With recruiting picking up I have been asked about several players by several people, and why these good high school players don't have bigger offers than they have, or any offers at all. With these types of questions, it make me think a lot, and I have some things I'd like to share.
I tell this to everyone at my football camp each year, but I realize that we don't draw even 10% of the in-state football players. Speaking of percentages, less than 6% of all high school football players will play college football. That is 6% of ALL players in the entire nation, out of each recruiting class. This includes D1, D2, D3, NAIA, and Junior College players. 6% or less of all graduating senior football players will fill those spots.
Now, why we are thinking about this fact, lets think about this as well - every town has at least one super star player. That is every town in America with a football team. Someone is going to stand out, regardless if they win one game per year, or win state each year. Speaking of winning state, that is something else I want to bring up. Just because a team wins state does not mean that their star player will get a D1 scholarship. I see this every year where for whatever reason, people believe state championship teams should be sending players to the D1 level. That simply is not true. I've seen teams win state that barely had a D2 level prospect. I've also seen teams loaded with D1 prospects who couldn't get out of the first round of the playoffs. It is what it is.
Now, that is not knocking D2 level or lower prospects. I tell kids each year that if you get an opportunity to play college football and have that opportunity paid for, TAKE IT. There are thousands of kids each year who do not get that opportunity, so count yourself blessed.
Now, there is a BIG key to all of this, and that are your GRADES. It breaks my heart each year when I see kids good enough to play college football who are left out simply because they wouldn't take care of their business in the classroom. What makes this suck so much is that it is something that could have been prevented with a little effort and hard work. You already work hard and put forth effort in order to make a high school football team, so you have the work ethic. Put that work ethic to work in the classroom and help your chances with being part of the 6%.
Speaking of academics, here is what NCAA.org shows as requirements for incoming freshmen to be eligible for immediate playing time in Division One athletics:
Complete 16 core courses:
Four years of English
Three years of math (Algebra 1 or higher)
Two years of natural/physical science (including one year of lab science if your high school offers it)
One additional year of English, math or natural/physical scienceTwo years of social science
Four additional years of English, math, natural/physical science, social science, foreign language, comparative religion or philosophy
Complete 10 core courses, including seven in English, math or natural/physical science, before your seventh semester.
Once you begin your seventh semester, you may not repeat or replace any of those 10 courses to improve your core-course GPA.
Earn at least a 2.3 GPA in your core courses.
Earn an SAT combined score or ACT sum score matching your core-course GPA on the Division I sliding scale, which balances your test score and core-course GPA. If you have a low test score, you need a higher core-course GPA to be eligible. If you have a low core-course GPA, you need a higher test score to be eligible.
If you don't meet these requirements, you can still receive a scholarship and work on meeting the requirements in a redshirt year. To qualify as an academic redshirt, you must graduate high school and meet ALL the following academic requirements:
Complete 16 core courses:
Four years of EnglishThree years of math (Algebra 1 or higher)
Two years of natural/physical science (including one year of lab science if your high school offers it)
One additional year of English, math or natural/physical science
Two years of social scienceFour additional years of English, math, natural/physical science, social science, foreign language, comparative religion or philosophy
Earn at least a 2.0 GPA in your core courses.
Earn an SAT combined score or ACT sum score matching your core-course GPA on the Division I sliding scale.
Now, going back to what I said about every team having a super star. Take this, and think about that 6% I mentioned earlier, and it is virtually impossible for the stud player or players from every team out there to get a scholarship offer. I know of a few kids right now who put up stellar numbers during their high school careers, but to date, no offer has come their way. Have they been overlooked? Possibly, but even with that, the odds still say that not everyone is going to make it.
Something else to be said about being the super star. I get countless emails, phone calls, etc. each year asking about kids at certain positions. Here's the truth of the matter: There are thousands of 5-foot-9, 175 pound running backs that run a 4.4 out there. Same with 6-1, 210 pound wide receivers who run a 4.4. They are all a dime a dozen, and easy to find for college coaches. It's just the honest truth of the matter. This is why you have to work hard to set yourself apart. This is also why stud linemen will be recruited harder than skill players. Skill players are everywhere, while solid linemen who can perform at the collegiate level are not.
So, I said all of that to say this. Every high school football player in this state needs to have a backup plan. Shoot for the stars. Chase your dream to play college football, but have a solid back up plan in place as well. A scholarship is not guaranteed. You may suffer a career ending injury. What happens then? It's time for you underclassmen to make sure you have a plan and a back up plan. You may even want a back up plan to your back up plan. Life, unfortunately, isn't fair. Things happen that throw everything we have planned right out the window. What is worse than that is when everything gets thrown out of the window, and you have no back up plan to fall back on.
Sure, we all have family and friends who are willing to help us all if something bad happens, but football teaches responsibility, and the responsible thing to do is to make sure your grades are in line, you have a back up plan ready to go, and a plan to put it all into action.
Now, there will be some stud players who will take that jump to the collegiate level. Congratulations to all of you that this applies to. However, just because you make it to that next level doesn't mean what I said above doesn't apply to you. I mentioned career ending injuries earlier, and that could happen to anyone at the collegiate level. Make sure your grades are in line. Get your degree, and make something of yourself.
For those who play a full career of college football, your odds of making to the professional ranks are even less than what it was to make it to the college ranks. Less than 3% of all college football players make it to the professional level. This includes the NFL, CFL, Europe, etc. This is why making your grades at the collegiate level are important as well. Get that degree at a minimum. It wouldn't hurt to go for that masters or doctorate either. There's a lot of good money to be made with the right paperwork behind you if you don't make it to that next level beyond college.
Now, I'm not putting this out here to preach to anyone. I just want to be real with as many people as possible. It sucks that every good high school player or every good college player simply will not get a shot at the next level, but that is just how it is. It's a fact of life, and I simply want to do my part to make sure that people know the reality of the matter. When a kid doesn't make it to the next level, it isn't always that he isn't good enough. There are thousands of kids who get overlooked each year, but sometimes it is simply because the numbers aren't there, the odds are against them, or they didn't have the grades.
At the end of the day, we are all responsible for our own actions, and some of us have to pave our own paths. Take charge of your life, and push yourself to be the best you can. Hopefully that will give you an opportunity to make it to the next level, but if it doesn't, that is when you put that backup plan into action.
ARKANSASVARSITY.COM BUSINESS PARTNERS
--------------------------------------------------------------------
If you are not an ArkansasVarsity.com subscriber, you can become one by CLICKING HERE. It costs less than a cup of coffee per day to get access to the most in prep sports and recruiting information anywhere in the state.
Want to become a partner with ArkansasVarsity.com? Email Luke Matheson at Luke@ArkansasVarsity.com
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER:
