Expert: Vic Winnek - 9/30/2011

Question
My grandson is a senior football player this year. He's been invited to visit a college to tryout/show his skills for the schools upcoming year (2012/13).  What are the rules he must follow during each visit?  What is he allowed to do or receive during each visit #meals/game tickets/etc)?  Is there a limit on the number of colleges he's allowed to tryout for next year?  I just need to ensure he doesn't do something that'll disqualify him from college play.  Thanks in advance for your help!

Answer
John
As indicated in my profile and instructions, I no longer answer compliance questions due to their complexity and the changing NCAA rules. I recommend you got to the www.NCAA.org website and look there also below is a link that may help you find the answers quicker:
http://ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/public/ncaa/eligibility/becoming+eligible/recrui

Also you might want to ask another expert on Allexperts.com under football instruction. With that said I can provide you some general information that may answer some of your questions and be information you should know.  I can tell you this, the college cannot hold a "try out" for any student athlete, they are permitted to visit the campus, tour it, stay the night.  

Division I and Division III schools are not allowed to hold practices tryouts with college-bound student-athletes.

Division II schools are allowed to hold one practice or tryout for a college-bound student-athlete on its campus as long as the student-athlete is a high-school senior who is enrolled in a term other than the term in which the traditional season in the sport occurs. The school may conduct a medical examination of the student-athlete, and the tryout may include tests to evaluate the student-athlete’s strength, speed, agility and sport skills. The tryout may include competition except in football, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer and wrestling. The tryout is limited to the length of the school’s normal practice period in the sport, but in no event can it be longer than two hours. The school may loan equipment and clothing to the college-bound student-athlete during the tryout.

College-bound student-athletes may try out with professional teams and still retain their eligibility if the following restrictions are met:

•A professional team may pay for a college-bound student-athlete to try out before he or she enrolls in college as long as the student-athlete’s visit does not exceed 48 hours and compensation for the visit does not exceed necessary expenses.
•A college-bound student-athlete cannot try out more than once with a professional team.
•A self-financed tryout may take any length of time.
•A current student-athlete may not try out with a professional team during any part of the academic year, unless the student-athlete has exhausted eligibility in the sport.
•A current student-athlete may try out with a professional team during the summer as long as he or she does not receive any expense-reimbursement or compensation from the professional team.
•During a tryout, a current student-athlete may not take part in any outside competition as a representative of that professional team.

Any visit to a college campus by a college-bound student-athlete or his or her parents paid for by the college is an official visit. Visits paid for by college-bound student-athletes or their parents are unofficial visits.

During an official visit the college can pay for transportation to and from the college for the prospect, lodging and three meals per day for both the prospect and the parent or guardian, as well as reasonable entertainment expenses including three tickets to a home sports event.

The only expenses a college-bound student-athlete may receive from a college during an unofficial visit are three tickets to a home sports event.

During an evaluation period a college coach may watch college-bound student-athletes compete, visit their high schools, and write or telephone student-athletes or their parents. However, a college coach may not have face-to-face contact with college-bound student-athletes or their parents off the college’s campus during an evaluation period.

Remember, The NCAA Eligibility Center verifies the academic and amateur status of all student-athletes who wish to compete in Division I or II athletics.

College-bound student-athletes who want to practice, compete and receive athletically related financial aid during their first year at a Division I or II school need to meet the following requirements:

A core course is a four-year preparatory class in English, mathematics, physical science, social science, foreign language, nondoctrinal religion or philosophy that is at or above a the regular academic level of classes at a student-athlete’s high school. College-bound student athletes must complete core-course requirements in eight semesters beginning when they initially started high school with their ninth-grade class. If a student-athlete graduates from high school in eight semesters with his or her class, he or she may complete one core course in the year after graduation. This final core course may be completed at a location other than the high school from which the student-athlete graduated.

Are nontraditional classes counted as core courses?  They can be. Classes that are taught through distance learning, online platforms, credit recovery or other means must be comparable in length, content and rigor to courses taught in a traditional classroom setting. They must also include ongoing access between the instructor and student, as well as regular interaction for purposes of teaching, evaluating and providing assistance. In short, course content and manner of instruction are what count.•Graduate from high school.

•Complete a minimum of 16 core courses for Division I or 14 core courses for Division II. After August 1, 2013, student-athletes who wish to compete at Division II institutions must complete 16 core courses.
•Earn a minimum required grade-point average in core courses.
•Earn a qualifying test score on either the ACT or SAT.
•Request final amateurism certification from the NCAA Eligibility Center.

Division III college and universities set their own admission standards. The NCAA does not set initial eligibility requirements in Division III.


Best of luck to you and your grandson,