA Preferred Walk-on may be guaranteed a spot on the team roster, while at another university, it may only mean that the athlete doesn’t have to go through an open tryout to participate in early Fall practices after classes begin.

What is more important for an NCAA Preferred Walk-on is whether they are considered “recruited” to their university team.
This can be an important factor in their opportunity to be immediately eligible if they decide to transfer after a year or two to a Division I program.  For certain sports, it can mean the difference between being immediately eligible for competition and a scholarship at their new university, or serving a “year in residence” before they can compete.

If you have questions about the definition of a “recruited” athlete and how that may impact a potential transfer opportunity, contact us at rick@informedathlete.com, or 913-766-1235.

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NCAA DII to DI Transfer: Immediately Eligible?

The answer depends upon a number of factors, some of which include:

  • The athlete’s sport
  • The athlete’s scholarship status
  • The athlete’s academic standing

The transfer rules are different for selected sports, and within those sports, may be different for a non-scholarship, non-recruited athlete.

There could also be additional rules that are specific to the particular conference that the Division I school is a member of.

For that reason, a confidential phone consultation is the best way to answer the question for each particular athlete.

However, as a starting point, individuals with transfer questions may want to start out by reviewing our “Informed Athlete’s Comprehensive Guide to Transfers” which can be purchased at this link through the Store of our website:
https://informedathlete.com/services/comprehensive-transfer-guide/

If you’d like to schedule a phone consultation, or discuss that option, contact us at rick@informedathlete.com, or at 913-766-1235.

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