What Is Your Backup Plan?

Congratulations! You are now entering your senior year of high school.

As a student athlete, you have worked tirelessly to secure your future, both athletically and academically. Most seniors have already determined which school is their top choice. You have probably been communicating with college coaches and even setting up visits with the school that you dream of playing for. But no matter how far along in the process you are, you MUST have a backup plan. If you don’t have one yet, SFA can help you.

You need to know who your competition is and where you stand with each school. This means you need to determine if you are the coach’s top choice. What if the coach assures you that you have a position on the team and tells you that you probably won’t start? Would you still go to that school? Do you know what the odds are of continuing to be a non-starter during your sophomore year?

If you have not asked the coaches the following questions you need to pick up the phone and call them right now!

• How many roster spots are available in my recruiting class?
• Am I your (the coach’s) 1st, 5th, 10th or 50th choice?
• Who are the other student athletes that are being recruited?
• Is there scholarship money available for me?
• If I were to go to your school, where on the team would I play?

Once you’ve answered these questions, re-assess your list of schools. Remember the goal is for you to participate in your team’s college games, not to watch from the sidelines.

You should have a list of at least 6 schools. Three of these must be schools at which you are likely to receive scholarship money or where you know and are assured you will start for the team as a freshman. If you don’t have these three options, odds are that you will end up at the wrong school.

SFA has seen dedicated and passionate athletes quit and/or transfer because they did not seek the help and advice that they needed when making their decision. Please don’t let this happen to you.

As a student athlete myself, I understand the repercussions of not having the necessary information available before making this decision. I chose to go to the University of Florida because of the assistant coach, head coach, and two teammates who had been recruited with me. At the end of my freshman year, I lost all four of them. I know from experience how hard this decision can be and I know what the reality of college sports entails.

If you do not have a solid backup plan or want to make sure you know exactly what you are getting yourself into (on and off the field of play), email me at ross@scholarshipforathletes.com.

I look forward to speaking with you and answering any questions that you may have.

Sincerely,

Ross Greenstein
CEO/President Scholarship for Athletes

Ross@scholarshipforathletes.com