The first signing period of 2012 has ended. For some, so has the Division I Delusion.

What does that mean to you? And what is the Division I Delusion?

If you’re an unsigned senior football player, it means you will not be signing with a Division I/II school (football players – click here to learn about recruiting in Division III and NAIA, who may still have space available for you).

Different sports’ signing periods end at different times. However – just because your sport’s signing period hasn’t ended, or because you’re not a senior, doesn’t mean that this doesn’t affect you. Just the opposite: it’s the athletes who can still sign that have the most to gain.

Division I is the level we hear the most about, and it seems like the “best” level you can play in. It’s tempting to keep telling yourself that a DI offer is “just around the corner.” Guaranteed some football players with that mentality are very disappointed right now. The last thing you want to do is coast on high hopes until it’s too late to turn your recruiting situation around. The Division I Delusion is when you think you’re going to Division I even when there’s no evidence that you will.

So – are you DI material or not? Here’s 3 reality checks:

1. Most major Division I prospects get offers by the end of their junior year
So seniors, no matter what sport you play – if you’re not sitting on a DI offer, it’s time to move on. Right now, today. Juniors – get your name out there as much as you can, but you don’t have as long as you think. Freshman and sophomores – you are in a good place to position yourself to hopefully get that DI offer, but even if you are getting a lot of interest from DI, reach out to all divisions. It may be a good bargaining chip with DI programs, and if it turns out you’re not as in demand as you may have thought, you won’t be left with nothing.

2. You don’t need to wonder if coaches are interested in you
If you are on coaches radar and they want to recruit you, you will start receiving written correspondence and seeing college coaches at your games/meets freshman year (in most sports). If that’s not happening, it is because your recruiting level is light-to-none. This doesn’t mean you’re a bad athlete, but it does mean you may need to get realistic and proactive about recruiting.

3. Read the signs
The number one sign of a coach’s interest should be no surprise: a full scholarship offer, in writing. After that, a verbal full scholarship offer, a partial offer in writing, and then a partial verbal offer are the best indicators. The biggest sign of interest shy of a scholarship offer is an offer to take an official visit, and after that are personal phone calls and letters from a coach (assistant is good, head coach is better; typed is good, handwritten is better). Other signs of interests include an athletic application with a fee waiver, an invitation to an unofficial visit or summer camp, request for a highlight video, or questionnaire. But no matter what kind of attention you’re getting, remember – until you sign on that dotted line, everything is just practice.

Today marked the end of the Divsion I Delusion for some players – hopefully most of them will find a place at some of the excellent schools outside of Division I. And for those who haven’t reached crunch time yet – work your behind off, and expect the best, but prepare for the worst. Pursue the school of your dreams in Division I – but write those letters to the DII and DIII coaches, too.

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