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Most people do not think of the athletic recruiting process as a high-wire balancing act, but collegiate Division I coaches are not most people.

When scouting a prospect, coaches such as women’s rowing coach Amy Fuller Kearney must weigh the importance of academics against the abilities of the athlete, all while keeping the chemistry of the team in mind.

Although Fuller Kearney is relatively new to the recruiting game, as the UCLA rowing team was a club team until only five years ago, she has no desire to trade intellect for talent.

“The first thing I want to know is what (the recruits’) grades are,” Fuller Kearney said. “They have to be able to be student-athletes. It’s such a mental sport that the people that get ahead have that mental discipline.”

Despite looking for at least a 3.5 high school GPA and a 1200 on the old version of the SAT, Fuller Kearney has found ways to pull in elite athletes while maintaining those standards.

Even with UCLA’s tough academic program, Fuller Kearney has to do little convincing for recruits to become Bruins.

“(The recruits) usually make first contact,” she said. “We think the school sells itself.”

In addition to UCLA’s athletic and academic reputation, women’s golf coach Carrie Forsyth believes simply having good team chemistry will breed good recruiting.

“A lot of it just has to do with going through the whole process,” Forsyth said. “Having good people on the team has a huge impact on recruiting. We have (the recruits) talk to players on the team and get a sense of what we believe in and what it is like to be a student-athlete.”

There are times when even the bluest of the blue-chip prospects may not fit well with the team and the coaches pass on the athlete, Forsyth said.

“It’s very tempting to take an athlete who is a good player but doesn’t fit the team,” Forsyth said. “Talent’s always a factor but it takes more than just that.”

With so many NCAA recruiting rules protecting that talent from floods of collegiate suitors, it is all too easy for coaches to accidentally commit violations.

“I think it happens fairly often, but most coaches are honest, catch themselves and turn themselves in,” Forsyth said.

Sometimes not even the recruits know the regulations.

Forsyth met sophomore Tiffany Joh face-to-face for the first time after a tournament on July 1 of Joh’s junior season in high school, the first day to meet recruits under NCAA laws. Even though Joh knew she wanted to come to UCLA, she was unsure of the rules regarding officially committing and asked Forsyth, “Is it too early to commit right now?”

Knowing Joh would be a good fit on the team, Forsyth was pleased but also surprised – no other recruit had committed on the spot before.

Quick decisions like Joh’s are the exception, not the rule.

“There’s definitely a process that you go through,” Forsyth said. “Bringing them on campus and getting to know them personally. That’s kind of a time of mutual sizing-up. It’s just about finding the people that are excited about UCLA.”