Over the years, I’ve done dozens of stories about the athletic recruiting process. I've focused most of my reporting on Division I, since that’s where the money is—and where most athletes and families put their focus.

But on today’s show, we’ll hear from Marie Fitzgerald and Simon Mackenzie, two decorated high school athletes who played Division III athletics and sing its praises.

I came across Marie and Simon through a podcast they host called “For the Love of Sport,” a show they refer to as their “love letter to youth sports.”

As longtime athletes and coaches, they have a lot to say about the youth sports industry.

On today’s show, they'll share insights on:

➨ How they landed money for college thanks to their college coaches, even though, as DIII athletes, they couldn’t earn athletic scholarships
➨ How they both managed to play multiple sports in college—and, in Marie’s case, earn All-American honors despite not playing at a high level in that sport in high school
➨ How Marie overcame a late start in recruiting to draw interest from multiple NCAA programs
➨ What they would tell younger versions of themselves to make the athletic recruiting process go smoother

Hope you enjoy the show, and don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes.

And if you haven't already, please leave us a review and tell your friends about us!

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LINKS:

Marie and Simon's podcast:

https://www.sportsengine.com/for-the-love-of-sport-podcast

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My best stories on athletic recruiting:

The Myth of the Sports Scholarship

https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-myth-of-the-sports-scholarship/

The Courting of Marvin Clark

https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-courting-of-marvin-clark/

---

Know someone I should interview? Have an idea for a show topic? Hit me up on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/bradwolverton

Thanks for listening!

In my decade-plus covering the athletic recruiting business, I’ve probably spent 90 percent of my time focused on Division I.

But there are actually way more opportunities for your kid to play at lower NCAA levels. And Division II, with more than 300 schools, is an increasingly appealing option.

Today’s guest, Lisa Wilson, has coached at just about every imaginable level: From travel ball to two-year colleges to the Power 5.

She is currently the head coach for women’s basketball at a successful Division II program, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, in Florida.

On today’s show, Coach Lisa will explain:

➨ What she learned from working as a travel coach and what she encouraged her players and families to do to appeal to college coaches
➨ Why flexibility is one of the most valuable attributes you can offer a college coach, being willing to set aside your ego to do what’s best for the team, even if it means not getting the playing time you’re looking for right away
➨ The differences between Division I and II players and the importance of getting an honest assessment of your abilities to know what level you’ll be most successful at
➨ How competitive the chase for sports scholarships has become, with coaches having the option of choosing from international players, junior college kids, Division I and II transfers, prep school players — in addition to elite high school athletes
➨ And how you should be thinking about developing as an athlete at various ages, from middle school all the way through college, and what are the best ways to show improvement

Don't forget to subscribe to the show so you don't miss any episodes.

And if you like what you hear, please leave us a review and tell your friends about us!

*** 

LINKS:

Coach Lisa on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/CoachLisa42

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My best stories on athletic recruiting:

The Myth of the Sports Scholarship

https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-myth-of-the-sports-scholarship/

The Courting of Marvin Clark

https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-courting-of-marvin-clark/

---

Know someone I should interview? Have an idea for a show topic? Hit me up on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/bradwolverton

Thanks for listening!

On today’s show, we’ll hear from Ron Lieber, a personal finance columnist for The New York Times, whose latest book, “The Price You Pay for College,” should be required reading for anyone with a kid nearing college.

Ron wrote a whole chapter on sports scholarships, and his advice on how to find money for college when your sports scholarship falls short will come in handy for lots of you (trust me, if you don’t know that already, you will soon!).

Ron shares insights on:

➨ How to talk to coaches about money even when your kid has reservations about you asking them
➨ How to tease information out of coaches that can help you understand how much money your family is likely to get
➨ What you should expect to pay for college after all the discounts are applied
➨ The tough conversations you should be having as a family about the cost of college and how soon you should have those conversations
➨ And what questions you should ask college admissions and financial aid officers that can help turn up extra grants and scholarships for your family

Don't forget to subscribe to the show so you don't miss any episodes.

And if you like what you hear, please leave us a review and tell your friends about us!

*** 

LINKS:

Where to buy Ron's book:

https://ronlieber.com/books/the-price-you-pay-for-college/

Ron on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/ronlieber

Ron on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/ronlieber

---

My best stories on athletic recruiting:

The Myth of the Sports Scholarship

https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-myth-of-the-sports-scholarship/

The Courting of Marvin Clark

https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-courting-of-marvin-clark/

---

Know someone I should interview? Have an idea for a show topic? Hit me up on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/bradwolverton

Thanks for listening!

With all the research I’ve done of the athletic recruiting business, I usually don’t get too surprised by things people share in interviews.

