I have had the privilege of producing sports skills videos for softball, baseball, basketball, soccer, field hockey, and other athletes for a couple of years now. Seeing the recruiting process from that side is quite different from what I see now as my son pursues an opportunity to play baseball at the collegiate level.

As a parent, how do you guide your son or daughter and plan for a future that may or may not include athletics in college? I have created a diagram that other parents have told me has been helpful to them. If your son or daughter is a top flight, can’t miss prospect, this is probably not going to apply to you. If your child, though, is a late bloomer or a marginally talented player that needs to really work to earn an opportunity at the next level, this might be helpful.

My question was how do I help my son pursue college athletics opportunities without knowing for sure that he is going to get that shot? What if we put all of our eggs in that basket and then an opportunity to play does not materialize? Where does that leave him for a normal college life? I have chosen to think of his options as lying along two parallel paths.

In the diagram below you will notice that the two tracks he can pursue are represented by parallel lines. Both lines have arrows pointing to the same goal. The Ultimate Goal is a degree, a career, a family, and a happy life. Either path can get him there. The diagram should enlarge if you click on it.

The Student-Athlete Track

The top path is the student-athlete track. It is important that the athletes identify the schools that they believe are possible fits for them from an athletic standpoint and from an academic standpoint. Parents may have to steer the student back to reality if he or she is hoping to play softball at Arizona or baseball at Texas, but cannot crack the starting lineup of his or her high school team as a senior. This does not mean that there is no school for them, but it may be a junior college or a division III school. Likewise, if your son or daughter is a top-flight athlete and wants to play at Vanderbilt, but has a poor academic record, your job as a parent is to gather information and give your athlete wise counsel.

The Regular College Student Track

Please notice in the diagram that the bottom path is the “Regular College Student” track. I find it helpful to think and plan for the possibility that my son may not play baseball in college. Just having the desire to play does not necessarily mean he will get the opportunity. In that event, what will he do? He must do parallel planning in case the college athletics option does not work out. This means that he has to list, explore, and visit the schools he might like to attend assuming he will not play baseball. He will have to complete the applications, write the essays, and line up the reference letters just like every other aspiring college student.

The Vertical Arrows

So, what are the vertical arrows from the student athlete track to the regular college student track? These arrows represent the reality that even if you begin the student-athlete track, you may not stay there. Perhaps an injury ends the dream. Perhaps the student-athlete decides not to pay the very high price required of student-athletes. Perhaps he or she decides that his or her skill level is not really up to par. Whatever the reason, the chart reminds everyone that starting on the student-athlete track does not mean necessarily remaining on it until graduation. The vertical arrows could mean becoming a regular college student at the same institution where the student began as an athlete, or it could be a transfer to a different school. The important thing to notice is that regardless of how the athletics career turns out, both tracks lead to the same goals: degree, career, family, and life.

As a former athlete, I have to say that if my son does start down the student-athlete path, I want him to see it through to the end. This is all about learning to finish a task, not be a quitter, etc. However, there are sometimes circumstances beyond our control that cause us to modify our plans. That is part of life.

There are many reasons for student-athletes to take grades seriously, but those vertical arrows leading to the regular college student track should help to visually reinforce why it is important. Student-athletes that maintain good grades and high GPAs while on that track give themselves many attractive options if they decide to become a regular college student. From speaking with parents of collegiate student-athletes, maintaining high grades while fulfilling the requirements of the athletic commitment is easier said than done and requires great discipline and dedication. However, given that the ultimate goal is a degree and a career, it is well worth the effort.

Conclusion

There is no question that trying to plan for college, which is difficult enough for regular students, is complicated by the prospect of college athletics. The diagram shared in this article has been helpful to me in organizing my thoughts and our actions about how to wisely navigate through it all.

Please let me know if you have questions about the recruiting process from a parent’s eyes. I am not an expert on recruiting, but I am currently going through the process and will be glad to help if I can.

If you need help producing an athletics skills video for your son or daughter, please give us a call. You can reach Mark at 512.619.8336 or at mark@mlcasey.com.

UPDATE 9/7/2011

The article above was written before the start of my son’s senior high school baseball season. Here is the way things turned out for him. He used his video to get several opportunities to play college baseball. He had one offer of a partial baseball scholarship to play for a Division II school and he had an invitation to be an “invited walk-on” at another Division II school. He accepted the invited walk-on offer at the school where he felt the fit was better.

He played his freshman year and the fall of his sophomore year. He improved a lot and had a great time. For a variety of reasons he decided to hang up his baseball cleats and drop down to the “Regular College Student Track” before the spring of his sophomore season. We were fine with it. We had always told him it was his decision and his baseball career.

He is now a student at Texas Tech University and doing well. He is still on track to “The Ultimate Goal” and has no regrets about giving college baseball a shot or about becoming a regular college student.

I hope our story helps you in some way during this process.

UPDATE 6/1/2015

Matt graduated from Texas Tech with his degree in communications. He is now thriving in his first post-college job in sales in the Dallas, Texas area. He is an avid baseball and sports fan and has gracefully handled his transition from college athlete to workplace professional. I wish you and your child the very best on this journey that will be over in the blink of an eye.