On February 1 of each year, thousands of high school football athletes decide which school they will continue their careers at. Some players choose schools based on the prestige of the school, previous success on the field, and sometimes the style of the jerseys. College coaches across the country have made promises to almost every player and there’s no way they can keep all the promises they’ve made. I’ll explain what a high school football prospect should consider when making their college football choice.

• First, a prospect should consider whether the school of his choice will award him a full scholarship. Financial aid is very important when considering a school. College isn’t cheap, even for a lesser-known school. Many college tuition costs $10,000 or more a year, and not many people simply have thousands of dollars at their disposal.
• Also, will this school help athletes reach their ultimate goal? A player should research the school, the coach and the conference in which he will play. You need to know what percentage of players from this team, conference, and coach make it into the NFL and are successful. On the other hand, what percentage of former players, who did not go to the NFL, make it in their profession.

• A player must also consider the playing time. Many players in high school are considered the best in their school and don’t know what it’s like to sit on the bench. Coaches promise players opportunities to start right away, but with so many players being told the same promise, someone has to sit back and wait their turn. As a player, you need to sit down with yourself and ask yourself the question “will I start here?” Year after year, players transfer from a school because they didn’t get a chance to play, but really, they weren’t good enough to get on the field.

• The player must know what he is getting into. Each player should consider their own expectations for the school they commit to. If a player commits to Duke University, the expectation of him should be to win a conference title at the end of his college football career; he shouldn’t expect them to win a national title any time soon. Some players’ expectations are too high for their school to meet. Players must have an open mind when it comes to their team winning “the big one.” If the player’s team hasn’t won a conference title in over 50 years, which makes him think they’ll buck the trend when he’s there. Be realistic.

• Finally, a player must want to compete. On average, college football teams add about 25 new players each year to their rosters. Most will have a scholarship, while others will enter the team fighting for a place. High school players need to know that the game has changed and they will have to keep up or fall behind. Some high school players arrive at college wide-eyed and uncertain about the decision they made, while their counterparts arrive ready to compete. Make sure you are one of those players prepared to compete at the highest level.

Even with this advice, players will still make the wrong decisions about their football future because of what a team has offered them. Players must consider their future based on academic success, playing time, and the capabilities of schools to get them where they want to be after school ends. It doesn’t matter if the coach or the school reneges on their promises because the school and the coach will be safe in the end, and they could take advantage of the player. If I were a player, I would consider myself alone in all aspects of choosing which school to attend, and ignore the opinion of others. At the end of the day, it will be my future that is at stake, not theirs.