But today’s guest, Kate Kantor, blew me away with details of the recruiting industry.

Kate is a former full scholarship softball player and team captain at Georgia Tech who went on to coach softball at the University of North Carolina, Duke, and Georgia Tech.

She is now an independent private softball instructor working with middle school kids hoping to play in college.

On today’s episode, Kate shares insights on:

➨ The incredible growth in the college sports camp business, and how colleges use certain camps and their own private youth travel teams to recruit and develop college talent.
➨ Kate told me some families are spending $500 a week every week of the year on college camps. That’s $20k+ a year on camps alone!
➨ She shared details on the "Top Recruit Database" she helped create at Duke, how they color-coded players based on talent—and how to make sure you’re a "green" and not a "yellow" on the recruiting spectrum
➨ She discussed the single greatest skill she looked for in players, the importance of being on the best teams—and when you shouldn’t worry about it

Don't forget to subscribe to the show so you don't miss any episodes.

And if you like what you hear, please leave us a review and tell your friends about us!

---

My best stories on athletic recruiting:

The Myth of the Sports Scholarship

https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-myth-of-the-sports-scholarship/

The Courting of Marvin Clark

https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-courting-of-marvin-clark/

---

Know someone I should interview? Have an idea for a show topic? Hit me up on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/bradwolverton

Thanks for listening!

Today we’ll hear from Parker Goyer, a former Duke University tennis player who has earned graduate degrees or done post-doctoral work at three of the world's leading universities (Oxford, Harvard, Stanford).

I first met Parker more than a decade ago, after hearing about a study abroad program she created for NCAA athletes while she was an undergraduate student.

Pre-pandemic, over 300k U.S. college students studied abroad every year, but the overwhelming majority of college athletes don’t get that chance because of the year-round demands of their sports.

Parker changed that for thousands of college athletes, expanding her Coach for College program from a small offering for ACC athletes to a program that attracted athletes from dozens of colleges.

In today's episode, she shares insights on:

➨ How she balanced sports and academics, finishing at the top of her high school class while becoming a top nationally ranked junior tennis player
➨ The merits of live-away training academies for young athletes
➨ The importance of developing close relationships with high school teachers and college professors
➨ How she used her academic skills to make herself more marketable as a tennis player
➨ And how she has repeatedly found ways to overcome the odds when people underestimated her

Even if your kid isn’t aiming for Duke or Stanford, this interview is essential listening to understand how you can use academics to leverage bigger things for yourself in sports and life.

Don't forget to subscribe to the show so you don't miss any episodes.

And if you like what you hear, please leave us a review and tell your friends about us!

---

My best stories on athletic recruiting:

The Myth of the Sports Scholarship

https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-myth-of-the-sports-scholarship/

The Courting of Marvin Clark

https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-courting-of-marvin-clark/

---

Know someone I should interview? Have an idea for a show topic? Hit me up on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/bradwolverton

Thanks for listening!

Today we'll hear from Travis Dorsch, a former football and baseball player at Purdue University who made it to the NFL.

He is now a renowned sports psychologist whose academic research centers around the relationship between parents and kids in sports and how you can be a better sports parent.

Travis shares insights on:

➨ the importance of playing multiple sports for as long as possible
➨ how to position yourself for the highest levels of success in sports
➨ how to tread the line between being supportive without being overbearing as a parent
➨ how we should rethink the ROI we expect from our kids’ participation in competitive sports
➨ and what are a few practical ways you can become a better sports parent

Don't forget to subscribe to the show so you don't miss any episodes.

And if you like what you hear, please leave us a review and tell your friends about us!

---

My best stories on athletic recruiting:

The Myth of the Sports Scholarship

https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-myth-of-the-sports-scholarship/

The Courting of Marvin Clark

https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-courting-of-marvin-clark/

---

Know someone I should interview? Have an idea for a show topic? Hit me up on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/bradwolverton

Thanks for listening!

Want to help your kid get in a great college?

Today's guest—Jeff Selingo, author of the New York Times bestselling book, “Who Gets In and Why,” an eye-opening account of the hyper-competitive college admissions process—is full of insights on how to help you do that.

Jeff wrote an entire chapter on the ways that athletes have a leg up in the college admissions process, and we'll break down how you can use that to your advantage.

We’ll hear Jeff’s thoughts on:

➨ How sports have become the single best lever students can use to get into elite colleges—and how to take advantage of that
➨ The value of Division III colleges, which don’t give athletic scholarships, but provide preferential admissions to athletes and are a better fit for many athletes
➨ How two-thirds of colleges came out of the pandemic in deficit spending, and what impact that’s having on athletic recruitment at big-time universities

Don't forget to subscribe to the show so you don't miss any episodes.

And if you like what you hear, please leave us a review and tell your friends about us!

