Junior Year

🚨

Core Course Lock — Do NOT Miss This

The moment senior year begins, your 10 completed core courses are permanently locked with the NCAA. You cannot retake them. If grades aren't where they need to be, the window closes forever.

Official Visits — How They Work

Schools pay for transportation, lodging, meals, and 3 tickets to a home event. Unlimited schools but 1 per school. Ask every staff: What happens to my scholarship if injured? What's the coaching staff's retention record?

Verbal Offers Are Not Binding

A verbal offer is not binding for either side. A coach can rescind it. You can decline without consequence. The NLI is the only binding document. Never stop recruiting based on a verbal offer alone.

Junior Year Checklist

01Verify core course count — 10 done before senior year starts, zero exceptions
02Update highlight film for every staff you're actively communicating with
03Schedule official visits to your top 3–5 schools
04Prepare 10 consistent questions to ask every coaching staff
05Narrow your school list to a focused top 10 by end of junior year
06File FAFSA — opens October 1 of junior year, file immediately
07Do NOT stop recruiting after receiving a verbal offer

Official Visit Preparation — 20 Questions to Ask Every School

Most families go on official visits and let the school control the entire narrative. The families who make the best decisions go in with a script. Ask every school the same questions so you can compare answers side by side:

01What happens to my scholarship if I get injured and cannot play?
02What is the scholarship renewal process? What conditions could reduce or eliminate it?
03What is your coaching staff's tenure at this school? Where were you before this?
04What happens to my scholarship if the head coach leaves?
05Where does my position rank on the depth chart right now? What is the realistic path to playing time?
06What is the team's graduation rate for athletes in my position over the last five years?
07What does the academic support structure look like? Is there mandatory study hall? Tutoring?
08What majors are most athletes in this program pursuing? Which ones are not available due to practice schedules?
09What is the revenue share amount being offered and is it guaranteed or performance-based?
10What NIL collective opportunities exist and what has been the average for athletes at my position?
11What does the off-season training commitment look like? Voluntary versus mandatory?
12How many athletes at my position are you recruiting in this class?

After the Visit — What to Do in 48 Hours

The 48 hours after an official visit are when most families lose the momentum they just built. Do these things before the next visit:

01Write it down immediately. Your honest reactions to the campus, the team culture, the coaching staff, and the academic environment. Emotions fade fast and visits blur together.
02Send a thank-you email to the position coach within 24 hours. Reference something specific from the visit. This takes 5 minutes and fewer than 5% of recruits do it.
03Compare your numbers. Add the scholarship, academic aid, FAFSA estimate, revenue share, and NIL estimate to your total package tracker. Compare it objectively against other offers.
04Talk to current players without coaches present. Ask them: Would you choose this school again? What does the coach do when things get hard?

Core Course Lock — Exactly What This Means

🚨

Non-Negotiable Deadline

The first day of your athlete's senior year, the NCAA Eligibility Center takes a snapshot of every completed core course and locks it permanently. No retakes. No grade replacements. No exceptions. If your athlete has a 1.9 core GPA on the first day of senior year, that is the GPA the NCAA uses — regardless of what happens in senior year. The window to fix this closes the moment senior year begins.

Check your core course count right now at eligibilitycenter.org. You need a minimum of 10 completed core courses before senior year starts, and the final 6 can be completed during senior year. But the grades on those 10 are locked forever.

Up Next

Senior Year / Signing Day →