Athletics Veritas is a weekly series aimed at helping higher education executives, faculty, and other stakeholders stay tuned in on trending national issues impacting college athletics, especially NCAA Division I. Athletics Veritas is created by senior DI athletic administrators around the nation.
Term-in-Ology: Student Assistant Coach
In some cases, the coaches you see roaming the sidelines at a Division I college competition may, in fact, be student-athletes who have moved from competing to coaching while still enrolled. NCAA rules define a “student assistant coach” as any coach who is a student-athlete who has exhausted eligibility in the sport or has become injured to the point that the individual is unable to practice or compete ever again, and who meets the following additional criteria:
(a) Is enrolled at the institution where the individual most recently participated in intercollegiate athletics;
(b) Is enrolled as a full-time graduate student within the individual's five-year period of eligibility or is enrolled as a full-time undergraduate student in the individual's first baccalaureate degree program, except that during the individual's final semester or quarter of the degree program, the individual may be enrolled in less than a full-time degree program of studies, provided the individual is carrying (for credit) the courses necessary to complete the degree requirements;
(c) Is receiving no compensation or remuneration for coaching duties from the institution other than the financial aid that could be received as a student-athlete and expenses incurred on road trips that are received by individual team members; and (d) Is not involved in contacting and evaluating prospective student-athletes off campus and does not perform recruiting coordination functions.
In some cases, student-athletes know early on in their collegiate careers that their long-term career interests may be in coaching. This provision allows student-athletes who fit the criteria to grab a whistle and develop their coaching skills alongside their mentors – the full-time coaching staff.
Athletics Veritas is presented for information purposes only and should not be considered advice or counsel on NCAA compliance matters. For guidance on NCAA rules and processes, always consult your university’s athletics compliance office, conference office, and/or the NCAA.
