There are two things that will determine your initial NCAA eligibility coming out of high school.  The first, as was discussed in my previous post on College Entrance Exams, is your score on your ACT or SAT test.  The second factor that I will detail today is your GPA in what are classified as your Core Courses.

Neither your high school, nor the college you are entering determines your eligibility; an independent body called the NCAA Eligibility Center determines it. The NCAA Eligibility Center certifies the academic and amateur credentials of all college-bound student-athletes who wish to compete in NCAA Division I or II athletics.  The NCAA Eligibility Center also determines what courses from your high school are classified as Core Courses.  The Core Courses are very specific, essentially college prep courses, in Math, English, Science, and Social Studies.

As discussed in a previous post, NCAA Division I schools use a sliding scale to determine eligibility.  The minimum in either a NCAA DI or DII school is a 2.0 GPA in 16 Core units.  In the NCAA requirements for both the college entrance exam and the GPA in 16 Core units must be met.  The NCAA initial eligibility guideline brochure can be downloaded here: NCAA Eligibility Requirements

In the NAIA, the initial eligibility requirements are slightly different.  There are three factors.

1. As mentioned previously, a minimum test score of 18 on the ACT or 860 SAT
2. Overall high school GPA of 2.0 and
3. Graduate in the top ½ of your high school class.

If an incoming student-athlete meets 2 out of the 3 requirements, they are eligible their freshman year at an NAIA institution.

The NAIA also has an NAIA Eligibility Center that you will need to register with prior to being certified for competition your freshman year.

In order to put yourself in a situation insuring you will meet either (or both) the NCAA or NAIA initial eligibility requirements, it is important that you make good progress through your high school career.  Typically, student-athletes who find they have not met these requirements have not done the necessary work through the entirety of their high school years.  Typically, they wait until it is too late to start planning.   Here are some suggested steps from the NCAA Eligibility Center.

Freshmen and Sophomores

• Start planning now!
• Work hard to get the best grades possible.
• Take classes that match your high school’s List of NCAA Courses.
• The NCAA Eligibility Center will use only approved core courses to certify your initial eligibility.
• You can access and print your high school’s List of NCAA Courses at www.eligibilitycenter.org. Click the NCAA College- Bound Student-Athlete link to enter and then navigate to the “Resources” tab and select “U.S. Students” where you will find the link for the List of NCAA Courses.
• At the beginning of your sophomore year, complete your online registration at www.eligibilitycenter.org.
• If you fall behind, do not take short cuts. Classes you take must be four-year college preparatory and must meet NCAA requirements.

Juniors

• Register to take the ACT, SAT or both and use the NCAA Eligibility Center code“9999”as a score recipient. Doing this sends your official score directly to the NCAA Eligibility Center.
• Continue to take college prepratory courses. Double check to make sure the courses you have taken match your school’s List of NCAA Courses.
• Ask your high school counselor to send an official transcript to the NCAA Eligibility Center after completing your junior year.
• If you have attended more than one high school, the NCAA Eligibility Center will need official transcripts from all high schools attended. (The NCAA Eligibility Center does NOT accept faxed or emailed transcripts/test scores.) The NCAA Eligibility Center does accept transcripts electronically through Docufide/Parchment, e-Scrip Safe, ConnectEdu, National Transcript Center and Xap.
• Before registering for classes for your senior year, check with your high school counselor to determine the number of core courses that you need to complete your senior year.

Seniors

• Take the ACT and/or SAT again, if necessary. The NCAA Eligibility Center will use the best scores from each section of the ACT or SAT to determine your best cumulative score.
• Continue to take college-preparatory courses.
• Check the courses you have taken to match your school’s List of NCAA Courses.
• Review your amateurism responses and request final amateurism certification on or after April 1 (for fall enrollees) or October 1 (for spring enrollees).
• Continue to work hard to get the best grades possible.
• Graduate on time (in eight academic semesters).
• After graduation, ask your high school counselor to send your final transcript to the NCAA Eligibility Center with proof of graduation. The NCAA Eligibility Center accepts transcripts electronically through Docufide/Parchment, e-Scrip Safe, ConnectEdu, National Transcript Center and Xap 6 COLLEGE-BOUND STUDENT-ATHLETE

A very helpful document with all of this stuff can be downloaded here:  Guide for the College Bound Student-Athlete

Another source of information, especially to athletes in grades 8-11 is my recently launched YouTube Channel that deals specifically with the recruiting process.  The channel can be found here : The YouCanDoMore YouTube Channel, and the complete playlist can be viewed here.

