By Justin Paysinger
Director of Student-Athlete Affairs
Texas Tech University
There’s no secret that the intercollegiate athletics landscape is constantly changing in many ways. As of late, the term amateur, in reference to intercollegiate student-athletes, is being used lightly, given the big business model being utilized by many athletic departments. Additionally, with NFL contracts steadily increasing and the societal attraction to the presumed superstar lifestyle of NFL players, the desire to play in the NFL is greater than ever. However, regardless of the growing desire and drive to make it to the NFL among “amateur” football student-athletes, many of the statistics are as glaring as ever: less than 2% of football student-athletes will be drafted after their senior year, as reported by the NCAA (www.ncaa.org). The NFL released a report noting that every year there are roughly 1,023,712 high school football players, of which, only .03% will actually make a NFL roster. With that said, one can’t help but ask football student-athletes the age old question that remains: “what is your plan for life after football?”
Despite the overwhelming statistics which provide strong evidence that football careers will likely not continue past college, many student-athletes are still not adequately preparing themselves for life after football. Regardless of the education our student-athletes are receiving at the institutional, conference, and national level on the reality of not making it to the NFL, they are continuously choosing to chase the NFL dream and are placing limited value on the need for development in other pertinent areas such as academics, career development, and essential life skills. Through campus Student-Athlete Affairs programs as well as NCAA and NFL initiatives, there are extensive opportunities offered for student-athletes to gain quality knowledge and preparation for making a smooth transition out of college football. However, the drive to make it to the NFL is increasingly overshadowing the interest in “life after football” preparation. Consequently, when football student-athletes fail to get drafted or make a NFL roster, they are stranded searching for a job without knowing what to do with their college degree, they have extremely limited career development, and no viable plan for the future.
Nevertheless, football student-athletes are constantly being educated that there can be coexistence between their football dreams, academics, career prep, and learning life skills. However, this coexistence is strongly dependent on the student-athletes taking a vested and active interest in their future outside of football, which must include a plan for life after football. Of course, student-athletes are offered support on the path to making a NFL roster and are provided all the athletic resources necessary to help achieve their dream. Conversely, as player development administrators, we have a duty to educate student-athletes on the statistical probability of actually playing in the NFL. Furthermore, it is our responsibility to offer the resources needed for ensuring student-athletes can have personal and professional success long after they finish playing football.
With a growing need to change the priorities of many football student-athletes, here are recommendations to adequately prepare for life post football:
Academically, be sure that there are competent individuals in place to assist you with academic progress throughout your time in college. Talk with your athletic academic advisor, and your major advisor, to ensure your degree will assist you in the career that you want to seek once your football career ends. Take an active role in deciding on your major of choice. Additionally, there are various NCAA, conference, and institutional academic benchmarks that must be met on a semester/quarter and yearly basis such as percentage towards degree, number of course hours completed, and minimum grade requirements for certain courses. Take the time to learn these benchmarks and have a clear gauge as to where you stand in meeting these requirements at all times. Failure to meet these mandates will affect your athletic eligibility and, more importantly, will delay your progress in obtaining a college degree.
From a career development standpoint, resume writing, interviewing skills, business etiquette and professionalism, generating a personal brand, and networking are all primary areas of focus. Any career you choose, post football, will require you to have training in these professional development areas. This includes former NFL players that transition into a career involved with football or athletics; they too must be able to display a level of proficiency in these areas. Why wait until it is too late? Why put off career development until the point when it is most vital to have this knowledge and you’re now up against other individuals that have invested the time necessary to master these career skill sets? Give yourself a chance to be competitive off the field too. Commit yourself to utilizing your campus resources that are designed specifically for career development. Seek out the programs and events offered by your campus, your conference, the NCAA, and the NFL that will be instrumental in helping you achieve your future career goals.
The NCAA’s Student-Athlete Affairs department assists athletic administrators on college campuses to develop Life Skills centered programming for its student-athletes. In general, the topic of life skills is fairly broad and can encompass various focus areas. Outside of academics and career development, when discussing life skills, primary topics include: money management and financial planning, time management, health and wellness, leadership, stress management, and maintaining positive relationships. These life skills will need to be utilized while in college and especially post-college. Throughout your personal lives and professional careers, you will face decisions and situations that require application of quality life skills. Take advantage of the life skills programs that your campus is providing. Some institutions will have events for all student-athletes and others will offer individualized life skills programming to fit your needs.
At your disposal are various resources to assist you in outlining a plan for a quality life after football. Take advantage of the people and programs around you. Your football career will end one day, which is guaranteed. When it does, be sure that you are doing what is necessary now to prepare yourself for success in the next phase of your life. Overall, stay proactive in your developmental process and put as much effort into planning for your future as you do towards football!