Don't wait until your senior year to start the process.

Send out athletic resumes (profile) in your junior year before your season begins.

Don't expect the college coach to seek you out.

You must put yourself in front of the coach time and time again to be noticed.  Do this with multiple contacts via email, phone calls and letters explaining who you are, what you have to offer and where they can see you in action.

Don't approach a college coach while playing in a tournament.

A college coach cannot speak to you until after your team has completed play in the tournament for the weekend, and only after July 1st of your junior year. A college coach may speak to your parent or guardian before the completion of the tournament. However, doing so will count as one of the three allowed face-to-face contacts between you and the coach. Even if you are not playing in the tournament, but are there watching, a college coach cannot talk to you or your parents before July 1st after your junior year in high school. Just to be safe, let the coach approach you when he or she is allowed to do so.  It’s generally not a good idea to try to hand your video or resume to a college coach at a tournament. If you can’t mail this information, ask your summer ball or high school coach to give it to the college coach.

Do stay on top of your grades.

A First and foremost, you are attending college to receive an education! Put academics high on your priority list. You may be a great athlete but you will never be looked at or even considered if you do not have a good G.P.A. in High School. Coaches will look to see if you are working as hard in the classroom as you are on the field. Check with your high school counselor to make sure you are taking the right core courses and that your core GPA is where it needs to be. Refer to NCAA.org for core courses and required G.P.A.

Do make the best use of your off-season time.

Go for exposure, experience, skill improvement, weight training, camps, tournaments, etc. Attend the sport camps sponsored by the top colleges on your list. In this way you gain exposure and familiarity with the coaches, in addition to skill enhancement.

Do register with the NCAA Clearing House

The NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse (the clearinghouse) is an organization that works with the NCAA to determine a student's eligibility for athletics participation in his or her first year of college enrollment. Students who want to participate in college sports during their first year of enrollment in college must register with the clearinghouse. More information on the Clearinghouse.