Questions or Comments are always welcomed… I will  answer!  Just shoot me an email or leave a comment.

Remember – You Can Do More… your brain is lying to you…. Don’t Believe It!

Jeff Floyd – youcandomore1@yahoo.com

Follow @youcandomore1

A LOT.

“What can I do to get a college to notice me… what should I do to get recruited?”

Often the student-athlete does not like what I have to tell them.

First, let me say, that if you are an “elite” athlete, you are going to get noticed.

But, if you are like the majority of student-athletes that get recruited… and are NOT an “elite” athlete, then the margin between getting recruited and not is relatively small.

It really is a fairly simple concept… how to get recruited.

The actual doing tends to be much harder… but here is how you do it.

You have to make good choices.

Throughout the four years you are a student-athlete, there will be literally a thousand different choices you will need to make…

• In the classroom
• In the weight room
• At home
• During practice
• In the halls at school
• During games
• Socially
• With your friends
• By yourself

Now, you don’t have to make every correct choice in your lifetime… everyone makes mistakes. But know that the more good choices you make… choices that have your end goal of being a collegiate athlete in mind… the greater your chances of success.

And know, too, that there are some choices you simply have to make correctly or you are done.

I see it happen every year…

• A great athlete, in their senior year, that is missing too many core courses.
• An off the field “incident” gets reported on by the local paper.
• A recruitable athlete neglects to take the ACT until their senior year.
• An athlete gets an offer rescinded because of an inflammatory tweet.

What should you do to get recruited?

The choice is yours.

More information for athletes, parents and coaches regarding the collegiate recruiting process at these links:

• The YouCanDoMore YouTube Channel
• Flipboard Magazine – Wanted and Rewarded eBook
• Flipboard Magazine – Gauging Their Level of Interest
• Current Playlist of Recruiting Videos

Remember – You Can Do More… your brain is lying to you…. Don’t Believe It!

Jeff Floyd – youcandomore1@yahoo.com

Follow @youcandomore1

Some of the topics will be:

• Why the playing field is not level
• How to market yourself
• Expanding the scholarship pool
• NCAA Clearinghouse
• Gauging level of interest

… and many more!

This video is the latest episode, Episode 15 – Q/A Speed, Explosion, and Quickness

Here is a playlist that includes all of the YouCanDoMore channel videos.  Right now there are 16 videos in the playlist… more will be added at the rate of about 2-3 per month.  I recommend that you watch in order, as many will build on previous knowledge/ episodes.

In this video I explain the platform, Patreon, and how it works.

The content on my YouCanDoMore channel is and will always be free.  If you choose to become a Patron of team YouCanDoMore you can join here : The YouCanDoMore Patreon Page.  Becoming a Patron will unlock additional content and services that will not be available on my YouTube channel.

A few simple ways to help me with this project:

• Subscribe to the YouCanDoMore channel…. Just click on the button in the right hand column of this page and you are finished!
• “Like” (thumbs up) the videos that you watch
• Leave a comment or ask a question on the videos you watch
• Share the YouCanDoMore YouTube channel with your cohorts via social media
• And… the ultimate support, of course, would be visiting my Patreon Page and becoming a Patron!

As always, thanks for your support!

Remember – You Can Do More… your brain is lying to you…. Don’t Believe It!

Jeff Floyd – youcandomore1@yahoo.com

Follow @youcandomore1

Since I started this blog several years ago, I have written over 400 posts… with the intent of helping colleagues and their athletes by sharing some of my experience.

Many of the tools (film grade template, defensive game plan material) that I have shared via this site have been downloaded nearly 50,000 times!

I have not asked for anything in return… that is the nature of our profession.

Today I am asking for some help with a new project of mine that I think will be of interest to you, and hopefully gain your support

Today I am launching my YouTube Channel, YouCanDoMore.

This channel is for Coaches, Parents, and Athletes, and will deal specifically with the recruiting process.  It will essentially be the same information that is contained in the presentation I have given many times (and is on my blog), only in bite-sized segments … probably 8-10 minutes.  Each segment will deal with a different aspect of recruiting (ie gauging level of interest, making a highlight video, ACT testing, etc) and I plan on airing about one new segment each week for a total of around 25-30 videos.

The videos will be professionally done, and will include great content and information.

