Junior vs. senior year recruiting

Question
I read on your site that scholarship candidates are typically identified in their junior year.  My college counselor refuses to acknowledge this, saying all recruiting under NCAA rules takes place during the Senior year.  He also says that I will hurt my chances at being recruited if I try to contact college coaches during my Junior year, as it would be asking them to break the rules.  My crew coaches are telling me to make the contacts. Would you please clear up this confusion for me?  Thank you, Brenda

Answer
Hi Brenda: Per the NCAA web site, candidates for college crew scholarships can sign a National Letter of Intent (kind of a contract between you and the school) as early as November 12, 2008 for the 2009-2010 academic year.  

http://www.ncaa.org/wps/portal/nli

So your college counselor is right; you have to be a senior to sign a National Letter of Intent.  However, your coaches are also right.  There is nothing preventing you from introducing yourself to college crew coaches and have them check you out and even take a recruiting trip.  You can even make inquiries in the ninth grade.  After all, how else is a college coach going to know who you are?  

You just have to be aware that once you commit to a college for a scholarship, you can no longer talk to other schools.

To be on the safe side, here is the NCAA eligibility site:

http://www2.ncaa.org/portal/legislation_and_governance/eligibility_and_recruitin...

Regards/AP