**Athlete Interviews are posted every Thursday for recruiting advice, what to look for, and more.  

Keely Cartrett is a second year master's student at Belmont University, where she competes on the women's soccer team. Originally from Roswell, Georgia, Keely has played various positions on the soccer field throughout her career, from outside back to center midfield. Cartrett is using her sixth year of eligibility after redshirting during her sophomore season and adding her COVID redshirt year. Cartrett transferred to Belmont University after spending three years at University of Georgia and one year at University of Alabama. Cartrett has first hand experience with the recruiting and transfer process, and has been greatly affected by the new NIL rules due to her presence on TikTok. 

Keely says she wishes she knew how important it is to choose a school you would like outside of a soccer. She chose a school based on the athletic “label” rather than the academics. 

Her advice to other athletes is to choose a school not contingent on the coaching staff.

She talks about how she established herself as a “soccer girl” on TikTok, and how that has developed into many NIL opportunities for her. She sees NIL as an opportunity not just for big football players, but an opportunity for all athletes, especially female athletes.

* Originally published on October 21, 2021, by Andrea Leitner