What About A Partial Scholarship?

It is exciting when a school says they are going to offer you a scholarship to play football at their university. All of the hard work in the classroom, weight room, and on the field have paid off. Whether you are a 5 star D-1 athlete, or you get an opportunity to play at a smaller school, you are part of a very small percentage of athletes who will get a chance to play at the college level. You are a part of an elite group. Less than 5% of high school athletes will have an opportunity to participate in college sports. The transfer portal and additional covid years of eligibility have only made it tougher to earn scholarships.

If you received an offer from a Division 1 FBS university that is either a Power 4 or Group of 5 school, your scholarship will cover all of your tuition, room and board, books, and additional expenses. Any financial aid you are awarded will be stacked on top of that and go into your pocket. But what if you receive a D2, D3, or NAIA offer? What about FCS schools? What does that mean financially? 

I wanted to write this specifically for the student-athletes that are not going to a Power 4 or Group of 5 school. Let's go through each of these and talk about what they mean. 

FCS schools have up to 63 scholarships they can award. Not all FCS schools give out 63 scholarships. To fund a roster of 95 to 115 players and only 63 scholarships to use, they are not going to give every athlete a full ride. They are going to give out many partial scholarships so they can field a full roster. Your offer may be only a partial scholarship, and this is something you must ask. 

**Note: The NCAA just increased the scholarship limit to 105 for FBS and FCS schools due to a house settlement. There are still many details to be worked out. 

NCAA Division 2 Schools have up to 36 scholarships to give to potential football players. Not all Division 2 schools use their full allotment. Very few, if any, athletes are given a full scholarship to a D2 school. Many D2's give out small scholarships to freshmen, and increase the dollar value based on playing time and contribution to the team. 

NAIA schools have up to 24 scholarships. Like D2 schools, they are going to divide these scholarships among 75 to 100 players. Many NAIA schools have limits to how much institutional aid an athlete can receive on top of their football money. 

D3 schools do not give out any scholarship offers. When you are "offered" by a D3 school, they are essentially telling you they will have a roster spot for you. They do not give athletic scholarships, so you will only get financial aid not related to athletics from a D3 school. 

While junior colleges can give up to 85 scholarships, not all use their full allotment. At many junior colleges your football scholarship is partially determined by how much federal financially aid you will get. This way they can recruit more players. 

In each case above, you are most likely getting a "partial scholarship." This means you are going to get a scholarship to cover some part of the cost of attendance. Scholarships are as small as $250 a year. Some partial scholarships are $5000, or $10,000 a year. The key is that the scholarship is only going to cover part of your cost of attendance. 

What does this mean for you, and what do you need to do to put yourself in the best position possible? 

1. Before you sign, ask to see the financial breakdown. Ask the school to show you the numbers. Many times I have heard from parents who thought their son was getting a full ride, only to find out they were getting a scholarship worth $1,000 or 2,000 dollars. The college can give you an estimated breakdown of costs if you provide them your income and family size information. If you have filled out the FAFSA, they can give you a very accurate picture of what your financial obligations will be to attend their school. YOU MUST SEE THIS BEFORE YOU SIGN!

I have seen many young people sign their letter of intent, only to find out later they were going to have to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket, take out student loans, or a combination of the two. If you are going to a D2, D3, or NAIA school, expect that you will have to pay some money out of pocket. 

It's Camp Season!

Camp season is upon us, as colleges across the country will be hosting opportunities for student athletes to get exposure this summer. There are one day camps, three day camps, elite camps, satellite camps, and more. During this time of year I get bombarded with questions about camps from prospects and parents. 

First: Camps Are A Time For Evaluation

    Camps give college coaches a chance to do three things. First, they get to watch you move in person. They get to see you live and watch you perform. They see first hand your athleticism. They see your ability to change direction. The watch your footwork, your speed, quickness, and explosiveness. Do you have good hip flexibility? They are also going to see if you can make plays against elite competition. 

    Next, they are going to see how coachable you are. They get a chance to work with you through drills, and see how well you respond to coaching. Do you listen when you are given instruction? Do you listen when other players are getting instruction? Do you take reps, or do you hang in the back of the line? Do you hustle around? 

    Finally, they get to see if you pass the eye test. Are you big enough to play there? Are you really the height you say you are? Do you really weigh what you say you weigh? Do you have long arms? 

    Ultimately, they are going to determine if you will add value to their program. Will you help them win more games? Can they see you elevating their program? 

Next: A Camp Invite is NOT an Offer

    The University of Texas has come through your door to talk to your high school coach. They leave several camp brochures, and tell the coach they want to see some guys at camp. A Graduate assistant sends you a DM inviting you to camp. You get excited because Texas is your dream school. Up until this point they have not talked to you one time.  You were backup on varsity, and are undersized for your position. You sign up for the camp, and send the coach a link to your film. You go to camp, have the best day of your athletic career, and never hear from them again. This scenario gets played out thousands of times each year.

