LEONARD ANDREW CONSULTING - College Prep and Athletic Recruiting Blog

A New Era in College Sports

7/15/2025

A new era began this month.

The concept of NIL in college sports became a reality on July 1, 2021 (when the NCAA first implemented their interim policy which allowed student-athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness).

July 1, 2025 - four years later - NCAA amateurism is out. Direct athlete compensation (through revenue sharing, allowing athletes to finally get a cut of the billions of dollars in broadcast revenue they generate) and the College Sports Commission (to oversee implementation and enforcement of the settlement) have entered the game.

College sports and the NCAA have changed dramatically in four years... these next four years will up-end the entire 'student-athlete' ecosystem.

The dust has certainly not settled in this dawning of a new era (and it still might cloud things for a time)... but in the meantime, we're excited to see how teams, athletes and families positively handle this transition.

Questions on how to navigate this new frontier? Get started by contacting us.

The (New) Recruiting Mindset (for Coaches)

6/23/2025

With some exceptions (including seemingly the entire college hockey process given the junior tier and how changes there will impact recruiting), this is the recruiting ‘playbook’ that college coaches are now going with.

Never before have they had to recruit their own players SO hard or sift through a transfer portal of athletes looking for a fresh start or their next opportunity (be it playing time, NIL money, etc).

The quicker that high school athletes realize this – and execute on ways to optimize their own process, marketing and communications – the better off they will be!

A Huge Congratulations to our Students and Student-Athletes!

4/28/2025

So happy for our students and student-athletes who have committed to their future prep school and college homes!

We are proud of them and their work to get to this point, both excelling in the classroom and in their game.

In the fall, students will be heading to:

Prep Schools:
Avon Old Farms
Cushing
Gunn (2)
Hotchkiss
Kent
Kimball Union (2)
Westminster

Colleges:
Arizona State
Assumption
Boston College
Brown
Butler
Central Florida
Clemson (2)
Coastal Carolina
Colgate
Connecticut
Florida
Florida State
Gettysburg
Haverford
Hobart
Indiana
James Madison
Lehigh
Maryland
Mercyhurst
Miami (2)
Michigan State
NC State (2)
Penn State (2)
RPI
South Carolina (2)
South Florida
Syracuse
Union
Virginia Tech
Wake Forest

Some of these students worked with Chad or our team for months, others had very specific recruiting questions and goals within a set time frame -- in the end, they all earned their way to the place they call home!

Want to get started on your own path to finding your future fit? Contact LAC today!

NCAA Changes for Hockey (Roster Limits, CHL)

2/12/2025

Working with so many hockey players, there have been many questions as the NCAA announces changes (particularly for revenue sports, roster limits, etc) and as Junior Leagues will now soon start to 'blend' into the collegiate world. We've shared this letter below with each of them, especially as Canadian Hockey League players will be eligible to play NCAA hockey beginning in 2025-26.

--------------------

Hockey was always tough for recruiting, with around 10% of all US high school guys getting to any level of college, but – adding in the CHL guys to the preps, other juniors, and international player pool – it’s creating a storm that I’m not sure the community is really ready for.

The CHL was always more for when players had professional aspirations (for development, etc) over selecting a league that would allow them to maintain amateur status, returning to school if they wanted (and could).

Once they chose the CHL, they were deemed ineligible for the NCAA (given the pro status). Of course, if and when they elected to go back to school, it was as a student only. By that time, their playing days were over.

This new decision muddies the waters quite a bit. I’m still working to make sense of it myself, but this is what I see:

I don’t think it’ll be a mass exodus in one wave from the CHL of all guys on the 60 teams (to D1s 64) wanting to take spots all at once, but – as guys better understand their NHL fate, or realize that they need even more time to develop – they’ll make the move to try to get on a college team. It could be that something clicks in them and they realize that they’ll never make it to the pros, but want to get an education while still playing the game they love.

With this, the average age of players will most certainly increase. It’s typical now to play at least one year of juniors (NAHL, etc) before heading to the NCAA, this will go to two (if not more… the age out requirements, I’m hoping, should be held firm).

