The NCAA's recruiting calendar can be very intimidating with all its
dates, bars and colors, but James Steward clears it all up.
The
Next College Student Athlete recruiting coach sits down with MaxPreps
host Steve Montoya for a "Making the Jump" podcast not only to explain
each period of the calendar, but offer helpful advice for potential
college players and their parents.
MAKING THE JUMP: Subscribe on iTunesIn
this segment, Steward breaks down the "dead period," which he warns isn't so dead at all.
"It's really quite simple," he said. "There simply is no face-to-face contact."
If you were to go to a college and saw the coach, just keep on walking. This time — which is mainly in August — is to allow the college coach to coach his team.
Even though there's no face-to-face contact, "Everything else is allowed to take place," Steward said. That includes written contact, texting and social media.
To start your free NCSA recruiting
profile click here.
Whatever
one does, Steward says, don't get discouraged. Just be realistic.
In the
entire 23-minute podcast, Steward offers countless tips to aspiring
college football players, though the NCSA also counsels prep athletes
pursuing
all other sports.
Steward spends the rest of the podcast talking about the importance of highlight tapes, timely
release of transcripts and taking college tests, evaluation camps,
social media, your high school coach, picking the appropriate college
and learning to communicate with adults.
He notes as vital as the
high school coach can be in the process, it's not something a potential
college player should count on.
"Getting
you recruited is not their job," he said. "If they are able to help you
and willing, that is a bonus and thank them immensely. Absolutely, take
their assistance.
"But ultimately this is going above and beyond their job
description. This is on you. If you want to play college football, it's
not the coaches' job, it's not mom and dad's job. You're going to be the
guy going out and doing that."
