The recruiting process can be extremely stressful when it comes to finding a school that is a good fit for you. Take this recent Colgate alumni football player for example. His recruiting process ramped up during his senior year of high school during the prime time for the college decision-making process. Then the unthinkable happened–he suffered a devastating knee injury. Something that was seen as fixable by the doctors was an issue when considered in the perspective of this soon-to-be college athlete. Colleges that had shown interest just days before stopped calling. No longer was he seen as an asset to their future program, but a liability. 

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As discouraging as this was, he was not going to let this ruin his chances of becoming a college athlete. He focused on the schools that were still on his radar, instead of worrying about the schools he had lost. Eventually, he visited a D3 college where he received an offer and they gave him a week to get back to them. This was not his ideal choice since he wanted to play D1 football, and had just previously lost interest from Ivy League colleges. Ironically enough, on the way home from the visit, he received a phone call from Colgate saying they had the wrong email for him. They wanted him to come play for their program.

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Excited and full of hope he went to visit the school and quickly fell in love with it. Fortunately, the school also met his high standards of having a great academic program. He thoroughly enjoyed his football experience at Colgate, which came to an end after his sophomore year due to injuries. He is grateful for the opportunity that emerged after his injury, and is hopeful that it was all for the best.

According to this player: “When you think everything is going super well, there can always be downfalls, but this is just part of life. The recruiting process does not happen overnight–it is an ongoing process so you have to be patient.” He emphasized that you cannot get caught up in one school or offer, there are several different opportunities out there, and not getting into a certain school is not the end of the world. 

As he stood there with a newly reconstructed knee, many “doors” were slammed in his face, but with his perseverance and maybe a little bit of luck on his side, another “door” opened up. You cannot control accidents that happen in the game, but you have some control in the recruiting process. Do what you can, focus on what you can control, and the right opportunity will be there for you.   

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* Originally published on September 5, 2022, by Kaila Pinkney