Tomorrow, high school athletes will sign on the dotted lines with the colleges of their choice. Some survival tips for athletes, parents and coaches.

The Old Switcheroo

Seven years ago, Cardinal O'Hara High School star running back Kevin Jones was set to announce his choice of topflight college football programs.

In a highly memorable press conference at the Springfield, Pa., school, Jones, then one of the nation's most coveted recruits, walked into a suspense-filled room carrying a gym bag. He sat down, then tossed a Penn State jersey onto the table.

However, the joy for Penn State enthusiasts was dashed quickly.

Seconds later, Jones pulled off his sweater and revealed a Virginia Tech jersey. Then came a Hokies baseball cap.

Yes, Jones, now playing for the Detroit Lions, picked Virginia Tech.

"He almost gave me a heart attack," Tom Jones, Kevin's father, said that January day.

Some blue-chip recruits have fun with family, friends and the media on commitment day. Often, they tease by pulling out a jersey or cap of the runner-up school. Sometimes, a perfectly timed phone call from a college coach will give away the player's true destination.

"It goes on so much now that it's not a big deal anymore," said Allen Wallace, the national recruiting editor of scout.com and the publisher of Super Prep magazine. "I think a little levity is fun. I don't take it too seriously."

Not So Intentional

Football recruits who made an oral commitment to a college before, during or after last season are set to sign a National Letter of Intent.

An oral commitment is a prospect's commitment to a school before he or she signs (or is able to sign) a National Letter of Intent. That commitment can be announced at any time. However, the oral "commitment" is not binding to the prospect or the school.

"It only has as much meaning as both parties give it," Super Prep magazine publisher Allen Wallace said. "There is no legality to it. It's just a way for both the player and school to see where they stand."

In 2006, Pat Devlin, a strong-armed quarterback from Downingtown East now playing at Penn State, backed out of an oral commitment to Miami. He switched allegiances to Joe Paterno and the Nittany Lions in large part because former Miami head coach Larry Coker fired four assistants, including Philadelphia-area native Dan Werner, the offensive coordinator with whom Devlin had developed a rapport.

"Kids bail out of oral commitments more than schools do," Wallace said. "Schools are worried about the negative backlash that could coming from turning a kid away. It definitely happens, though."

When a player signs a National Letter of Intent, he or she agrees to attend the institution listed for one academic year, in exchange for that institution providing financial aid for one academic year.

Other colleges are prohibited from recruiting a student-athlete once he or she signs a letter of intent.

In football, the signing period begins on the first Wednesday in February. This year, the signing period begins tomorrow and lasts through April 1.

When You Don't Make the Grades

Not all high school athletes that possess the skills to compete at the college level earn the chance to play right away. About a third fail to meet college entrance requirements, according to a 1995 study by the National Center for Educational Statistics.

Academic requirements for NCAA eligibility is based on a sliding scale. If an athlete earns a core grade-point average of 3.55 or higher, he/she only needs to score a 400 on the SAT. If athlete has a 2.0 GPA, the minimum allowed, he/she must score at least a 1010 on the SAT.

Student-athletes failing to meet academic requirements are not eligible for scholarships and really have two choices: enroll in a prep school or a junior college.

Junior colleges offer athletes the chance to raise their grades, then transfer to an NCAA school. One downside to the JUCO route is the athletes' NCAA eligibility will be reduced a season for every year spent in junior college.

Prep schools, institutions that allow post-grad students, such as Valley Forge Military Academy, give student-athletes the chance to complete graduation requirements and improve test scores. Those attending prep schools do not lose NCAA eligibility.

A number of prep schools have come under fire recently. Some have been billed as "diploma mills," due to loose academic standards. The NCAA has banned schools from accepting diplomas from several prep schools, most notably the former Lutheran Christian Academy in North Philadelphia.

Campus Visits

Prospective scholarship athletes should be aware that there are numerous regulations in the recruiting game.

High school athletes are allowed five official visits to a Division I or II campus with their parents. An official visit is one that is paid for by the college; the college may pay for the following:

• Transportation to and from college for the student and his/her parents.
• Rooms and meals (three per day) while you are visiting a campus.
• Reasonable entertainment expenses, including three complimentary admissions to a home athletic contest.

Before a Division I college can invite an athlete on an official visit, he/she must provide the institution with a high school transcript and SAT, ACT or PLAN (pre-ACT) score and register with the NCAA Eligibility Center.

