Underclassman Families: Build It Right Before It Gets Loud

Over the past few years, I’ve spoken with hundreds of families navigating today’s recruiting landscape.

And here’s what I’ve learned:

The families who struggle later usually didn’t lack talent.

They lacked structure early, and honestly knowledge of this recrutiing landscape.

If your athlete is in middle school, freshman, or sophomore year, this is the stage where things feel simple. How hard can this whole college recruiting be?

You’re hearing about camps.You’re seeing rankings.You’re watching social media.You may even see another athlete on the team getting attention.

And it’s easy to think:“We’ll figure it out when it gets serious.”

But recruiting today is louder than ever.

More camps.More showcases.More exposure.More noise.

And the best way to handle noise later…Is to build structure now.

Underclassman years are about:

• Academic habits•

Physical development•

Honest evaluation•

Communication maturity•

Parent + athlete alignment

Not hype.Not offers.Not “phone blowing up" from fake offers and "What's Up My Dawg" posts

When a family gets serious with me, I tell them:

“Welcome to the journey. Buckle up.”

Because this road is longer than most people expect — and building it correctly early makes the ride smoother later.

If you’re in the Underclassman stage and want to approach this journey with maturity and structure, stay tuned.

And if you’re an Upperclassman family reading this…

I’ll be sharing something specific for you next.

— Coach Nolan

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