One last note: I’m looking for a handful of listeners to share some feedback on this podcast.

If you’re a regular listener and have two minutes to spare, drop me a line at [email protected], and I’ll send you a brief anonymous survey.

---

Links:

Jeff's latest book, "Who Gets In and Why"

Jeff on Instagram and Twitter

---

My best stories on athletic recruiting:

The Myth of the Sports Scholarship

https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-myth-of-the-sports-scholarship/

The Courting of Marvin Clark

https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-courting-of-marvin-clark/

---

Know someone I should interview? Have an idea for a show topic? Hit me up on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/bradwolverton

Thanks for listening!

In Part II of my extended conversation with Renee Lopez, she gives advice on one of the hardest things to do as a recruited athlete: learn how to talk to coaches about money.

Lopez, a former college soccer coach who now runs a popular Facebook group for parents of recruited athletes, gives some pretty radical advice, suggesting that you should never ask coaches specifically about a sports scholarship.

Instead, she says, you should ask more generally about the total "financial picture," since the money colleges have available often comes from a variety of sources.

Coach Renee also shares insights on:

* The ways college coaches show interest in young athletes even when NCAA recruiting rules prevent them from reaching out
* The length of the typical recruiting process, and how you should prepare for it
* The quickest ways to turn a coach off from recruiting you
* The single most important thing you can do to get money to play sports in college
* And loads more!

Don't forget to subscribe to the show so you don't miss any episodes.

And if you like what you hear, please leave us a 5-star review and tell your friends about us!

---

LINKS:

Coach Renee's book: https://rlopezcoaching.com/looking-for-a-full-ride/

Her Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentsofhsathleteswantingtoplayincollege/

---

My best stories on athletic recruiting:

The Myth of the Sports Scholarship

https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-myth-of-the-sports-scholarship/

The Courting of Marvin Clark

https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-courting-of-marvin-clark/

---

Know someone I should interview? Have an idea for a show topic? Hit me up on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/bradwolverton

Thanks for listening!

On today's episode, we’ll hear from Renee Lopez, a longtime college soccer coach who runs a popular Facebook group to help parents of aspiring college athletes.

Coach Renee is one of the most respected independent voices in the athletic recruiting business.

She is the author of "Looking for a Full Ride," a step-by-step recruiting guide for young athletes and families. And she has written dozens of blog posts detailing ways to give your kid an edge in recruiting.

She shared so much advice, I’m splitting our conversation into two episodes.

In today's episode, Coach Renee:

* Tells you what coaches are really looking for in recruited athletes, based on interviews she did with 65 college coaches
* Breaks down some of the misperceptions young athletes and parents have about the recruiting process
* Explains why you don’t need to pay a recruiting service to help you get the attention of coaches
* Gives advice on the age young players should start reaching out to coaches, and tells you what to include in your emails
* And much more!

Don't forget to subscribe to the show so you don't miss any episodes.

And if you like what you hear, please leave us a 5-star review and tell your friends about us!

---

LINKS:

Coach Renee's book: https://rlopezcoaching.com/looking-for-a-full-ride/

Her Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentsofhsathleteswantingtoplayincollege/

Her recruiting blogs: https://rlopezcoaching.com/blog/

---

My best stories on athletic recruiting:

The Myth of the Sports Scholarship

https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-myth-of-the-sports-scholarship/

The Courting of Marvin Clark

https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-courting-of-marvin-clark/

---

Know someone I should interview? Have an idea for a show topic? Hit me up on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/bradwolverton

Thanks for listening!

On this episode, we hear from Maggie Mlynek, a former scholarship rower at the University of Connecticut.

Maggie walked on UConn's team her freshman year, with no experience in the sport. By her senior year, she was the captain of the team on a full athletic scholarship.

But her UConn experience wasn't all roses. The school cut women's rowing in 2020. And Maggie was instrumental in convincing them to reinstate it (a great story you should definitely stick around for).

In this episode, Maggie:

* encourages young athletes to focus on the process with their sport and not the outcomes
* explains why women's rowing has so many scholarships and why you don't need  experience in the sport to land one
* describes what you can do to increase your scholarship from year to year
* suggests that young athletes think about the coach's needs before their own needs when they're negotiating for athletic aid
* and lots more!

Don't forget to subscribe to the show so you don't miss any episodes.

And if you like what you hear, please leave us a 5-star review and tell your friends about us!

---

My best stories on athletic recruiting:

The Myth of the Sports Scholarship

https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-myth-of-the-sports-scholarship/

The Courting of Marvin Clark

https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-courting-of-marvin-clark/

---

Know someone I should interview? Have an idea for a show topic? Hit me up on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/bradwolverton

Thanks for listening!