Transferring

Athletic Recruits
1

<p>I'm currently a freshmen at a DI medium sized Catholic college. My first semester has been pretty miserable. I do not like the school academically, its not challenging and the team/coach is not a good fit. I have no real friends on the team and as a student-athlete its almost impossible to make friends with the rest of the student body. I also came in injured and redshirted. The coach is very cold and distant and gives me very little direction with anything which I know is to be expected. I don't really agree with the training/coaching philosophy. I come from a very successful high school program and the training at the college is much easier than the training I did in high school. </p>

<p>I want to transfer but what are the chances of a better program taking me when I haven't competed in so long? And how does one go about talking to coaches without losing eligibility when transferring?</p>

2

<p>This is difficult. You can’t really (legally, per NCAA rules) talk to other coaches without a letter from the AD of your current school. You can investigate other programs and look around, but you can’t actually be recruited without that letter. You have to decide if you are unhappy enough to risk being removed from your current team if you do ask for that letter. If you were my child (and my daughter was in a similar situation, but not quite as bad because she is happy at her school and likes her teammates and the associate head coach) I would investigate other programs, go see their teams play, etc. and choose a few alternative schools. Then, when and if you’ve found some possibilities, sit down with your current coach and let him know how you feel. I know this is hard, but you have to do it. Ask for a letter from the AD (I think it goes to the AD of the school(s) you are interested in so they can recruit you). If your current coach won’t release you, you might have to sit out a year at your next school before being allowed to play, but unless your current coach is vindictive, he probably won’t do that.</p>

3

<p>You need to be released by the coach. This, I know, is kind of risky if in the end you decide not to transfer but the coach now knows you really don’t want to be there. Your issue is compounded because you don’t have any stats in which to entice other coaches. However, you do have the advantage of being red-shirted. Are you healthy now? Have you worked out to the best of your ability to be in shape and ready to play now?</p>

<p>My first suggestion is to politely inquire with coaches with whom you were talking before you choose this school. You might want to dip your foot in the water and write an inquiry to those coaches of schools you either spoke with or feel qualified to play at and say something like, “at this point I am merely quietly (or confidentially) considering my options for transfer.” You could also say this exact thing to your coach. Please attempt to not emphasize the bad fit of current coach or team if possible.</p>

<p>I think you should maintain a high level of integrity but at the same time, I do not think it bad form to at least peek behind the window to see if transfer is ultimately what you want. I think a big question you need to ask yourself is would you transfer if NOT for the sport and then too consider how much you need a scholarship (if you have one) to get a college education. </p>

<p>As an aside, I know two DI hockey players transferred to Amherst (DIII) this year for the academic challenge AND the competitive hockey. No, there’s no athletic money at a school like this, but there is really good financial aid and the opportunity to contribute right away. Having been red-shirted, you still have four years to compete</p>

4

<p>LetsRun-much?</p>

5

<p>Modadunn, NOOOOOO!!!</p>

<p>Here’s the link to the NCAA publication on the subject:
<a href=“http://www.ncaapublications.com/Uploads/PDF/Transfer_Guide_8_25b1639c13-89b2-4176-a1c2-346f5ab746df.pdf[/url]”>http://www.ncaapublications.com/Uploads/PDF/Transfer_Guide_8_25b1639c13-89b2-4176-a1c2-346f5ab746df.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Warning!! Do not start contacting any other coaches until you understand the rules. College coaches will not respond because to do so would be a recruiting violation. Quote from the transfer publication:</p>

<p>“Generally, if you are enrolled as a full-time
student at an NCAA or National Association
of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) four-year
school and you want to transfer to a different
NCAA school to play, your current school’s
athletics director must give written permissionto-
contact to the new coach or member of the
athletics staff before you or your parents can
talk with one of them. That is called having a
permission-to-contact letter.
You may write to any NCAA school saying that
you are interested in transferring, but the new
coach must not discuss transfer opportunities
with you unless he or she has received written
permission-to-contact from your current
school.
If your current school does not give you written
permission-to-contact, another school cannot
contact you and encourage
you to transfer.”</p>

6

<p>^^Well, yes, what I said.</p>

7

<p>One case I know of: The student/family asked the club coach from pre college days to make a low key, hypothetical inquiry to the coach at a second school that the student had been previously recruited to as to whether they would have room/interest for him. They did, and he ended up transferring.</p>

8

<p>I know you caught it first, keylyme. I just wanted to find the NCAA wording and make sure the OP understood your post was the right advice.</p>

9

<p>Thank you, and I guess that is very important. If you break an NCAA rule, it can cause you to lose your opportunity for recruitment at that particular school.</p>

<p>ihs…I know that family also cannot inquire without the permission to contact letter. I called the NCAA and was told this. You also cannot have “boosters” inquire for you. I think pretty much anyone even marginally connected with the program (i.e. fans) can constitute a booster, so I’m not sure the club coach inquiring was even legal.</p>

10

<p>Keylyme, the kid was not officially ‘recruited’ to the second school this time around. He basically transferred with the understanding that his position was available on the team. No scholarship (that went away when he went elsewhere the first time). Also, the club coach who made the call is in a different state, so maybe he felt comfortable making the call. This is all Div I and the student will not compete for 3 quarters as I understand it. I’m no expert on this, just what I’m told by the parents.</p>

11

<p>It doesn’t matter if you are a walk-on at both schools. No inquiries are allowed without that letter. I am not certain about how the rules work concerning the club coach calling, though.</p>