This is not a recruiting service… quite the opposite.  It is intended to teach athletes and parents how to use various tools and concepts I will supply, to do the work that a recruiting service would ask $100’s to do.

I have chosen this format for a few reasons.

1. It extends my reach
2. The video format allows for better understanding than just the printed word (my blog)
3. This format will allow for comments and questions after each segment.  As you know in a large auditorium setting, students (and parents) often feel intimidated/ inhibited asking questions.  I WILL answer every individual question after each segment airs.
4. When I have given this seminar, it is an “all day sucker”… lasting about 4-5 hours. Being bite-sized chunks allows for consumption and digestion at the viewers own pace.
5. I am also planning on including interviews with current coaches (College and HS in a variety of sports) regarding the recruiting process.

The channel itself will be free,  BUT I am also including a way that viewers can help compensate me for the videos… if they feel the content is worthy, and the are financially able.  I will be using a platform called Patreon that allows viewers to become Patrons (for a really small fee) of my work.  The Patrons WILL have access to additional content.

How can you help?   Here are a couple of ways….

• I always welcome your input, and will be calling on some of you to share your expertise regarding the recruiting process via video interview.
• Please share links to my YouTube Channel (YouCanDoMore) and encourage your athletes to begin the video series.
• Use your social media connections (Twitter, Facebook, Hudl, Instagram, etc) to help get the word of the channel out to your players and colleagues. ReTweet, Share, Like…. All of the above.
• Visit my Patreon page and consider becoming a Patron of this project.

What’s in this for you as a Coach?

One of the main points I make in the series (to both athletes and their parents) is that although your coach will be the main conduit to college recruiters, they will not GET you a scholarship… It is up to the athlete to do everything in their power (off-season workouts, practice, academics, character, etc) to make themselves a remarkable, recruitable athlete in their coach’s and recruiter’s eyes.

This information will be applicable for athletes, parents, and coaches in all sports. I make the point that if you are a senior, it is late in the process, but there will still be information in the series that can help you… if you are in 8^th grade, it is not too early to start thinking about the collegiate recruiting process, and what it will take to realize your goals.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post, and thanks for your continued support of this blog… nearly half a millions views!

Remember – You Can Do More… your brain is lying to you…. Don’t Believe It!

Related Posts:

• Your Toolbox
• Gauging Their Level of Interest
• Recruiting Links

Jeff Floyd – youcandomore1@yahoo.com

Follow @youcandomore1

Here’s the deal… the concepts are simple, the actual “doing”, tends to be much harder.  There really is no “magic bullet”, sure-fire single thing that will get you a college scholarship.  There really is no “miracle pill” that will get the college recruiters lining up at your door.  Well, there really is a “miracle pill” that you can take, but it just takes four (or more) years and a lot of hard work to swallow!

What it boils down to is that over the next four years (if you are a freshman) you will be given literally thousands of choices that you will need to make. The result of these choices will either get you closer to your goal of being a college athlete and being rewarded for your hard work, or put you further away from your dream.

The sneaky thing, the really insidious thing, is that most of these choices by themselves aren’t “deal breakers”… making the right choice will not automatically earn you a college scholarship, and making the wrong choice will not prevent it.  So it is easy to think at the time you have to make the choice, “oh, this is no big thing”.  And you are right, this one single choice probably is NOT a big thing, but making these choices, good or bad, is incremental and cumulative.

I have seen student-athletes make these same types of choices over the last 30 years of my career.  The athletes that make the majority of choices that positively impact their goal are FAR more likely to achieve that goal.

Here are some choices that bombard a typical high school athlete…

• You decide to skip the Friday after school off-season program because you want some extra time to get ready for your date tonight…. It Matters!
• You decide to take a Team Sports class next semester instead of Advanced Strength Training for Athletes because it is easier… It Matters!
• You work out with a group of 4 at a rack instead of 3, knowing that there will be more rest time… It Matters!
• You chat with your friends in the evening instead of reading your literature assignment, which you will be tested over in the morning… It Matters!
• You miss a summer-school strength and conditioning class session because you were “just too tired”… It Matters!
• You stand at the side and talk to a teammate while others are practicing and coaches are coaching instead of getting a “mental rep”… It Matters!
• You take your scouting report home, but don’t study it like the coach asked you to because your favorite TV show was on… It Matters!
• Your mom schedules a dentist appointment on the day of practice, but you say “It’s OK, we just have practice that day”…. It Matters!
• You decide to go to a party where you know there will be alcohol and underage drinking because all of your friends will be there…. It Matters!
• You are late to practice because you have a detention for too many tardies…It Matters!
• You jog through the finish of a drill instead of going full speed because you know the coach is helping someone else and isn’t looking at you… It Matters!

