The Life Of A College Football Recruit

Story by Vaughn Taylor. Photo by Texas Football Expo.

MARCH 17, 2017: The life of a college football recruit can be fun and also very stressful at times. The recruiting process can be overwhelming because student athletes start getting offers early depending on how good they are. This constant harassment by college coaches telling you the same thing every other coach is telling you makes it hard to choose the right school.

During the recruiting process, you learn fast not to trust everyone you come across. Many coaches lie to you for their benefit and they also lie to try to get you to join their program. For instance, a coach may tell you that you're going to be a starter when you get to their school but when you talk to your other friends who are also being recruited by the same program you might find that they have been told the same thing. Recruits receive text messages, mail, and other things from schools to try to win them over. In the process, prospective recruits get called out of class on a consistent basis causing them to miss class work which they have to make up. There have been plenty of times where I had missed classes and I had to see my teachers after school to make sure my I could keep my grades up. As a recruit, you have to stay on top of your grades or else your scholarships will be taken away.

In the recruiting process, college coaches try to find the best players they can get, but for an athlete, it's much more than that. As a recruit, you are looking for a place that not only is a great place to play football but also has a family atmosphere and offers a great education.

Vaughn Taylor is a senior at Friendship Collegiate Academy.