Many metaphorical terms are given
to the recruiting practice whereby
Division III coaches can recruit top
prospects, promise them excellent
financial aid packages, and know
that the financial aid director will use
his or her professional judgment to
award that prospect what the coach
has already promised. The most com-
mon term is called “chipping.” This
chipping has nothing to do with golf
or potatoes. This is chipping as in
“blue chip.”
Some football coaches have been
known to “move the goalpost” for a
highly prized prospect. Some softball
coaches have recognized the benefits
of “shading the pole” for a pitcher who will take her team to
the next level. Be alert the next time you watch a professional
athletic contest. Listen for the athlete’s names and colleges
being announced prior to the battle. From time to time you’ll
hear the name of a college that may be unfamiliar to you. Find
that college’s home page on the Internet and visit the athletics
link. Very often you will learn the NCAA Division of that col-
lege is Division III or an NAIA institution.
Division III, as well as NAIA (National Association of Inter-
collegiate Athletics) schools are often very competitive with
many Division II and even some Division I programs. It is no
accident that some of the nation’s finest athletes can be found
at these schools. Large financial aid packages (usually based on
need, the prospect’s financial need, or—we need home runs—140 The Sports Scholarships Insider’s Guide
3
The
Tr uT h Is
Some schools in
fact encourage
these types of
communications
or give permission
to certain coaches
within an athletic
department to
recruit top high-
school prospects.