Is Your Athlete Doing Enough to Play College Sports?

For most parents of high school athletes, the desire to play college sports comes with a lot of questions—and often, a lot of uncertainty. You may watch your son or daughter work hard every day and still wonder if they’re actually moving closer to the goal. They may be practicing, lifting weights, playing club sports, attending camps, and competing year-round, but how do you know whether all of that effort is producing the right results? The real question isn’t simply, “Are they working hard enough?” It’s “Are they doing the right things to become a college athlete?”

The Real Problem Parents Are Trying to Solve

When a parent asks, “Is my son or daughter doing enough to play college sports?” they are usually asking a much bigger question. They may be worried that their athlete is working hard but moving in the wrong direction. They may wonder if they’re missing something, whether the athlete is good enough, what they should be working on, whether they’re getting the right exposure, or whether they’re contacting the right schools. They may also be trying to determine what level of college athletics is realistic for their athlete and whether they are waiting too long to get serious about the recruiting process.

And underneath all of those questions is one major fear: “What if my athlete has the ability to play college sports, but we don’t know what to do to get them there?”

That uncertainty can be frustrating for both athletes and parents. It can lead to confusion, wasted time, unnecessary expenses, and missed opportunities. Parents may spend money on camps, showcases, training programs, recruiting services, and travel without knowing whether those activities are actually addressing the athlete’s biggest needs.

Sometimes, the problem isn’t a lack of effort.

It’s a lack of direction.

Effort Isn’t Enough If You Don’t Know What to Improve

Most serious athletes aren’t sitting around doing nothing. They lift weights. They attend practices. They play club sports. They attend camps and showcases. They compete throughout the year. Many of them are incredibly committed to becoming better.

But hard work without evaluation can become wasted effort.

An athlete might spend months getting stronger when their biggest limitation is speed or mobility. They might focus on exposure when their game performance still needs development. They might attend showcase after showcase without having a clear understanding of which college programs are realistic targets. They may even spend countless hours working on their recruiting profile without addressing the athletic or academic deficiencies that are limiting their options.

Working harder isn’t always the answer. Sometimes, the answer is knowing what to work on.

That’s why athlete development should begin with an honest evaluation.

Where are you now? Where do you need to be? What’s the gap between the two? And most importantly, what should you do next?

Those four questions form the foundation of the Recruitable Athlete approach.


PS. Parents and athletes- if you’re already doing the work and being intentional with the process, to become more recruitable, that’s exactly who we help! Get more details @https://pb-site.com/p/LD9mNcrkjN7

Prepstar featured athlete- Kaleb Layton

The PrepStar featured athlete for this week is Kaleb Layton. Kaleb is a dynamic quarterback with a strong arm, impressive athleticism, and the ability to make plays both in the air and on the ground. The recent transfer to Buena High School (AZ) Kaleb had a stellar 2024 season, throwing for 1,943 yards, 19 touchdowns, and maintaining a 101.0 QB rating while also rushing for 210 yards and 8 touchdowns. His performance throughout the season earned him multiple Player of the Week honors, including recognition from Tucson ESPN Radio, KVOA News 4 Tucson, the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl, and more. Recently, I caught up with the rising Senior about preparation for the coming season and some memorable moments.

Metrics
Height 6’2”
Weight 170

Academics
GPA 3.0

Link to recruit profile: PrepStar 360 Athlete
Link to Hudl: 2024 Season Highlights
Twitter/X: @kaleb_Layton4

What are your goals after high school?
To go college and study business and continue my football dream and goals.

Are you looking to play in college?
Yes, it’s always been my dream since I was little to play at the next level in college.

What’s your dream school or team?
My dream college has been LSU ever since I was a kid. I’ve been watching them from the ups and downs.

What has been your favorite moment in competition?
The opportunity to get better, with good competition means that I’m pushing myself to be my best every rep.

What part of the game do you love most?
The family that it creates around a group of boys and creating memories with a team that is a part of something special.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?
There is always something you can work on or get better at and your biggest competition is always the guy that looks back at you in the mirror.

What’s your pre-game routine / or pre-game superstition?
Locker room getting hyped up with my brothers.

If a movie was made about you, who would play you?
It would have to be my closest friend because he knows everything about me.

If you could try another sport, what would it be?
Yea, I wanna play baseball this year.

What’s your favorite game-day food?
Canes. Me and my teammates have always eaten canes before games. It helps us through the game

Prepstar Featured athlete – Jenna Layton 

The PrepStar featured athlete for this week is Jenna Layton. The outstanding volleyball athlete was a 2024 Sports360AZ All-Academic Girls Volleyball (4A-6A) selection as a libero and defensive specialist. On the court she brings a high level of intensity, court awareness, and leadership to the Walden Grove High School team. Recently, I caught up with the rising Senior about preparation for the coming season and some memorable moments.

Link to recruit profile: PrepStar 360 Athlete

Link to Hudl: 2024 Season Highlights

Twitter/X: ​​@jenna_layton7

What are your goals after high school?

My goals for after high school is to play collegiate volleyball and to study sports medicine. I plan on getting my doctorate in athletic training and major in kinesiology. 

Who or what inspires you to keep working hard?

What inspires me to continue to work hard is the mindset to be the best me in anything that I do, if that’s in volleyball or in my schooling or even as a person. I want to strive to continue to be better in areas that I’m already good in and to get better in the areas that I struggle. 

What’s one skill you’re working on this season?

One skill I would like to work on this season is my serve receive and getting it down to a tea. I realize within myself that it’s an area of performance that I know I need to try and perfect. 

What’s been your biggest accomplishment in your athletic career?

My biggest accomplishment in my athletic career would be making varsity as a sophomore or winning our preseason tournament leading into my junior high school season. 

How do you handle pressure or adversity?

How I handle pressure or adversity is by trying to forget the point before. If I mess up I forget about it and not let it dwell my performance the rest of the game. I also try to make sure I’m having fun when I play to help limit the pressure I feel. 

What do you want to be remembered for as an athlete?

What I would like to be remembered for as an athlete is not only my performance but how I am as a teammate and being able to run the back row when I play. I want to be known as the teammate that lifts everyone up and brings the energy to the court. 

If you could play any other sport, what would it be?

If I could play any other sport it would be softball. I grew up in a softball/baseball family and I do have interest in it. I also played softball when I was younger and was pretty good. 

What’s your pre-game hype song?

Honestly I don’t have a specific song. I think any song that brings up the energy and gets me into the mood. Preferably Drake, 21 Savage or Kendrick. 

Who’s your favorite pro athlete and why?

My favorite pro athlete would be Lexi Rodriguez or Justine Wong Orantes. They control the court so well and play so calmly in tough situations. 

Favorite game-day snack?

My favorite pre game snack would be cheddar goldfish. I always have some in my volleyball bag for before or between games.