I am always shocked when I initially talk with athletes about where they want to hope to earn a scholarship. 90% of the time only 5 or 6 schools come out of their mouth and they are almost always Division I schools. If you are serious about earning a college athletic scholarship you need to be looking at a minimum of 50-100 schools across all division levels.
Some athletes express that they aren’t interested in playing at a level they deem beneath their talent level. Stewart Mandel’s latest Mailbag for SI.com should dispel that notion.
While there is obviously a group of elite programs — USC, LSU, et. al., — that still stand head and shoulders above the mid-majors, the line has never been blurrier between the top teams from the non-BCS leagues and the next-rung teams from the major conferences.
What’s been particularly interesting this year is the depth of quality mid-majors. While it’s hardly unprecedented for the Mountain West or WAC to place a team in the top 25, for one such conference (the MWC) to have three teams in the poll is remarkable. And that does not even include UNLV (which has beaten Arizona State and Iowa State) and New Mexico (which beat Arizona). Meanwhile, Tulsa, which has not yet cracked the poll, beat those same Lobos 56-14. And then there’s Boise State, Fresno State, East Carolina, Ball State …
We discussed this ad nauseam during last year’s rash of upsets, but simply put, the number of BCS-caliber athletes coming out of high school has never been greater, and there’s only so many scholarships those schools can offer. While that doesn’t stop a USC or Florida from hording five-star recruits, as you go further down the line, there’s not that big a disparity between the type pf players Oregon and Boise State are recruiting. And as we know well by now, talent alone does not win football games. If so, Florida State would not have three straight losses to Wake Forest.
I encourage everyone to get evaluated by a pro, and to focus your recruiting energies where you fit best. Afterall, there is great football played at every level.
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