The Reality of Football Recruiting: Talent, Academics, and the Backup Plan
Recruiting Truth: The Odds Are Stacked Against You
As the recruiting season heats up across Arkansas and beyond, one question continues to pop up on social media and in conversations with coaches, parents, and fans alike: Why doesn’t this good high school football player have more offers—or any offers at all?
It’s a fair question, especially when a player’s Friday night highlight reel shows production, grit, and leadership. But the answer is far more layered than most people realize.
Every year at football camps, I share one eye-opening statistic: fewer than 6% of all high school football players will go on to play college football at any level—whether it’s Division I, Division II, Division III, NAIA, or junior college. That means more than 94% of graduating seniors will end their football careers under the stadium lights on Friday nights.
Let that sink in.
In every town across America, there’s a standout player—the local hero who carried the team, made jaw-dropping plays, and became a household name. Sometimes they’re from championship-winning programs. Sometimes they’re on teams that barely scrape together a couple of wins. Regardless, people often assume that success on the field automatically equals D1 interest. But the truth is: state titles don’t guarantee D1 offers, and D1 offers don’t guarantee playoff success.
Some championship teams may not have a single D1-caliber athlete. On the flip side, there are “loaded” rosters full of future college players that never make it past the first round of the playoffs. It’s not always about talent—it’s also about timing, opportunity, exposure, and preparation.
One of the biggest—and most frustrating—roadblocks is academics. Each year, talented athletes miss out on scholarships because they simply didn’t handle their business in the classroom. That’s not a coaching problem. That’s not a talent problem. That’s a self-discipline problem.
The frustrating part? It’s preventable. The same kids who show up at 6 a.m. workouts and grind through the summer heat often struggle to show the same commitment in the classroom. But if they’d apply that same work ethic academically, they’d dramatically improve their chances of playing at the next level.
For players aiming for Division I, the NCAA has a set of academic standards:
4 years of English
3 years of Math (Algebra I or higher)
2 years of Natural/Physical Science (including 1 lab, if offered)
1 additional year of English, Math, or Science
2 years of Social Science
4 additional years (from English, Math, Science, Foreign Language, Philosophy, or Comparative Religion)
A minimum 2.3 GPA in core courses.
A matching SAT/ACT score on the NCAA Sliding Scale (higher GPA = lower test score requirement and vice versa).
Example: A 2.3 GPA requires a 980 SAT or 75 ACT sum score.
Complete 10 of your 16 core courses before your senior year begins.
7 of those 10 must be in English, Math, or Science.
You cannot retake or replace those 10 after your senior year starts.
If you don’t meet full eligibility, you may still:
Earn a scholarship
Practice with the team as a freshman
But not compete in games your first year
Minimum requirements for an academic redshirt:
Graduate high school
Complete the 16 core courses
Earn a 2.0 core-course GPA
Meet the redshirt sliding scale for test scores
Let’s be honest—there are thousands of 5’9” running backs who run a 4.4. Same goes for 6’1”, 210-pound receivers. These skill players are a dime a dozen in the recruiting world. College coaches can afford to be selective.
But what they can’t always find? Linemen. Offensive and defensive linemen with size, skill, and discipline are much rarer. That’s why they’re often recruited harder than even the flashiest skill players.
So if you’re a skill guy, you better bring more than just speed. Be coachable, consistent, smart, and relentless. Find your edge and sharpen it.
Dream big. Chase that scholarship with everything you’ve got. But be realistic and prepared.
What if the offers don’t come?
What if you suffer a career-ending injury?
What if a college chooses someone else?
Football may be the vehicle, but it can’t be the only destination.
Even for those who do make it to college football, the odds of making it to the NFL—or even a professional league—are just 2–3%. So use football to get a degree, not just a jersey. That degree will carry you a lot further in life than the game ever could.
This isn’t meant to crush dreams—it’s meant to prepare players and parents for the truth.
Some kids get overlooked. Some kids get injured. And some kids simply don’t have the grades. That’s reality.
So here’s the best advice any athlete can hear: Be responsible. Take ownership. Control what you can.
If football opens a door, walk through it. If it doesn’t, have the courage—and the preparation—to walk through another.
Because life doesn’t end at the final whistle. But the people who succeed after it? They planned for what came next.