...looking forward to next year, to guiding a new roster of students as well as a new chapter of LAC's history.
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Reflecting on another incredible year -- my 12th supporting student-athletes and their families -- and I'm so proud of my students, their effort and their dreams achieved.
...looking forward to next year, to guiding a new roster of students as well as a new chapter of LAC's history.
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Moving your family domestically? An organization bringing in employees - and their families - from outside of the US?
LAC is proud to be expanding our suite of services, now acting as an academic asset for relocation! We are working to plug what we see as a massive hole in the industry. When families move, or are relocated for work, the education of the little ones should be paramount. Our team is there to help parents understand schools, make sense of options and help the student (and families) optimize their process in finding the right fit. We're there every step of the way, bringing comfort and happiness to an otherwise chaotic time. LAC works with students and their families across the country to find their school of best fit, so that they can optimize their experience and goals. Our work is geared towards their version of success in the future -- academically, athletically, and socially. We started in 2013 by helping high school students find their college of best fit, then we helped place high schoolers and now we've started working to help families understand - and be successful - with placements K through college. Our team has worked in over 30 states and have dealt with all school types (public, private, independent, boarding) as well as all different types of learners and ability levels. When working with families that are relocating, the schools and education systems are often top-of-mind – the family may know the job they’ve accepted or been placed in or have an understanding of the neighborhood they are moving to, but they want to know everything they can about the school where their child will be. They take comfort in knowing that their daughter or son will be comfortable. LAC knows that this is the cornerstone of the family’s transition into their new community. We take the time and effort to make sure that a student is placed in the ideal school, reviewing all options available, discussing and communicating with administrators and admissions teams. We conduct a needs analysis for the student and family and, if possible, we look engage with them early and often – our goal is to work as an extension of the family, advocating for them in the absolute best way possible. We then research, evaluate, and identify potential schools and programs. We’ll review best options, discuss and deliver pertinent information, assess curriculum and grading systems, and organize school visits and interviews. When a final list of potential schools is determined, we then guide students and families through the application process as well as the registration and enrollment processes. We provide assistance on application essays, and guide families through all components of the application process utilizing best practices. We place a number of students each year at schools where they are able to grow and succeed, and we maintain that connection with the student and family even after the student enters the school. Our goal is to make sure that the student is comfortable and content – from Day 1 to Day 100 and beyond – and with that, we look to guide a student as if she or he were one of our own. Leonard Andrew Consulting looks forward to supporting students and families on this journey, working to ensure that they road is not only headed in the right direction, but is as smooth as possible. If this service would be of any help to you, your employees or your clients now or in the future, please do not hesitate to let us know! We'd love to do everything we could to support you, these individuals and their employers. Recruited student-athletes are now heading off on official visits (with some exceptions, these typically start in Augusts and go for the next number of weeks) -- these visits are a key element of the recruiting process for many programs, especially in the fall when school is back in session.
Official visits allow prospective student-athletes to experience campus life firsthand, meet with coaches and current players, sit in on a class, and get a feel for the overall culture of the program while getting a deeper understanding of the community and atmosphere. If you have a student-athlete that has questions on the Official Visit - and wants to ace their opportunity - just shoot us a message and we'll get started ASAP! There can be a nervous excitement that builds with this experience and the process as a whole - I work with student-athletes so that they are more excited and less nervous (building confidence and understanding so that there is less anxiety and stress). Start here, win the recruiting game. Earlier this month projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NHL draft, Gavin McKenna, officially announced his commitment to Penn State University Men’s Hockey for the 2025-26 season.
In hockey, you typically don’t have to play in college any time before entering the pro ranks — you could play Juniors, in Europe. This commitment, however, marks a major shift in college hockey recruiting, with NIL deals beginning to play a crucial role. This decision reflects the growing trend of CHL (Canadian Hockey League) players opting for the NCAA... in large part due to NIL opportunities (why play for development and experience alone when you can do that while playing for money?) It’s not just football, basketball, revenue generating sports that are getting players - and programs - to rethink their process and their path with NIL. *though this is very much a ‘football school’. Gavin has reportedly secured a $700,000 Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deal, the richest NIL package in college hockey history (and one that significantly exceeds Michigan State’s offer of $300,000... and at a more traditionally renown hockey program). NIL changes are just getting started - quicker than I thought they’d really shake up hockey, but here we are! Want to review anything NIL-related? Questions about recruiting or your college prep process? Don't hesitate to reach out! 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. 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! 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! 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. 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! 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! |
Chad Dorman
LAC - Founder/Director Jaclyn CorleyFounder - The College Essay Captain, and featured guest blogger here for LAC. It's her mission to inspire people to tell empowering stories. Archives
December 2025
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