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Grand Valley State University Athletics

Prospective Student-Athletes

NCAA RECRUITING INFORMATION

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. Recruiting rules seek, as much as possible, to control intrusions into the lives of student-athletes.
 
The NCAA defines recruiting as “any solicitation of prospective student-athletes or their parents by an institutional staff member or by a representative of the institution’s athletics interests for the purpose of securing a prospective student-athlete’s enrollment and ultimate participation in the institution’s intercollegiate athletics program.”
 
BASIC RECRUITING DO'S AND DON'TS

  • Review the NCAA Guide for the College Bound Student-Athlete
  • Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center prior to being recruited and going on visits.
  • Check your email often for NCAA Eligibility Center tasks.
  • In any contact with a coach, include your name, position and NCAA ID in the email subject line for easier reference by the coaching staff.
  • Work with your school’s academic advisors to earn the best NCAA core-course GPA possible.
  • Prospective student-athletes being recruited by Grand Valley State University (or anyone else) should not receive cash or any other items of value from anyone associated with GVSU.
  • Prospects should not receive promises of any of the above.
  • Prospects should not receive correspondence or phone calls from anyone other than the GVSU staff or faculty about the University.
  • Prospect's families should not be promised or given any items of value or received job promotions or new jobs based upon a prospect's decision to attend GVSU.
  • Neither a prospect nor their family should receive "free" tickets to any events other than complimentary tickets for athletics events held on campus.
NCAA ELIGIBILITY CENTER
If you want to compete in NCAA sports, you need to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. Plan to register before starting your freshman year of high school (or year nine of secondary school). Review the three account options to see which is right for you.
 
International Students must also register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. International student eligibility standards differ depending on the country of origin. Review the Guide to International Academic Standards when you register your eligibility center account.
 
Academic and Amateurism Certification Account
The most common account for future NCAA student-athletes, an Academic and Amateurism Certification account is right for the college-bound student-athletes who are planning to:
  • Compete at an NCAA Division I or II school.
  • Take an official visit.
  • Sign a National Letter of Intent.
Amateurism-Only Certification Account
An Amateurism-Only Certification account is the right account for only a small number of students, including:
  • International college-bound student-athletes (first-year students and transfers) planning to compete at an NCAA Division III school.
This account may also be right for two- or four-year college transfers who plan to enroll for the first time at an NCAA Division I or II school. These students should speak with the compliance staff at the NCAA school they plan to attend to determine which account type is required for their situation.
How to Request Final Amateurism
 
Free Profile Page Account
A free Profile Page account is the right account if you are a college-bound student-athlete who is:
  • In high school and staying connected to receive the most current information from the NCAA Eligibility Center.
  • In middle school or earlier and wanting to learn more about college athletics.
  • Still deciding which NCAA division is right for you.
  • Planning to compete at an NCAA Division III school and have only attended a U.S. high school.
  • Registering to play at an NCAA-certified non scholastic basketball event (BBCS, ECAG, AAU).
 