    Getting invited to camp does not mean a school is recruiting you. Question: Why would a college invite guys to camp that they aren't interested in recruiting? Great question. The answer is that they want a good turnout. They want the energy. You might think they would only want the guys they are recruiting. But that is really a non issue. You see, when they finish stretching and break into positions, athletes will then be grouped by ability. If you are a guy the school is recruiting, you will be grouped with the best players. You will be coached by the position coach. The guys who aren't being recruited will be grouped with the lesser talented players. They will be coached by a "guest" coach. This might be a Division II or Division 3 Coach, or a coach from outside who is hired to work the camp. This isn't a bad thing, and gives you an opportunity to be evaluated by a coach you might be able to play for.  

    Understand that when that college coach invites you to camp, he may just be looking for a guy to fill a spot. If the school hasn't talked to you at all before inviting you to camp, they probably aren't interested in evaluating you at camp. They want you at camp to increase the numbers. That doesn't mean you are a bad player, it simply means you aren't going to get an evaluation from the host school. 

Focus On Schools Where You Can Play

    You want to focus on attending camps at schools where you can play. If a school is actively recruiting you, their camp would benefit you. If a school does not know who you are, you are probably going to be a donation. Everyone wants to go to Alabama, or Oklahoma, or Ohio State, or some other major FBS Power 5 School. But realistically, if those schools haven't talked to you before camp, you are not going to come out of camp with an offer. Here are a couple simple things you can do to determine if you can play at the school: 

    Look at their roster. Are you comparable to the height and weight of the players they are recruiting? Do you have the grades and test score it would take to be admitted into school? Do you have similar statistics in high school to the guys they are recruiting, and are on their roster? This is a quick way to know if you even have a shot at being recruited by a school. 

    It is very rare that a player who is not being recruited walks into an FBS camp and earns an offer. While I say it is rare, it can happen. But it happens because you do something that "wows" the coaches. Several years ago I was at a camp at an FBS school, and a linebacker from a tiny high school showed up. He had no offers. The coaches tested 40's at the start of the camp, and he ran a 4.4. That got him some attention. He then did really well in every drill. When it came time for 1-on-1's, he covered running backs and tight ends like a blanket. He left camp with an offer. His 40 time became a difference maker. He did something that wowed the coaches. 

 Have A Camp Plan

    If you want to make the most of camp season, you have to have a plan. You don't want to go to camps to be a donation. You want to go to camp to increase your chances of earning a scholarship. You aren't going to be able to attend camps every day during the summer, nor do you want to. You want to make sure you are attending workouts with your own team, and you don't want to burn yourself out and risk injury attending camps every single weekend. Over the years I have seen many really good players pull a hamstring or a quad because they attend too many camps. You have to have a plan for your summer. If you finishing your junior year, it is vital you have a plan. You have one shot to earn a scholarship. 

    First, make list of schools who you have actually talked to. Then, find out when those schools are offering camps. Put those camp dates on a calendar. Look at your school workout schedule. if there are dates where a camp is offered when you don't have workouts, that is a camp you want to attend. See which camps are offered in close proximity and similar similar dates. If you are traveling over 2 hours to go to camp, try to find a couple of camps you can attend in that area. You might go to one camp on a Friday, and another on a Saturday. You can also set up campus visits when you attend camps. While there aren't a lot of students on campus, this gives you an opportunity to see the campus of a school you are interested in. 

Prepare For The Camp

    The first time you run a 40 should not be at camp. Make sure you are attending summer workouts for your own team. In addition to working hard in the weight room, make sure you are working on your speed and agility. Don't go into camp without being prepared to have a great performance. Over the years I have seen a number of guys go to camp as a prospect, and leave as a suspect. I have seen guys at the top of the board end up off the recruiting board because of a bad camp performance. Make sure you are prepared. 

Camps Are An Audition

    Camps are your chance to audition for college coaches. It is your opportunity to show the coaching staff that you have the ability to play at their school. Do you have the measurables they require? Do you have the athletic ability they are looking for? Do you have the right mindset and attitude to be a championship player? Everything you do at camp will be evaluated. Treat the camp as a business trip. You are not there to clown around and make friends. You are there to make an impression. 

Wear Something That Sticks Out

    This is key! If you look like everyone else, you will make it harder to get noticed. Wear a colorful bandana or wear your hat backwards. Get bright colored cleats and bright colored gloves. These are examples of things that will help you get noticed. When there is a break the coaches will be talking, and they will say, "hey, did you see the kid with the backwards hat running routes? He's explosive!" Or they will say, "hey, that kid with the bright orange cleats is the kind of guy we want." If you look like everyone else, you won't get noticed. 

    Always have a bag in the car with a couple of options. If you show up at a camp and a bunch of guys have something similar to you, it is good to have a backup. I always tell guys to bring a backup pair of cleats as well. You don't want to have a pair of shoes rip and then you can't perform. 

    With that said, your athletic ability, coachability, and effort are the most important things. Wearing something to differentiate yourself doesn't help if you don't perform. Make sure you go out there and compete.

Camps Are Important

    If you don't attend camps, you are going to reduce your chances of earning a scholarship. If a school tells your high school coach they really like you, but they need to evaluate you at camp before they will offer you, go to the camp. Over the years I have seen many athletes wonder why they are being "slept on" when they didn't go to any camps. Colleges won't recruit you if they don't know who you are. And just having a good film is not enough. You need to go to camps, and it is important you make sure you go to the right camps.