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Cary Whittingham is the former head coach of Timpview High School's football team that led the Thunderbirds to three region championships, three state titles, and an overall 63-14 record. In his six years at the helm, many of his players went on to college and pro levels. Whittingham himself played as a linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams in 1987, previously playing at the college level at Brigham Young University. 

In his experience when it comes to recruiting, players tend to not understand that there are many factors that make high school football players college material. Simply playing on a high school team is not enough. Your ability to move on to the collegiate level can depend on your academics, the program you went through, talent, and sheer luck. So, how can you prepare yourself for the big leagues?

Stay on Top of Your Academics

The number one thing that students need to focus on is academics, whether that is to get into their desired college or keeping up their grades while they are going through the program. Many players let their grades slip because they believe they need to throw all of themselves into the game. However, according to Coach Whittingham, good grades can get you into schools and keep you in the program. Some athletes may need to attend a community college first before trying for another program (and that's okay!).

Related: 5 Reasons Grades are Important as an Athletic Recruit

Know That the Talent Level Will Increase

Coach Whittingman notes that players must also have the desired measurements for the position they are playing for as well as talent. For example, coaches are most likely not going to go for a linebacker that is only 5'11”. Colleges will not accept a player at the wrong size for their position no matter which division they are in. 

Proper size or not, only around 3-7% of high school football players go on to play at the college level. Unfortunately, just playing the game in high school is not enough to move on to college. To be recruited, you have to be one of the best players in your area, and when you get to college, you will be up against others who were the best players in their area. The learning curve can be a lot for players who are used to being the heavyweights on their high school teams.

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Be Aware of What Your Program and Coaching Can Do For You

According to Coach Whittingham, some high schools are better at producing college-level athletes than others. What you do in high school prepares you for college, so you need to be sure to go through a program that will best prepare you for the next step. It is also important to have a coach that knows the ins and outs of the game and has a good track record of turning high school athletes to college athletes. A good coach will help the players both on and off the field, and each coach has different techniques and mental aspects that they put into the game. 

Attend Training Camps

Coach Whittingham is a fan of football camps, which are a great way for high school football players to learn skills that can take them into a college program. There are different camps that focus on different aspects of the game, and attending training camps is also a good way to become familiar with college coaches and potentially earn a scholarship. Attending camps can help you see any areas that you may need improvement in and compete against other athletes that want to play at the college level.

Much more goes into preparing a high school football player into a college athlete than merely competing in a high school-level program. The transition comes with much adversity, but if you answer to that adversity well, you will have a great shot at achieving your collegiate athlete dreams.

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Image Credit: Daily Herald

* Originally published on December 12, 2022, by Kelly Wick