Schools will do what basketball teams do now… and build teams not necessarily programs. If Uconn needs a center, they go to the portal to get a center… getting a guy in a ‘win now’ sense. They get a guy for a year or two to fill a role at a high level; he gets to go to a team with a chance to win a championship. Hockey will do the same (and has started already). They’ll get a guy who is able to play not only the game at a high level, but he’s that he can handle the student and academic part with success. Power D1 teams will get from lesser D1s; other D1s will draw from D3s.

The NCAA’s upheaval – really for big money (football, basketball) sports than anything else, but other sports follow suit – has (1) made the transfer portal prevalent, and (2) added scholarships for all rostered D1 guys while cutting roster spots (something teams were already having to deal with after it was on its way to being approved this summer, the cutting of 4+ guys from each team, decommitting guys).

Messing around with football was one thing, but with so many teams the pain isn’t felt "as much". Hockey only has 64 D1 teams. In 2025, they’ll each have 26 guys rostered… 1,664 guys total. And the brunt of it isn’t only on D1s, as the trickle down will affect the D3s and put the squeeze on roster spots there too.

The window of opportunity to get recruited as a true freshman isn’t completely closed, but – as something that was slim to begin with – the window been shut a bit more. The Ivy League and the NESCAC will still need to see the great grades. Some silver lining: in chatting with a NESCAC coach he recognizes that the schools in the conference will still have their academic standards and - because many of the CHL guys focused on hockey over school - they won't be able to get admitted in the first place.

I have a feeling that this isn't the last of the changes. I'm hoping on one hand that there is some push back on the recent developments; two, I'm hoping that as the large conferences gobble up programs and have realigned (again, thanks football), that more of the club teams at those schools shift to become formal NCAA teams (like what USC is doing)... adding more D1 teams would give some cushion.

For now, the focus for your son is clearly on doing as well as he can on the ice and in the classroom. As he goes, he'll want to have high level discussions with the prep/high school coaches about their goals for him, how they'll leverage their network and what insight they can provide that is valuable for him moving forward. Communication will be key (as it always is): with the coaches he has, with the college teams (for transparency) and, above all, with himself.

Congratulations to Our Students!

6/7/2024

We are so very happy for our students and student-athletes who have committed to their future college homes!

We're proud of them and their work to get to this point, both excelling in the classroom and in their game.

In the fall, students will be heading to:

Alabama
Arizona State
Bard
Bentley
Binghampton
Bowdoin
Bryant
Bucknell
Case Western (2)
Claremont
Clemson
Colorado Boulder
Dickinson
Endicott
Florida State
Haverford
Iona
Maryland (3)
Miami OH
NC State
Northeastern
NYU
Ohio State (2)
Penn State (2)
Pittsburgh
Purdue (2)
Rochester
RPI
Rutgers
UC Irvine
UConn (3)
UFlorida
UMass Amherst
UTampa
UTexas-Austin
Vermont
Virginia Tech
Washington
West Point
Williams

Some of these students worked with us for months, others had very specific recruiting questions and goals within a set time frame -- in the end, they all earned their way to the place they call home!

Utilizing X in Your Recruiting and Coach Communications

9/19/2023

A number of student-athletes have asked about X (Twitter) usage, which is a growing platform for recruiting (in many ways even moreso than Instagram and TikTok these days). We’ve pulled together some tips for you (and your students/children) to consider as you utilize that platform moving forward… follow these and you’ll optimize the connections with coaches and programs on the platform!

1) Much like student-athletes should be sending introductory emails (and prospective student-athlete recruiting questionnaires) to coaches of teams you’re interested in, be sure to follow and connect with the coaches (head coaches, assistant coaches, recruiting coordinators, etc) of those same programs on X. Go even a step further by following the admissions account that the school has.

2) Set your X profile much like you'd do with a HUDL account. Have your town, school/team, class year, GPA and position(s) listed. You can also include a link to any highlights (be in on HUDL, YouTube, other).

