If your child is a football player at the high school level, he might have hopes of continuing to play at the collegiate level too. If that is the case, they might also be looking to either partially or fully fund their college degree by earning an athletic scholarship to the college or university of their choice.
There is so much that goes into obtaining a scholarship of this kind, however. Even if your child has achieved a competitively high standing in football, that is only one part of earning an athletic scholarship.
Here are three things that could stand in the way of your child being able to earn (or be eligible) to receive college football scholarships.
1. Grades
The first thing that a college coach or scout will look at when deciding if your child is deserving of an athletic scholarship and a place in their program, is of course, their athletic abilities. The second thing, though, is their academic achievements and grades.
Very few universities would allow a coach to give scholarship money to a student based on athletic abilities alone. They must also have demonstrated through their GPA and SAT/ACT scores that they have what it takes to make it as a student at the university level.
If you know that your child struggles academically, consider taking steps now to help him improve his grades and overall academic standing.
2. Academic Fraud
Universities on the whole do not look kindly on academic fraud from any of their students, regardless of whether or not they are athletes. The pressure placed on student athletes to maintain above-board academic practices by the NCAA is nothing to take lightly, either.
Not only will a student athlete found guilty of academic fraud face penalties, but there is also the potential for coaches, academic advisors, and even athletic directors to come under fire if a case is serious enough. For this reason, any instances of cheating, plagiarism, or falsifying grades that your child has been caught up in throughout their high school career would give coaches reason to think twice before granting a scholarship.
3. Loss of Amateur Status
While there is an ongoing debate about whether or not college athletes should be able to receive monetary compensation for their athletic performances, the NCAA currently maintains very strict rules about how an athlete’s amateur status is defined.
If an athlete receives payment of any kind related to their athletic performance, then their amateur status is automatically revoked. Furthermore, athletes are prohibited form endorsing any product or company, and doing so would result in them being classified as a professional athlete by the NCAA.
Since only amateur athletes are allowed to participate in college athletics, and thus be eligible for athletic scholarship, it is vital that you do everything you can to help your child maintain their amateur status. The NCAA is notoriously rigid and unforgiving when it comes to the eligibility of student athletes.