You get the idea, and could probably add more examples of choices you have had to make.  These types of choices come up all the time… daily… and I am here to tell you that It Matters!  It is not easy – as I said this “Miracle Pill” takes four years and a lot of hard work to swallow.  But you can do it… You Can Do More!

In addition to these written posts, I have recently launched my YouTube Channel that deals specifically with the recruiting process.  The channel can be found here : The YouCanDoMore YouTube Channel, and the complete playlist can be viewed here.

Related Posts:

• The Guaranteed Shortcut
• The Little Things are Big
• “Suddenly” a Champion
• Drip, Drip, Drip

Remember – You Can Do More… your brain is lying to you…. Don’t Believe It!

Jeff Floyd – youcandomore1@yahoo.com

Follow @youcandomore1

As I mentioned, most of the information can be found on this site via this link:

Recruiting Links

A copy of the PowerPoint presentation can be downloaded from this linkL

Level the Playing Field

It is just the slides from the presentation, without any of my comments or external links, but it will give you much of the information (like questions to ask your recruiting coach, and questions to expect from a coach on an initial visit)

If you don’t have access to PowerPoint (or don’t like using it), I converted the presentation to this movie below.  Again, there are no outside links (although the embedded video does play) or comments from me, but you can navigate (push play/pause) to get information from the slides.

In addition to these written posts, I have recently launched my YouTube Channel that deals specifically with the recruiting process.  The channel can be found here : The YouCanDoMore YouTube Channel, and the complete playlist can be viewed here.

If any coaches are interested in bringing this presentation to their schools, give me a shout and I can give you some more information about it.  At William Chrisman it was presented to all student-athletes and their parents.

The seminar, Level the Playing Field is designed to empower students, coaches, and parents in regards to the recruiting process.

Remember – You Can Do More… your brain is lying to you…. Don’t Believe It! 

Jeff Floyd – youcandomore1@yahoo.com

Follow @youcandomore1

Signing Day and Recruiting

National Signing Day is exciting.

• Exciting for the student-athletes (and their parents) that are beginning the next step of their athletic and academic career…
• Exciting for high school coaches that are proud to see the young men that they have helped mold, shape and develop get rewarded for their work….
• Exciting for the college coaches that have worked so hard over the last year (and longer) to put together their 2014 recruiting class… (and can now get off the road for a few weeks!)

For the seniors signing the NLI , today is the culmination of the recruiting process.  For everyone else (athletes in grades 9-11) the process is either still ongoing, or just getting going.

When I checked my blog stats over the last couple of weeks, I noticed a huge spike with search terms regarding recruiting and that National Letter of Intent.  People with questions like “Does signing the NLI mean I get a full scholarship?” and “How will the NLI be delivered?”.  This tells me what I already know… the recruiting process can be a scary and confusing time for student-athletes and their parents.

For student-athletes and parents with questions, I have compiled some links and posts that might help understand the recruiting process.  For high school coaches, steering your athletes and parents to these posts might help relieve some of the burden of explaining this complicated process.  I also make the point… often and strongly… that a high school coach will not “get you (or anyone) a scholarship”… that it is ultimately up to them as a student-athlete.

You can click on the following links to navigate to these pages:

• All Recruiting Posts (Links to 30 posts)
• So You Want to Get Recruited
• Be Ready For Your Signing Day
• The National Letter of Intent
• Flipboard Magazine – Wanted and Rewarded ebook
• Flipboard Magazine – Recruiting Level of Interest Pyramid

The Flipbard Magazines have links my recruiting posts.   There is a little overlap, as some of the “Pyramid” posts are also included in the Wanted and Rewarded ebook. They are optimized for viewing on an iPad, but can also be read on your computer.

In addition to these written posts, I have recently launched my YouTube Channel that deals specifically with the recruiting process.  The channel can be found here : The YouCanDoMore YouTube Channel, and the complete playlist can be viewed here.

Questions or Comments are always welcomed… I will  answer!  Just shoot me an email or leave a comment.

Remember – You Can Do More… your brain is lying to you…. Don’t Believe It!