3) Tweet and post about your achievements (and goals!) on the field, your achievements (and goals!) off of it.

4) Tweet your highlights, clips that coaches/organizations/camps post, etc. Then as you begin communicating more and more with college coaches - much like a snowball effect - you can begin tagging them on these clips. Do not do that right out of the gate, or until you've built a relationship of sorts... otherwise it looks like you're spamming them (and no one is a fan of that).

5) Reply to coaches/recruiters on their tweets with positive feedback ("Great game, coach!" "Good luck this season!" "Awesome to see the way your players do THIS, I've been taught the same!")

6) Announce as you're heading to showcases, camps, clinics, tournaments. If possible, tag the organization in your content.

7) Send direct messages to coaches. **I will always prefer email first. So, send along an introductory email. Then (1) if they reply to that email, you can have informal-conversations and check-ins on the DMs; (2) if they haven't responded to your intro email, go ahead and send that same exact messaging (copy and paste!) as a direct message via Twitter(X).

8) Post proudly, post positively, post regularly. And, while it should go without saying: post nothing silly, nothing inappropriate (even 'liking' something inappropriate will populate on a coaches feed!).

Student-athletes can utilize X to drive attention, supplement your connections and elevate your communication with coaches. Even though it’s gone through some changes, it’s still very much a viable place to connect with coaches and recruiting coordinators!

Questions? Send us an email!

'Brand Up' - Guest Contribution

8/30/2023

Was so honored to have had a small part in the book "Brand Up” by Stacey Ross Cohen and it’s awesome to have the finished product in my hands!

This book touches on personal branding, social media (where my contribution speaks to athletic recruiting & college admissions), relationship building, interviewing and more! This book is sure to be an amazing resource for many — go pick it up for yourself or you child now (especially as we’re nearing the return of school!)

Get it here (via Amazon)

From Amazon: "Brand Up is the modern playbook that equips teens with strategies and tools to succeed in high school, college, and their first job. It’s packed with sage advice, practical tips and templates, and in-depth skill-building guidance for networking, interviewing, entrepreneurship, and social media."

NIL Advice for Student-Athletes

6/27/2023

Three baseline things student-athletes need to do for their own public relations especially as the NIL landscape continues to grow and develop!

(1) own YOUR story (don’t fit into the box another sets out for you);

(2) establish your ‘brand’ ie. define YOUR image (what aligns with your interests, passions, who you really are?)

(3) be ready/reactive! (Be on the offensive, not back on your heels)

Do your high school or college student-athletes have questions on what potential NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) deals mean for their futures?

Do they need marketing, branding, or PR guidance and understanding on how to best optimize this new landscape? Contact us today!

College Admits 2023

4/26/2023

We wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the schools that our students and student-athletes have been accepted to and have decided to go to for their future!

We're proud to announce that our hard-working students are going to:
Lehigh
Indiana
Michigan State
Kentucky
Valparaiso
Butler
Ball State
Purdue
Ohio State
Wisconsin
Georgia
Penn State
Texas A&M
Maryland
Virginia Tech
Florida
Concordia
Union
Northeastern
Elon
Boston U.
Miami of Ohio
Muhlenberg
Texas

Huge congratulations to these students and student-athletes! The future is very bright!

Questions on how our team can help you to find and gain admittance to your college best fit? Contact us today!

Prep School Decision Day!

3/15/2023

Last week was Prep School Decision Day (3/10) and we are SO proud of our students for all of their hard work during not only this admissions process, but with all of their academics and athletics -- they are gaining acceptance into some terrific schools!

A few admits shared with us thus far are below. We're excited to see where these clients land in the end, we know that they'll be successful at any and all of these institutions!

Baylor School
Blair Academy
Cheshire Academy
Frederick Gunn School
George School
Mercersburg Academy
Northfield Mount Hermon
The Hill School
Williston Northampton
*check back as this list will be updated as we hear from more clients!

Can we help you get into the prep or boarding school that fits you best? Contact us today!