In this day and age, with the omnipresence of college athletics in our media and culture, it has become almost natural to look upon college athletes in way similar to how we look at professional athletes. That is to say that – at times - the “student” part of the phrase “student-athlete” has become drowned out among the boisterous cheers heard in college sports arenas and the vocal opinions on ESPN and FS1 about collegiate sports, making it easy to forget about how these athletes are representing the colleges they attend.

Yet we must not be so quick to forget about the first word in the phrase “student-athlete”, the very reason the vast majority of these individuals are in college in the first place. These prospective athletes, especially during the recruiting process in high school, are still students -- their performance in the classroom and in their extracurriculars and endeavors off the field is very much as important as their athletic performance (if not more!). As we detailed in our blog about “Giving Yourself the Opportunity to be an Academic All-Star” you cannot rely on stellar athletic performance to carry you through the recruiting process. It is not enough to simply dedicate all your energy towards your athletic career without focusing on your work in the classroom.

Nowhere is this more evident than in a significant, though often-forgotten part of the recruiting process, the pre-read.

The pre-read is a task performed by a member of the admissions department who serves as a liaison between the admissions and athletics departments. When a student-athlete is being recruited, this individual will conduct the pre-read. Usually occurring in the summer before senior year, the pre-read involves the liaison reviewing the then up-to-date transcript of a prospective recruit, including the candidate’s grades, classes, planned senior year classes, and applicable standardized test scores. The liaison will examine this transcript as a means of evaluating how the recruiting candidate would compare to the rest of the school’s applicant pool if they were to apply. The liaison will attempt to determine whether the candidate would indeed be a “competitive” applicant amongst the school’s predicted applicant pool. This helps coaches evaluate the type of candidate a potential recruit is, and whether or not the candidate is worth recruiting given their talents and performance across the board, not just in athletics.  (Will the student fit into our community and culture academically? Will there be challenges?) If the liaison does not view your transcript in your pre-read as being competitive with a traditional applicant pool at a particular school, it may hinder or altogether terminate your recruitment interactions with that school. However, if your pre-read is judged favorably, you may very well be on the right track towards a potential collegiate athletic career with that school.

Accordingly, the pre-read is a critical part of the recruiting process. A prospective recruit’s evaluation in a pre-read can very well determine whether a school (or schools) chooses to actively recruit – or continue recruiting - the candidate. Perhaps more importantly, the pre-read dispels the all-too-common notion that a potential college athlete can cruise through high school with a lackluster academic record provided what athlete has accomplished on the stat sheet.
There is a reason that the word “student” is the first word in the phrase “student-athlete.” As a potential college athlete, you must value your academic performance as much as your athletic performance. Remember; in the world of recruiting and college applications, you are always trying to put your best self forward for admissions directors – think of this as an exercise in personal marketing and branding. The stronger your record is both on and off the field, the better chance you have of taking your athletic career to the collegiate level! 

Can LAC help you make sense of the athletic recruiting pre-read? Looking for guidance on the entire college process? Do not hesitate to get in touch with us!

Have you connected with an athletic program via email? Over the phone? Have you gone on a campus tour and met with the coaching staff or the individual who specifically recruits your position or area?

As we move into the summer, you’ll want to keep up communications and connections with them! By emailing them and staying in touch, you’ll provide value in two ways: (1) you will continue to demonstrate your interest in their program and (2) you will update them on pertinent items that they – and the school, admissions – should be informed of!

Aim to be politely forthright and ‘aggressive’ – not passive.  Get yourself into a rhythm where you are sending coaches updates BEFORE the coaches are reaching out to you to request anything. You want to leave no question – this is a school at the top of your list, a place that you’d cherish the opportunity to be admitted to and playing for.
As you go through your summer and then into the start of your school year in the fall, update schools with information like:

> Updated stats, highlights, awards you may receive.
> New test scores (ACT/SAT), update grades, GPA.
> When/if you are to do a summer camp, clinic, showcase of theirs.
> When/if you are to do a summer camp, clinic, showcase that is not hosted by them.
> Ask if they have any advice for which camps to consider attending.
> Share an event/game schedule for the summer.
> Let them know when you plan to apply to their school (or…if you have).
> Inform them of when you are coming to the school (to tour or watch a game/event)
> Have a new coach? Or a summer coach? Update their reference list for you.
> If you register with the NCAA Eligibility Center this summer, let them know your ID number.
 
You'll also be able to get value from the coaches, by:
> Asking when they want updated transcripts and records.
> Inquiring as to any school specific and/or program specific advice.
> Setting up additional interviews and visits.
> Learning what training to do in the summer months
> Getting an understanding as to where you rank in their recruiting class.

Have questions on athletic recruiting? Do not hesitate to contact us today!

Just over two weeks after the July 1st deadline that opened the NIL floodgates in college athletics, numerous student-athletes have already taken measures in signing major endorsement deals to fully take advantage of this new opportunity to profit off of their names, images, and likenesses. These major changes have continued to occur despite the absence of a federal NIL bill, which has yet to be passed by Congress. Various reports over the course of the spring suggested that a federal NIL bill would be passed, with many hoping that such a bill would be passed before the July 1st deadline. As of now, though, no such bill has been approved, and the debate appears to have stalled for now.