Jeff Floyd – youcandomore1@yahoo.com

Follow @youcandomore1

2015 was a terrific year for this blog, YouCanDoMore.net, with more views (over 60,000) and downloads (over 15,000) than ever before.

These were the top performing posts in terms of views this year… if you are a recent follower, some of these may have escaped you. Please click through to dig into the content.

1. Defensive Game Planning – The Call Sheet (6,000 views)
2. Weight Room – 101 (3,000 views)
3. Film Grading Tool (3,000 views)
4. Defensive Game Planning – The Play Grid (1,700 views)
5. Making a Screen Recording (1,500 views)

These were the most popular series of posts in 2015. As you can see, the Defensive Game Planning series continues to be far and away the most popular.

1. Defensive Game Planning – All Posts, Forms, and Videos (13,000 views in the series)
2. Coaching Tools (9,000 views in the series)
3. Recruiting (8,000 views in the series)
4. Middle School Strength and Conditioning Program (5,000 views in the series)
5. Lessons from the Masters (2,000 views in the series)

And finally, the most popular downloads this year.

1. Defensive Call Sheet (1,000 downloads)
2. Film Grade Template (800 downloads)
3. Defensive Game Plan Play Grid (700 downloads)
4. Practice Template (400 downloads)
5. Workout Template (400 downloads)

But wait, there’s more… one more link to make it 16 links for 2016!  A popular post about multi-sports athletes:

1. Fast “Track” to a Great Football Program

Thanks again for your loyal readership. One request…. if you have found the information on this blog interesting, helpful, informative or entertaining, please share with your colleagues.

Now, go watch some bowl games and enjoy the remainder of your holiday break!

Remember – You Can Do More… your brain is lying to you…. Don’t Believe It!

Jeff Floyd – youcandomore1@yahoo.com

Follow @youcandomore1

• Recruiting – Gauging Their Level of Interest
• Recruiting – First Impressions
• Recruiting – Email, Texts, and Phone Calls
• Recruiting – The Official Visit
• Recruiting – The Home Visit
• Recruiting – The Scholarship Offer
• Recruiting – The National Letter of Intent

I have also created a “Magazine” on Flipboard (see Apps for the Coach) that puts all of these posts in one location that you can read (and share) on your mobile device.  This is a link to the Flipboard Magazine:

Recruiting – Gauging Their Level of Interest

In addition to these written posts, I have recently launched my YouTube Channel that deals specifically with the recruiting process.  The channel can be found here : The YouCanDoMore YouTube Channel, and the complete playlist can be viewed here.

Questions and Comments are always welcome!

Jeff Floyd – youcandomore1@yahoo.com

Follow @youcandomore1

“I am proud of our kids… they did their best”

I have used these lines (or something similar) before.

Did I really “do my best”… did my kids really “do their best”?

Bestselling author and marketing expert, Seth Godin, has this take on “doing your best”…

“Doing your best…

It’s a pretty easy way to let ourselves (or someone else) off the hook. “Hey, you did your best.”

But it fails to explain the way we’re able to somehow summon more energy and more insight when there’s a lot on the line.

By defining “our best” as the thing we did when we merely put a lot of effort into a task, I fear we’re letting ourselves off the hook.

In fact, it might not require a lot of effort, but a ridiculous amount of effort, an unreasonable amount of preparation, a silly amount of focus… and even then, there might be a little bit left to give.”

I think one of the biggest challenges in coaching (and teaching) is to get the kids (and parents) to see that while they may be putting effort into this task (playing football, soccer, basketball, etc), and many are doing a good job, most are not even approaching “doing their best“.

It is a tough job getting them to believe that even though they have worked hard, they can give more… that to “do their best” they need to give …

“…a ridiculous amount of effort, an unreasonable amount of preparation, a silly amount of focus… and even then, there might be a little bit left to give.”

When have you really “done your best”?

I can count on one hand the times that I did my best… produced my best work.

I think this is was of those times…

Defensive Game Planning… All Posts, Forms, and Video.

This series details the defensive game planning process we developed at the University of Central Missouri… the development spanned several years, and the compilation and documentation took one summer of work.

You all do amazing work…. really good work… at times, I am sure, “your best”…

“…and even then, there might be a little bit left to give”

You Can Do More… your brain is lying to you…. Don’t Believe It! 

Jeff Floyd – youcandomore1@yahoo.com

Follow @youcandomore1