Courtesy of www.thesportsource.com.
The high school football playing experience should be one of the most enjoyable times in a student athlete's life. It should be a combination of playing at a high level of sports competition coupled with experiencing the tremendous passion that much of our country has for high school football.
Playing high school football will allow you so many unique and special experiences. You may play in front of huge crowds in one of the football "hotbeds" of this country. You may play at a smaller school, with smaller crowds. You may even play 8-man football, as they do in certain places. Regardless of your own football experience, one thing is true. The great "hometown football" game can never be duplicated.
High school football is about school newspapers, pep rallies, the band, the mascot and cheerleaders, being in the local paper or playing on the local cable TV station. Moreover, high school football is about playing next to a friend that you grew up with and playing in those uniforms that you've loved since you could see over the fence. High school football is something you will never forget!
Along the way, you have learned the basics of the game and, hopefully, the basics of life. This will come from some of the best coaches and role models that you will ever have. You have taken your game to a very high level and are interested in college football. Your hard work on the field combined with your hard work in the classroom will determine your opportunities for the college experience.
Your coach, parents, teachers, guidance counselors, and most importantly, you should all be working together to ensure that you will have the exposure, contact, and a workable plan to help you move to the college level. There are myriad colleges playing football at all levels. College football teams compete at the following levels: NCAA Division I-A, Division I-AA, Division II, Division III, NAIA, and NJCAA (junior colleges). There is a place to play for anyone serious about it and willing to work for it. The challenge is finding the right place for you! Very few players are going to receive athletic scholarships and even fewer are going to go on to play professional football. For this reason, it's very important that you have a plan to deal with the college identification and selection process.
The college identification and selection process can be arduous. It requires diligent work. Understand that early in the recruiting process, you probably will have little idea where you are going and will be, at times, totally confused. Don't worry. Just make sure that you take an organized approach to the process and, most importantly, start early!
In the pages that follow, we are going to try to educate you about important factors to consider when you, a high school student athlete, begin identifying and selecting a college program. We also are going to show you ways to develop your own "plan for success." Your college choice is one of the most important decisions in your life, so pay attention!
This country has a tremendous passion for high school football. It is played in almost every town across the nation, regardless of size. You are fortunate in that you may have an opportunity to continue your football career beyond high school. However, the college football experience is more than just playing football. For you, as a potential collegiate student athlete, the college experience is about three very important things. First, you will have the chance to receive a meaningful degree. Second, you will, hopefully, have an opportunity to play at a championship level. And, lastly, you will have the chance to develop into a well-rounded and more complete person.
We hope you play football for the love of the game, the great experiences you can have, and for the personal development and growth you will experience throughout your college years. Best of luck!
Editor's Note: This is an excerpt of The Sport Source Official Athletic College: Football.
The Sport Source has a mission "to provide the perfect link between a student-athlete, a specialized sports program and a well-rounded college education." Since their inception, The Sport Source has developed numerous strategic alliances with high schools and national/international youth sports organizations that have encouraged them to introduce new services and continue to help improve college guidance and scholarship opportunities for students.
This article was contributed by Tom Lamb, Head Football Coach and Athletic Director at Natick (Mass.) High School. Coach Lamb is a member of the Massachusetts Football Hall of Fame. Coach Lamb also coached at the collegiate level, serving a four-year tenure as the offensive coordinator at Northeastern University (Boston). He has been fortunate to coach many great players, including current NFL star, Doug Flutie.
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