12

<p>An old HS or club coach could float a hypothetical inquiry saying “Hey, remember Joe Smith? If he were to ever transfer, would you be interested in talking to him once he got a release?” If every old coach who recruited you earlier in your career says yes, then get your release and move on. If not, Division I sports are too intense and demanding to stay at a place where you do not fit in so you should still leave. Find a school you like and apply. Good luck. I hope you get to compete again, but if not, I hope you enjoy the life of a regular college student.</p>

13

<p>thanks for all the advice…i talked to my parents and they said i most likely can’t afford to transfer… however i’m on track to graduate a year early but if things stay as bad as they are through this semester i don’t think i can stay here so its still complicated. i know i will not be happy anywhere if i’m not competing. i’m planning on going to grad school and hopefully competing wherever i go to grad school for two years, do i need a release to talk to coaches when i’m applying to grad school?</p>

14

<p>Call NCAA hotline and ask them. They will tell you what is allowable in your particular situation. You can be anonymous if you like.</p>

15

<p>abcde… ncaa never has a short answer for anything!! Does this quote from the handbook make everthing perfectly clear? Phone numbers are at the bottom if you want to get specific with someone at NCAA and have something official from them. It looks like if you’re going DI undergrad to DI grad you will need follow the transfer rules I posted above in post #5. Best wishes!</p>

<p>"A student-athlete who is enrolled in a graduate or professional school of the college or university which he or she previously attended as an undergraduate student may participate in intercollegiate athletics, provided he or she has eligibility remaining and is within five calendar years of initial full-time collegiate enrollment for Division I and within the first 10 full-time semesters of collegiate enrollment for Divisions II and III. </p>

<p>Also, a student-athlete who has eligibility remaining and is within the specified 10-semester period may participate while enrolled in a graduate or professional school at a Division II college or university other than the institution at which he or she completed an undergraduate degree.</p>

<p>Finally, a student-athlete who has eligibility remaining and is within the specified five-year period may participate while enrolled in a graduate or professional school at a Division I college or university other than the institution at which he or she completed an undergraduate degree, provided he or she meets the criteria of the one-time transfer exception to the general transfer residence requirement. That exception is as follows:</p>

<p>•The student-athlete must be seeking to participate in a sport other than baseball, football, basketball and men’s ice hockey, except that a student-athlete who seeks to participate in NCAA Football Championship Subdivision may use this exception only if transferring from a Football Bowl Subdivision program.</p>

<p>•The student-athlete may not have transferred previously from another four-year institution unless he or she transferred previously and received an exception to the transfer residence requirement because his or her institution either discontinued the sport or did not sponsor the sport in which the student-athlete is a participant.</p>

<p>•The student must have been in good academic standing and eligible to compete had he or she decided to remain at the previous institution.</p>

<p>•The student-athlete’s previous institution must certify in writing that it has no objection to the student-athlete being granted an exception to the transfer residence requirement.
NOTE: This exception does not apply to a student-athlete who attends a Division III institution for graduate school, unless the student-athlete is attending the same institution at which he or she was an undergraduate.</p>

<p>NOTE: If the student-athlete transfers to the certifying institution from a Division III member institution and meets the above-mentioned conditions, he or she may be eligible to compete but may not receive athletically related financial aid during that year.</p>

<p>Please contact the certifying institution or conference for additional information. You also may contact the NCAA academic and membership affairs staff at 317/917-6222 if you have further questions.</p>

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<p>NOTE: This is not a complete list of NCAA regulations regarding eligibility rules. Please call the NCAA or access the NCAA Web site ( [The</a> Official Web Site of the NCAA - NCAA.org - NCAA.org](<a href=“http://www.ncaa.org%5DThe”>http://www.ncaa.org) ) if you have specific questions. The academic and membership affairs staff will be able to assist the general public with his or her NCAA rules questions from noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at 317/917-6222. Thank you."</p>

16

<p>would it be okay to facebook message my host from a recruiting trip i went on in high school? i think she actually quit the team at the school but would it be a NCAA violation if i did not yet have a release?</p>

17

<p>abc, without “checking with the NCAA”- bleh, I would think that would be an acceptable thing to do. Using your network to find out how other people like their school/team, and also to start the rumor that you might be available seem like a good approach. You always have to try and see it from the coach’s point of view. They have a lot to lose if they commit a recruiting violation- loss of a season, loss of the right to recruit, etc. </p>

<p>I love this idea of networking, but maybe someone else can answer your fundamental question about whether current or past team members are allowed to talk to you. Facebook creates a whole new set of cases for the NCAA to worry about. What if you post your status as “Looking for a new place to play…” Of course this would doom you at your present school, but might get the job done!</p>

18

<p>I think the networking thing is a good way to go. My daughter is also interested in transferring. Just trying to figure out a way to do it. I know through the grapevine of a school who would like to have her, but she wants to try to find a school on the west coast.</p>

<p>She spoke to a friend of hers who plays for another college, and that person mentioned her to the coach. He let it be known that he would definitely be interested in her. So, it seems that it might be a way to find out, as the above person mentioned, through an outside party, and a hypothetical question…</p>

<p>Please, let me know if this is not correct. Sure don’t want to break any NCAA rules.</p>

19

<p>my friend went to a NAIA school to play football(he was redshirted) was injured in hs & is still not fully released for contact practice (expects full release soon). he’s not happy there & is considering 2 options. A) going part time to school close to home & using that year to gain strength B) transferring to JUCO & walking on. if he chooses A will that year count toward eligbilty? how does either of these affect his future with a DI later on</p>

20

<p>I would be very careful inquiring with any other programs even having someone else do it because the coaches travel in small circles. I know a kid who was playing D1 golf, he was not happy so he started “inquiring” and it got back to his current coach. After all his looking around he felt like staying at original school, but because of the coach grapevine the coach let the kid go and he lost his spot anyway.</p>