Dear Crazy Parent,
Happy to know that over the holidays you moved your son or daughter to a different school away from their friends and teachers, simply because your kid doesn’t have a college offer. Oh wait, I mean a D1 offer. I bring this up because high schools are back in session which is code for, the transfer portal swung wide open while Santa was came down the chimney. Of course I doubt that you’re aware of the new landscape in college football where 99.9% of the players are coming from the transfer portal and not from high school. All you want to know and hear is “D1” good luck with that.
Instead you’re hiring marketing agents, street agents, dudes who make hype videos serving as a front to get close to you and your kid.You want to whisper to other parents that there’s a NIL guy who reached out to you. Unfortunately they want you to cut out voices that your son or daughter should be hearing and replace them with the “you’re being slept on” crowd.
A good example of what you should be doing in this new era, recently wrapped up at Northern Arizona University. Alex McGlaughlin come to the Lumberjacks from Hamilton high school here in the Valley. Alex was a good high school player, that I was fortune enough to watch play for the Huskies. Alex went to NAU out of high school and made the All-Big Sky team both seasons. Recently, Alex was scooped up in the transfer portal by the University of Washington Huskies. A big-time D1 program. He got on the field at NAU, played well, and went to the next level. The right way to go about the new world in which we live.
The days of trying to impress others(some who don’t even like you) should be long gone, but there will always be those in the high school football space who believe they have it all figured out. Try studying Cam Skattebo’s journey from high school to starring at Arizona State. You won’t find much in the way of stars and rankings, but that stuff is simply an ego play for the parents and clicks for media companies. It’s cotton candy. No substance.
Anyways, if you’ve made it this far, you might want to go a bit further. Perhaps the above is you or someone you know who is/got caught up in the game within the game. This is the money making season for those who want to make a living off your kid. Some are very good, some are not. The number of 7 on 7, specialty training, and Scouting Combine clinics is beyond comprehension. Alot of it is just a money grab. When you get out of this space you’ll look back and see you spent a lot of time and dollars only for aggravation. What does your kid want to do? Who are the coaches that you should wisely consider spending your time and money? Do a budget for a month on your time, gas, food, and training dollars and see if it’s adding up. Don’t compare yourself to the family next door. This is your kids journey, not someone else trying to make money off of you..
You can reach me at brad@sports360az.com
