Justin Kline has advice for high school athletes deciding where to go after graduation.
Lately, I’ve found myself covering several college signing events around the Plant City area. National Signing Day is still a few months from now, but it looks like we’re hitting a little wave of early commitments.
I know there are some kids out there that are still trying to make up their mind before signing, and plenty more that are trying to figure out where to verbally commit to begin with. Knowing what I know from covering prep sports around Florida, I think I can help with these decisions.
I’ve talked to plenty of kids about their college choices in my travels, and I’ve gotten all kinds of answers. There’s no one right or wrong way to go about the recruitment process, as every athlete is different and has different needs. Not all colleges and programs will meet your needs, and that may even include your dream school. It’s never simple.
If you’re not talented enough to jump straight into a top-tier professional league as soon as you’re legally able to — which describes most young athletes in America — then you’re likely going to be in school for four to five years. If that’s the case, then you have to ask yourself several questions after meeting with recruiters.
“Is the culture right for me?”
If you like being a part of a program with a strong tradition, one that’s a model of consistency, then you may not be happy at a program that’s undergoing big changes. But if you love a challenge, and you’d like to say you helped build a foundation, then you should check out that school that just turned over its coaching staff and is preaching about starting a new chapter.
“Will I be happy with my role?”
If you’re comfortable with spending some time on the bench before seeing game action, then your options are fairly broad. But if you feel that you can step onto a roster and contribute right away, you may want to inquire further about what exactly you’d be expected to do for the first year or so. If your dream school isn’t giving you the option to eventually play the role you want to play, look elsewhere — it worked for Heisman winner Lamar Jackson, who might be starting for the Gators right now if Will Muschamp knew a quarterback when he saw one.
“Will I be happy living away from home?”
This honestly depends on the town your college is located in. My alma mater, Florida Gulf Coast, caught a bad rap when I started there in 2009 because there wasn’t much to do around the area then. People called it “Fort Misery” and transferred. But by the time I graduated, the area developed and it’s now way more fun than it was seven years ago. If you don’t want to live where you have to make your own off-campus fun, then do some research on the college towns before you choose.
Other than that, my advice is to follow your gut instinct. Go wherever you feel like you’d be at home at, wherever you feel like you’re part of a family. And, if you’re not a senior on the verge of signing somewhere soon, get and keep your grades up — your options get way more diverse when you’re doing well in the classroom, as college programs tend to have GPA-related incentives and will most often go for the kids with better grades and test scores. You can try out for a walk-on spot pretty much anywhere, of course, but if no one’s paying your way through college, you could use the scholarships’ help.
