Our college golf advisory team recently updated the following information now that the Division I recruiting dead period has been lifted.
What does it take to be able to play Division I golf for males and females?
With 294 Men’s and 261 Women’s teams, there are many academic and athletic levels within Division I College Golf. It takes a lot of hard work, sacrifice and persistence to reach and then compete at this level. It takes a love of competition! College players spend their season competing within their team to make the travel squad to go to the tournaments. If you don’t love competing, that may be hard. Good grades and tournament scores are certainly two of the biggest keys in realizing the goal of playing college golf. A good research trick is to cross-reference lists of rankings with where those players committed to play in college by reviewing the AJGA and Junior Golf Scoreboard college signings list. This will give you a sense of the ranges in which coaches recruit.
What are three key qualities that coaches are looking for?
Attitude
Coaches are looking at how you compete and how you treat fellow competitors, officials and volunteers at tournaments. They also look for how you treat yourself following a poor shot. They may ask your coaches and teachers about you.
Grades
Grades matter to coaches! With so much time spent away from campus, they need to know that you can handle the rigor of schoolwork and time management.
Scores and Fundamentals
There is no doubt that a key component to recruiting is how you play and the type of game you display. Coaches may use different metrics when identifying the type of talent they want on their roster, but it is good to have a scoring average in line with their roster.
What’s the best way to contact them and when should you start?
It is never too early to contact a coach! Even players in eighth or ninth grade can send coaches results, swing videos and tournament schedules by email. Most coaches prefer to communicate by email and then by phone once allowed by NCAA rule (after June 15 of your sophomore year for Division I). Stay consistent with your outreach to them and be prompt in your responses. Don't be afraid to pick up the phone and call a coach directly (if by NCAA rule you are allowed to)!
What are some basic tips for emailing coaches when reaching out?
Staying proactive is a huge key in communication with coaches. While you may not always get a response, keeping them updated on grades, tournament results and upcoming events on a regular basis is wise. Coaches are also typically interested in swing videos, strength and conditioning updates, contact information, launch monitor data and stats from tournament play.
When is the 'Dead Period' over and what exactly does that mean?
The NCAA Division I Recruiting Dead Period ended June 1. This removed restrictions on in-person recruiting (off-campus recruiting for coaches and on-campus meetings between coaches and Prospective Student-Athletes). Individual schools may still impose their own rules or constraints on coaches, but golf recruiting will be back to its normal calendar.
Given that overseas travel this year is difficult due to COVID-19, how would juniors be able to get some exposure to colleges in the states?
This is certainly a difficult time for international players. Our advice to you would be the same regarding communicating with coaches. Many schools are offering expanded online and virtual tours. Taking advantage of these offerings would be a good way to see what each school offers. You can also identify regions of the U.S. you are interested in and expand your list from there. If getting here and enrolling on-time is a priority, maybe alternative routes would make sense (i.e. Junior Colleges, NAIA etc.). Ask direct questions to coaches about where they stand in their recruiting process. You might also consider taking a gap year.
As tournaments begin to open up across the globe, playing as much as possible this summer will be important. If there is an opportunity to come to the US to play, that would be ideal but most every coach is aware of the difficulty of this for most players.
How are National and World Rankings used during the recruiting process?
Rankings are a good barometer for coaches to begin their recruiting search. Through the years, coaches may have certain ‘bands’ that they feel work for their program, meaning they can find success with players within certain ranking parameters. Additionally, many coaches like to see trend reports on how players develop through the years. Ultimately, rankings are only a piece of the puzzle and offer a snapshot of a player's development.
What can players expect in the upcoming months?
1. Coaches can get on the road and watch players play! As former coaches, we all used this in identifying players that we wanted to recruit. For many coaches in the current environment, watching players in action will be a vital resource in their recruiting efforts.
2. Potentially even more important will be the on-campus meeting between coaches and players/families. If you are currently talking to coaches, do your best to get a visit on the books as soon as possible.
3. Coaches should have a better understanding on which players will be using their extra year of eligibility. This couples with guidance from their athletic administrations on roster size will give them the information they need to determine class sizes for 2022 and beyond.
4. Recruiting often goes from "0 to 100" very quickly! It may seem like not much is happening and then all of a sudden you may wind up visiting a school, getting an offer and ultimately committing! This is very common and something that is hard to predict in terms of timing. Use the slower periods to do your research, talk to coaches and players at schools of interest and due diligence on the schools at large. Remember our advice - you need to be willing to go to that school if golf is not on the table!
What are coaches saying about current players with extra eligibility?
This is a huge challenge for coaches on a few different levels:
1. One major misconception was that only graduating seniors in 2020 got an extra year of eligibility - when in fact anyone who was on a roster in 2020 got an extra year.
2. Not every player will choose to use this year and there are significant financial and roster size implications that differ at each school. This complicates decisions for returning players but also for incoming players and how much scholarship money and roster spots a program will have.
3. There is not a consistent timeline on when players would make a decision to take the extra year, making it very difficult for coaches to make concrete plans.
4. Many players are considering transferring for their final year (or more). There is significantly more traffic in the transfer portal than at any other time in recent years. This is always another avenue for player acquisition than just recruiting from the junior ranks but could be more prevalent in the short term.
5. In the final analysis, there are more players vying for essentially the same amount of roster spots. This is making things tricky for both coaches to identify which players to recruit and for junior golfers to identify their best options in colleges.
What about a gap year?
This is becoming a very popular option for players in the 2021, 2022 and 2023 classes. It is allowing them to reset both golf-wise and their recruiting timeline.
If you are considering a gap year, remember to check eligibility rules for each tournament/organization. The AJGA does not recognize gap years.
Here's a link to the AJGA's Competitive Eligibility Criteria and a video below from 2020 of our College Golf Advisors discussing the logistics of taking a gap year and what that means for current and future student athletes.
How will camps be affected by the ending of the "Dead Period"?
Camps will be allowed this summer and many are already scheduled. There may be some institutions who individually limit on-campus gatherings, but by rule, camps will be allowed.
Keep in mind NCAA bylaws are subject to change and at all times, student-athletes and their parents are encouraged to consult the NCAA , NCAA eligibility center and the USGA for all recruiting and amateurism rules questions. You can also visit NJCAA and NAIA websites for more information.
