Parents, consider this. Your son or daughter has been a highly successful athlete in High School and now they're getting letters, calls, and emails from various colleges and universities urging them to attend their school to become a big time athlete. Before you know it, they are being personally contacted by College Coaches and Recruiting Coordinators trying to convince them to commit to going to and playing for their school. And, of course, there is money involved - partial or full scholarships and the lure of becoming a professional athlete. It is an unbelievable time in your life and your child’s life. Next comes "signing day" and you stand proud as your student commits to play in a major college program and signs their NCAA Grant-In-Aid (the athletic scholarship). It's perhaps the most thrilling day in your child's life and now both of you are looking forward to the “next step” with both great anticipation but also some trepidation.

What you often see on TV, read on the internet and in newspapers is the glamour, the glory and the overall excitement of those who participate in college athletics. Make no mistake; it's an exciting time in their lives and without a doubt well worth the effort. Sooner or later reality begins to set in, and you and your student begin to discuss how to balance their athletic and academic time commitments. However, more often, neither student nor his or her parent(s) have a full appreciation of the immense challenges that face the entering student athlete.

Once the student has signed his or her NCAA Grant-In-Aid, they are contacted and given a "strong recommendation" that they follow a stringent physical work-out schedule prior to arriving at school. While most athletes are already serious about their physical work-out regimens, this may be an indication to parents of the time commitment that will be required in over and above the practice time.

As a new freshman on campus, the student athlete quickly becomes aware that he or she is no longer the "big man or woman on campus". In fact, they are now a small fish in a big pond amidst all of the outstanding scholarship athletes that also been highly recruited. Not only is your son or daughter competing with this group, they are also competing with upper classmen who may be 2-5 years older, more mature and physically superior and definitely more familiar with the challenges of balancing the athletic and academic experiences. 


Generally the GPA required of the student athlete is the same as that required of the general student body. If your child's GPA falls below the required minimum, then he or she will be placed on academic probation. If they remain on academic probation for a second consecutive semester, they may be disciplined up to being suspended from school, dropped from the team, and their scholarship will be revoked.

The typical schedule for a new freshman football student athlete is daunting. When the student athlete first arrives on campus, usually about 25 days before classes start, it can be very unnerving as they look to adjust to a new environment, new faces and no parents to fall back on. After "checking in", the process of becoming a "football player" begins. The typical day involves “2 a days" which include 2 practices per day often 3 or more hours each, plus playbook learning sessions. The speed and physicality at this “next level" are unlike the typical high school environment. Every player is at the top of their game and fighting for a spot on the team.

When "2 a days" are completed and academic classes begin, the academic and football schedules begin to merge. Often the typical daily schedule involves breakfast at 7am, academic classes from 8am to 1pm, football study sessions from 1:30 pm to 3 pm, practice from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm. Then it's on to dinner followed by academic study hall from 7:30pm to 9:30pm. And two hours of study hall is never enough time to meet the demands of your classes, so additional study time eats into sleep and fun. It's a tough and demanding schedule requiring a significant amount of maturity and discipline.

The academic study hall session in the evening is often required for new freshman but usually becomes optional after the student athlete establishes a sound academic record. Football and academics (especially during the season) usually require a total time commitment for the entire week. Sundays are "off days" allowing the student some down time, some study time and some time to "recover" from the physical strain on their body.

An additional consideration is the fact that the student athlete will be required to travel to “away” games during the academic week. This often means the student must make up one to three days of class work during a travel week. Although the student athlete is officially excused from class, he or she must get the notes from classmates or download and listen to the lectures in order to keep up with the course work. It takes a tremendous amount of discipline not to fall behind the rest of the class.

Yes, the schedule is challenging, but it can (and should) be looked at as a tremendous opportunity for self improvement and maturity. Once the new student athlete "learns the ropes," they will become more efficient with their time, develop a social life and feel much more at ease with this exciting new environment. But most of all, they begin to see their situation as an opportunity to contribute to their team and their college or university, to get a good education and still have fun!

It cannot be emphasized enough that the student athlete must receive a good education leading to a degree. Only a very small fraction of student athletes ever earn money playing professional sports, and for most professionals, even that career lasts for less than five years. The absolute one thing that the student athlete should "take away from the overall experience" is to obtain a degree! When their playing days are over, the college degree is the mechanism that will have the greatest impact on the student athlete's success in life.

So, parents, do you encourage your high school student to play a major sport at a major college or university? Hopefully this article will provide you another bit of information to enable you and your student athlete to make an informed decision.

(Author:  George Henefeld.  Mr. Henefeld went to Georgia Tech on a full athletic scholarship and was a starter on two bowls teams. In his third year of eligibility a major injury ended his playing career. His academic background allowed him to have an extremely successful career in the power utility business.)