Send us a text

Want a real roadmap from high school hallways to D1 sidelines? We sat down with Angel Meraz, head athletic counselor at College of the Desert and president of California’s statewide counselor association for student athletes, to decode the rules behind recruiting, eligibility, and the transfer portal. Angel brings the counselor’s perspective—clear steps, no fluff—and shows how smart planning turns talent into offers.

We break down the 16 NCAA core courses, how core GPA is actually calculated, and why course titles and retakes matter more than most families realize. Angel explains how California’s A–G requirements align with NCAA standards, what changes every year at the rulemaking level, and how a single missed unit can sideline a dream. We also explore the transfer portal’s new hierarchy: coaches scout the portal first, junior colleges second, and high schools third, unless you’re a standout. That shift creates both opportunity and risk, including a growing wave of “bounce backs” using JC programs to reset their path.

The conversation goes deep on NIL at the community college level—real deals, rising interest from local businesses, and the legal traps in contracts signed by teenagers eager to play. Angel details the evolving legal landscape around eligibility clocks and how potential changes could reshape the timeline for athletes starting at junior colleges, even opening doors to finish faster and pursue graduate degrees on scholarship. Her step-by-step advice for 10th and 11th graders is refreshingly concrete: register with the NCAA Eligibility Center, verify your high school’s approved course list, track your core GPA, and ask for help early.

If you’re a student athlete or a parent navigating the maze—eligibility rules, portal choices, NIL offers—this conversation gives you a working plan. Subscribe, share this with a teammate or coach, and drop your biggest eligibility question so we can tackle it next.

Angel can be reached at: ameraz@collegeoftghedesert.edu