And I don’t mean your yards per pass or rush…
This is the first of a series of blogs that will provide information about college admissions, recruitment and eligibility. Complete QB provides a 40 minute session on this topic at every Quarterback Development Camp.
Many of the high school athletes I talk to do not seem to understand the importance of a Grade Point Average or GPA. Your GPA is the average of all final grades for any given school year – or semester depending on when final grades are given at your school. Your overall or cumulative GPA is the average of all the final grades you achieve throughout high school – and for some students before high school, if you take high school-bearing credit courses like algebra, geometry or a foreign language.
So now, you may be asking: why is my GPA so important? Well, for those of you who have dreams of pursuing a higher education – meaning attending a college or university after high school – your GPA is the FIRST thing admissions staff reviews to determine whether or not you should be accepted.
For those of you, whom are strong enough athletes that playing college football is an option, do not be fooled regarding your GPA. This measure is equally important to playing ability, because from the coach’s perspective, you still have to be acceptable for admissions in order for the recruitment process to be completed.
For those of you, whom are capable of playing on the D1 or D2 level, your GPA is one of 3 factors that will determine if you are eligible to play or be recruited by those schools. The NCAA reviews your completed courses, SAT or ACT score and your GPA to determine your eligibility to play D1 or D2 level football. If you do not meet the minimum requirement for all three, you will not be declared eligible. That means, even if as an athlete you are the best Quarterback available for a football program, you will not be eligible and cannot earn a scholarship or play football for that or any other D1 or D2 program.
So what now? Visit your school (or guidance) counselor and find out what your GPA is. If you are a freshman (9th grader) you do not have a GPA yet, so do your best to start off on the right foot. If you are a junior (11th grader) this year is really your last opportunity to have any effect on your GPA. Be mindful, your GPA is an AVERAGE, and as the law of averages work each grade that is added to be averaged has less effect on that average. This means, all student athletes should be working every year of high school toward a GPA that is reflective of their academic ability. Do not wait until your junior year to start working because with each year you complete in high school it gets harder to change your cumulative GPA. It is also important to remember that as you go through the college admissions and recruitment process, you will be in the beginning of your senior (12th grade) year. That means junior year is your last opportunity to show the type of student you are capable of being – at least with regard to your final grades.
For more information about NCAA eligibility, visit the NCAA Eligibility website at: www.eligibilitycenter.org.
Renee Service is the Director of Operations for Complete QB. Prior to her position with Complete QB, Renee worked as a high school counselor in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) in Fairfax, VA. In her 10 years as a high school counselor, she worked with hundreds of college-bound athletes. You can contact Renee directly with questions at renee@completeqb.com.