Here in mid-July, however, a wide variety of athletes push on, having reached deals with organizations for profit. The Gainesville Sun reported that more than 40 athletes at the University of Florida have reached endorsement deals. According to 247 Sports, Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz has already created and trademarked his own logo, with the intent to profit by selling apparel with this logo. Clearly, college athletes have wasted little time in taking advantage of these new regulations.

That said, there is still very much about the effects of NIL rules on college athletics that remain uncertain. As mentioned above, Congress has still not passed a federal NIL bill, and the NCAA’s policy to allow all athletes to profit from their NIL, including those not in states with NIL laws, has been announced as an interim policy and not a long-term solution. In addition, the uncertainty of the effects of NIL laws on college athletics during the athletic season will undoubtedly play a role in how the upcoming fall athletic season goes.

Most notably, there is still much uncertainty as to how these new NIL laws will affect the college recruiting process as well. Indeed - college recruiting - especially from the potential athlete’s perspective, will definitely become a significant business decision in addition to being an athletic one. Suddenly, recruiting will involve the question of how a student-athlete may profit at different colleges, based on the marketability of the college and its location, in addition to existing wrinkles about scholarship opportunities and strength (and/or tradition) of the athletic program. Indeed, of all the collegiate aspects impacted, the world of recruiting may very well be the one most affected by NIL legislation. As we at LAC continue to keep a watchful eye on the NIL, its updates, and its developments, we maintain our work with high school students, now inclusive of an understanding of the vast NIL ecosystem: working to determine what schools and locations may best benefit them, providing insight into the legal aspects behind these decisions, connecting them with marketing and branding knowledge, and a reminder that college as a whole is still about an education, an experience, and a valuable step towards building a bright future.

How can LAC help you to determine your next steps not only as it pertains to the NIL, but to your college admissions experience as a whole? Do not hesitate to contact us today!

The date finally arrived.

On Thursday, July 1st, the new name, image, and likeness (NIL) laws for college athletes in various states went into effect, signaling a massive paradigm shift in the world of college athletics in America. Earlier last week, news broke that in wake of Congress’s failure to pass a federal NIL law, the NCAA implemented rules that allowed student-athletes in states without NIL legislation to profit off of their NIL (Hess, “Here’s How College Athletes Can Now Make Money, According to the NCAA’s New Policy”). The NCAA’s change of their rules regarding NIL for student-athletes occurs simultaneously with the long-awaited July 1st date, in which the NIL laws of 16 states, including Georgia, Florida, and Texas, officially went into effect (Goldman, “A New Era Dawns in College Sports, as the NCAA Scrambles to Keep Up”).
           
Despite being only a day removed from the July 1st date, numerous college athletes had already jumped at the chance to reach endorsement deals. Two SEC quarterbacks, Auburn’s Bo Nix and LSU’s Miles Brennan, reached their own endorsement deals with Milo’s Sweet Tea and Smoothie King, respectively (Cobb, “As NIL Rules Go Into Effect, These NCAA Athletes Moved Quickly to Profit from Name, Image, and Likeness”). Two star women’s basketball players, the twin sisters Haley and Hanna Cavinder, reached endorsement deals with Boost Mobile (Cobb, “As NIL Rules Go Into Effect, These NCAA Athletes Moved Quickly to Profit from Name, Image, and Likeness”). 
           
Yet it is not merely student-athletes who are taking advantage of the new opportunities provided by the recent NIL rule changes. Dave Portnoy, the president of Barstool Sports, the popular yet controversial media organization popular among college students, announced last week that his organization was going to start sponsoring college-athletes, including providing them with free Barstool apparel, and according to Axios, have already signed notable athletes such as Villanova men’s basketball star Collin Gillespie (Baker, “College Athletes Cash in on Day 1 of NIL Era”). Despite these seismic events, the full effects of these changes remains to be seen.

The NCAA’s rule change is not a long term solution, as they have already suggested that their adjustments are meant to serve as a temporary solution while the organization waits for a federal NIL bill (Hess, “Here’s How College Athletes Can Now Make Money, According to the NCAA’s New Policy”). In addition, it should be very interesting to observe how these rule changes play out come August and September, when the first semester and season of college athletics under the new NIL laws will take place, most notably with regards to the college football season, long one of the NCAA’s most profitable sports. Nevertheless, only one day into this new period of college sports, student-athletes appear to be all in.
 
Sources Used:

• Hess, Abigail Johnson. “Here's How College Athletes Can Now Make Money, According to the NCAA's New Policy.” CNBC, CNBC, 1 July 2021, www.cnbc.com/2021/07/01/how-college-athletes-can-make-money-according-to-new-ncaa-nil-policy.html.
• Goldman, Tom. “A New Era Dawns In College Sports, As The NCAA Scrambles To Keep Up.” NPR, NPR, 28 June 2021, www.npr.org/2021/06/28/1010129443/a-new-era-dawns-in-college-sports-as-the-ncaa-scrambles-to-keep-up.
• Cobb Jul 1, David. “As NIL Rules Go into Effect, These NCAA Athletes Moved Quickly to Profit from Name, Image and Likeness.” CBSSports.com, 1 July 2021, www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/as-nil-rules-go-into-effect-these-ncaa-athletes-moved-quickly-to-profit-from-name-image-and-likeness/.
• Baker, Kendall. “NIL Era of College Sports Gets off to Roaring Start as Athletes Cash in on Day 1.” Axios, 2 July 2021, www.axios.com/nil-deals-college-sports-92d1993c-982b-45dc-8e5f-cd3c04d94499.html.