On the eve of College Football’s early signing period, I am reminded of the rollercoaster that is college recruiting for many families. Yes, a bunch of families will sign a National Letter of Intent (NLI) soon and they will be overjoyed with emotions. They will take the customary photos on stage with the entire school watching. Some will lift a ballcap and place it on their head while they make their final choice, some will have balloon’s and cake to celebrate the occasion. You see for some its the accomplishment of a lifetime. The wait is over. Relief! An absolute High in the process! The crowing accomplishment!
For others in the crowd or across time they however may have to sit, watch and wait for the second National Signing Day in early February to see if their dreams of playing college football will come true. But don’t let this moment fool you into thinking these kids and families didn’t ride a rollercoaster of emotions throughout the recruiting process. In fact the entire process is a rollercoaster. Let me share with you a few examples of “High’s and Low’s” of the recruiting process:
Low’s:
For many it starts with the confusion of the recruiting process, the fear of missing out on something, the unsettled feeling that you are unprepared for the process or even where to begin. That might be one low in the process.
High’s:
Then for those that do start the process the excitement of one day meeting a college coach a their school, maybe even the time when they get that first “offer” or even that day when that student athlete get’s to post his commitment on social media. Those are great days and one of those “highs” we all reach for in our lives.
Low’s:
But then to offset that by a college coach who is recruiting you getting fired, or a scholarship not coming through or similar….a clear “low” in the process for many.
And again as you see the rollercoaster of emotions that is college recruiting can be tough for many families. We always preach to families that the process of recruiting is indeed like a rollercoaster but to remember that the experiences you go through are never as bad as you think, nor as great as you are experiencing, but rather somewhere in between. Its best to be grounded in this rollercoaster process as a family and the sooner families understand that, the better off they will be in handling those “high’s and low’s”.
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