TELEPHONE CALLS TO PROSPECTS: RULES TO REMEMBER
Telephone calls to a prospective student-athlete [or the prospective student-athlete's relatives or legal guardian(s)] shall not be made before June 15 immediately preceding the prospective student-athlete's junior year in high school; thereafter, there shall be no limit on the number of telephone calls made by institutional staff members or enrolled student-athletes to a prospective student-athlete [or the prospective student-athlete's relatives or legal guardian(s)].
OFFICIAL VISITS
What is an Official Visit?
An Official Visit is when an institution invites you to visit campus at their expense.  These visits may not last more than 48 hours.  You may not make more than one (1) official visit to any one institution. You may not make an official visit until June 15 immediately preceding the prospective student-athlete's junior year in high school.
Requirements to take an Official Visit:
1. A high school or college academic transcript
2. Registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center and is placed on the institution's Institutional Request List (IRL).
UNOFFICIAL VISITS
An Unofficial Visit occurs when a prospective student-athlete visits the institution at their own expense. A prospective student-athlete may visit a member institution's campus at his or her own expense an unlimited number of times. A prospective student-athlete may make unofficial visits before his or her junior year in high school.
COMPLIMENTARY ADMISSIONS
During an official or unofficial visit the institution may provide a prospective student-athlete a maximum of five (5) complimentary admissions to a home athletics event at any facility within a 30-mile radius of the institution's main campus in which the institution's intercollegiate team practices or competes
  • These complimentary admissions may only be used by the prospect and those persons accompanying the prospect on the visit
  • The complimentary admissions must be issued through a pass list on an individual game basis.
  • The complimentary admissions may provide seating only in the general seating area of the facility utilized for conducting the event.
  • Providing seating during the conduct of the event (including intermission) for the prospect or those persons accompanying the prospect in the facility's press box, special seating box(es) or bench area is specifically prohibited.
  • A member institution may not provide complimentary admissions to a prospect for a postseason conference tournament. The prospect may purchase tickets only in the same manner as any other member of the general public.
  • The provision of complimentary or reduced-cost admissions to prospects for an NCAA championship (all rounds) or other postseason contests (e.g., bowl game, NAIA or NIT championship) constitutes excessive entertainment and is prohibited. The prospect may purchase these tickets only in the same manner as any other member of the general public.
TRYOUTS
A member institution may conduct a tryout of a prospective student-athlete only on its campus or at a site at which it normally conducts practice or competition beginning June 15 immediately preceding the prospective student-athlete's junior year in high school and only under the following conditions
  • Not more than one tryout per prospective student-athlete per institution per sport shall be permitted. This limitation applies separately to the period in which the prospective student-athlete is in high school and to the period beginning September 1 after the prospective student-athlete's completion of high school;
  • The tryout may be conducted only for a high school or preparatory school prospective student-athlete outside their high school's or preparatory school's traditional season in the sport; for a two-year college student, after the conclusion of the sport season or anytime, provided the student has exhausted their two-year college eligibility in the sport; and for a four-year college student, after the conclusion of the sport season, provided authorization through the notification of transfer process has been obtained;
  • Within six months prior to participation in a tryout, a prospective student-athlete is required to undergo a medical examination or evaluation administered or supervised by a physician. The examination or evaluation shall include a sickle cell solubility test (SST), unless documented results of a prior test are provided to the institution.
NATIONAL LETTER OF INTENT
The National Letter of Intent is the official document administered by the Collegiate Commissioners Association and used by subscribing member institutions to establish the commitment of a prospective student-athlete to attend a particular institution.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: How do I know if I am considered a prospective student-athlete?
A: A prospective student-athlete is a student who has started classes for the ninth grade. In addition, a student who has not started classes for the ninth grade becomes a prospective student-athlete, if the institution provides such an individual (or the individual’s relatives or friends) any financial assistance or other benefits that the institution does not provide to prospective students generally. An individual remains a prospective student-athlete until one of the following occurs (whichever occurs earlier):
  1. The individual officially registers and enrolls in a minimum full-time program of studies and attends classes in any term of a four-year collegiate institution’s regular academic year (excluding summer); or
  2. The individual participates in a regular-squad practice or competition at a four-year collegiate institution.

Q: I want to contact a coach to let them know that I would like to be a Laker. Can I do that?
A: Yes, you may contact a coach on your own initiative at any time. Be aware that they may be prohibited from contacting you. If you leave a telephone message, send an email, or text message, they may be prohibited by NCAA rules from calling you back or writing to you. If you do contact a coach, include your age and grade levels so that they can determine when or if it would be permissible for them to contact you.
Q: What is a Dead Period?
A: Under NCAA rules, each calendar year is divided into different recruiting periods. These periods are Contact Periods, Evaluation Periods, Quiet Periods and Dead Periods. Each of these periods have different limitations on the recruiting activities a coach can participate in, as follows:

Contact Period
During a Contact Period authorized athletics department staff members may make in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts and evaluations.
Evaluation Period
During an Evaluation Period authorized athletics department staff members may be involved in off-campus activities designed to assess the academic qualifications and playing ability of prospective student-athletes. No in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts shall be made with the prospective student-athlete during an evaluation period.
Quiet Period
During a quiet period it is permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts only on the member institution's campus. No in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts or evaluations may be made during the quiet period.
Dead Period
During a dead period it is not permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts or evaluations on or off the member institution's campus or to permit official or unofficial visits by prospective student-athletes to the institution's campus. It remains permissible, however, for an institutional staff member to write or telephone prospective student-athletes during a dead period.