An "unofficial" visit is one in which the athlete or his/her parents pay for expenses. In this type of visit, the only expense an athlete may receive from the college is three complimentary admissions to a home athletic event.

High school athletes can make an unlimited amount of unofficial visits and can make them at any time. The only time an athlete cannot talk with a coach during an unofficial visit is during a designated "dead period."

Scouting Services

In a way, Bob Lichtenfels is a middle man.

He and other recruiting analysts provide a service to help top-notch high school athletes and college recruiters.

"Not every kid is Terrelle Pryor," said Lichtenfels, a regional recruiting manager for Web site Scout.com, referring to the nation's No. 1 football recruit out of Jeannette, Pa. "You've got to look at kids. Because of guys like me, people know their names and they get scholarship offers."

In the age of the internet, Web sites such as Scout.com and Rival.com are recognized as the leaders in recruiting coverage. In addition to ranking players by class and position, the Web site contains video footage, short lists of interested schools and recruiting updates.

For players such as Pryor and American Christian basketball star Tyreke Evans, scouting services monitor every move. Lichtenfels concedes that being listed on a recruiting site doesn't guarantee an athletic scholarship.

Letter of Intent Guidelines

Student-athletes are not required to sign a National Letter of Intent. Signing a letter requires enrollment at the institution for at least one academic year.

Student-athletes may make an oral commitment to a school and sign a letter of intent with another school.

The NCAA regulates when athletes can sign letters of intent.

A student-athlete and a parent or legal guardian must sign the letter and accompanying financial aid agreement within 14 days of issuance.

Signing Dates for the 2008-09 Academic Year

Academics

For students entering a Division I college or university on or after Aug. 1 of this year, 16 core high school courses will be required. Previously, 14 core courses were required.

Division I has a sliding scale for test scores and grade-point averages. The scale can be found at: https://web1.ncaa.org/eligibilitycenter.

"A student who doesn't do particularly well on tests can still be eligible, if he or she has good grades and a corresponding SAT score," said Renie Shields, director of compliance services at St. Joseph's University.

Here is a breakdown of the core requirements:

• Four years of English
• Three years of mathematics (Algebra I or higher)
• Two years of natural/physical science (one year of lab if offered by high school).
• One year of additional English, mathematics or natural/physical science.
• Two years of social science.
• Four years of additional courses (from any area above, foreign language or nondoctrinal religion/philosophy).

Contact Rules

It's difficult to monitor, but the NCAA has rules regarding the number of times a high school athlete may have contact with his/her prospective college coach.

• In football, a college coach may contact a recruit up to six times during his senior high school year. There are different rules for different sports; for instance, a coach can contact a women's basketball recruit up to five times during her senior year, but a men's basketball coach is permitted to contact a recruit up to seven times.
• Recruits are permitted to contact their prospective college coaches on the phone, provided the recruits pay for the calls. A coach can phone a recruit twice per week, starting at a designated period - Aug. 1 for men's and women's basketball, Sept. 1 for football.
• College coaches are not allowed to text-message a recruit. The ban went into effect in August after students complained that coaches were inundating some recruits with dozens of text messages a day. Recruits, however, can text-message his or her prospective college coach, although the coach may not respond.
• E-mails between coach and recruit are still permitted, but are subject to NCAA guidelines, which include some time periods that prohibit coaches from contacting recruits.

Glossary of Terms

Important things to know about the recruiting process.

On the clock An athlete generally becomes a "prospective student-athlete" in the ninth grade.

Contact Any time a coach has face-to-face contact with an athlete or his/her parents.

Dead period Coaches cannot have in-person contact during this time, but can write and telephone parents.

Evaluation period Coaches may watch players or visit a school, but cannot have any in-person conversations.

Quiet period No in-person contact with athletes or parents. Athletes may visit college campuses.

Official visit Paid for by the college, athletes may take five official campus visits. Colleges can pay for food, lodging, transportation, etc.

Unofficial visit A visit paid for by the athlete or his/her parents. Athletes can receive three complimentary admissions to a home game.

Oral commitment A commitment to a school before signing a letter of intent. Can announce at any time, but an "oral" is not binding.

Web Resources for Athletes

www.ncaa.org

www.ncaaclearinghouse.net

www.national-letter.org/dates