From High School Athlete to Vanderbilt Football: Jack's Journey and Tips for Aspiring Collegiate Athletes
Melina, here (for now).
After receiving a few questions related to athletic recruiting, I thought the best way to introduce the topic would be to bring on my friend, Jack (yes....another Jack). Jack was a preferred walk-on for Vanderbilt University's Football team.
So, if you or your child are curious about leveraging athletics for college admissions - we recommend you keep reading! It should only take you 3-5 minutes.
In case you are in a crunch for time, here are the key takeaways:
Jack faced challenges in high school football, including a position change and struggling to get playing time. Despite initial setbacks, he persisted and improved his performance, eventually securing a starting role on Varsity.
Once he saw collegiate football as a feasible option, he proactively sent game film, attended camps, and engaged with coaches, which helped him get noticed.
Jack emphasizes the importance of strong academic performance alongside athletic ability for college admissions.
His advice: Enjoy high school athletics. There is no better time in your life to play sports than in high school. And perform well in the classroom ... only a few select athletes can get away with poor grades at a top-tier academic institution.
Now...introducing Jack (#20):
Hi! I am Jack, I recently graduated from Vanderbilt and now work in Private Equity in Dallas, TX. I grew up playing football and baseball, but began focusing on football when I had to choose between the two (due to training overlap).
Growing up, I always had the dream of playing collegiate football at any level (D1,D2,D3) possible. Reality came crashing down on me entering high school, as my competition got bigger, faster, stronger, overwhelming me my freshman year. I had grown up playing Quarterback and assumed that would continue at Jesuit (my high school), but upon enrolling, I was soon moved to safety since Jesuit already had several quaterbacks that already had established a repertoire with the head coach. With that switch to safety, I found myself slow and out of shape, watching most games from the bench as others played over me. College football was the last thing on my mind… I just wanted to get playing time on the Freshman team. That was a challenging time in my life, and I remember one day complaining to my mom after the season ended that I wanted to quit football, and instead pursue baseball full time as the sport I played. Thank goodness she was able to talk me out of that. With her encouragement, I stuck with it, and during spring football (one month of practice in May to stay in football shape) of my Freshman year, I tried to transition back to quarterback. After a singular practice, I felt myself missing the contact and physicality that playing Strong Safety brought. Along with that, Quarterback can be an isolating position, and I missed the team aspect that playing defense brought, as all 11 defenders had one singular goal: stop the ball from advancing. Realizing this, I once again went to my head coach and requested a position change right back to safety (this was somewhat awkward as I had just the week before asked to switch to QB).
Now back at Safety, I found that offseason training and a growth spurt helped me gain the intangibles I needed when I first started playing Safety. I went from enrolling as a 5'9, 150 pound pudgy out-of-shape freshman to a rising sophomore that was just over 6'0 and roughly 160 pounds, albeit with much more muscle mass from the year of training. So, I started completely over, 5th string safety during spring practice, getting little reps, and having most coaches call me "Burton" as they didn’t even know my actual last name.
But, with appreciation of being back on defense and being in shape/knowing the position, I found myself in a surprising position over the course of the next few weeks. I was making plays, whether that be interceptions, TFL's, or forcing fumbles. Alongside that, I was always a cerebral player, which I think helped differentiate myself from other players as I understood scheme and coaching points quicker than my teammates. By the end of spring practice in the May of 2017, I found myself second on the depth chart, as my play, coupled with others getting injured, led me to seeing the field more. I had positioned myself to at least start on JV for my sophomore year, and even potentially see the field as a reserve on Varsity if I got lucky.
Starting Sophomore year, I cemented myself as a JV starter, but I still was not thinking about collegiate football at all. Varsity football looked much more challenging and intimidating, and I assumed I would have to wait to be a Junior for me to even sniff the field. After two games on JV, during which I performed well and established myself as a JV captain, the starting Varsity safety suffered a season-ending injury, which led to me being called up to Varsity, something I didn’t feel prepared for. I remember traveling to play Lake Travis in Austin for my first Varsity game and competing against Garrett Wilson (Jets WR currently). Although I didn’t play, I was amazed by how quick he looked on the field and never imagined I could come remotely close to competing with players of that caliber. However, after losing to Lake Travis and then losing the next game to Coppell, the coaching staff figured our defense needed a change, and inserted me into the starting lineup after I had made two nice tackles on kickoff against Coppell.
With that, all the sudden, I went from not touching the field my freshman year, to almost quitting, to switching to quarterback and then back to safety, to playing two games on JV, and now to starting the 5th game of the season on Varsity against our district rival Richardson, on homecoming night. To say I was nervous would be an understatement.. I felt I didn’t belong and would be a liability on the field. Come game time though, all the changed. The first drive of the game, I intercepted a tipped pass on the sideline, securing my first interception of the night. Later, in the third quarter, I grabbed my second, jumping in front of a post from the boundary Safety position. Ending my first Varsity start with two interceptions, a handful of tackles, and most importantly, a win, I felt for the first time during high school that just maybe, I could become develop into a good football player.
After that performance, I didn’t look back, and started the rest of the season as one of the few Sophomores who contributed on the Varsity team. I picked up a few more interceptions, forced a couple fumbles, and overall, had a really solid season, allowing me to garner all-district honors. After that, Sophomore year was the first time I actually thought I had a chance of playing collegiately, as I had the game tape to prove I belonged, especially since I was playing in Texas 6A football, consistently going against national powerhouses like Desoto and Allen, who were in our district.
With the help of my dad, going into my Junior year, I attended numerous summer camps at schools like Stanford, Princeton, and Vanderbilt, all prestigious academic institutions that suited both the football and the education component I wanted from college. One school in particular, Vanderbilt, started talking to me that summer, as they liked how I performed at camp and wanted to continue to see me develop. I took that in stride, and had another great year as a Junior, further helping me as I was constantly sending the Vanderbilt coaches my game tape after I played.
Skipping forward a little bit, going into my senior year, Vanderbilt invited me to a game on an unofficial visit. During the visit, the safeties coach offered me a PWO spot. A PWO is a preferred walk-on, so I would not have a scholarship to go to school there, but they would help me with the admission process and make sure I was accepted. I was super ecstatic, especially because I loved the campus. It felt like it all made sense to go there, and since I only had small D1 offers to FCS schools, I decided I would take a PWO spot at an college that also played SEC football.
So, feeling confident in my decision, I decided in December of 2019, during my Senior year, that Vanderbilt was the place for me. I informed their staff, they helped ensure I got a spot with the admissions process, and the rest was history.
I went from doubting my athletic capabilities and barely playing to committing to Vanderbilt as a PWO for football in less than 3.5 years… something I did not see coming.
The recruiting process, just like life in general, goes quickly. If you want to have a future where you play a sport in college, in any capacity, I recommend the earlier you start in high school, the better. Send out your game film, practice film, etc. to coaches at colleges you are looking at. Most have publicly listed emails on their respective school's website, so I would always just send them a quick intro email with my HUDL tape attached. Attending camps is probably the best way to get discovered if you feel like you are under-recruited, as hundreds of college coaches attend most camps and take notes on all participants. The recruiting process is anxiety-inducing and can be difficult, but being resilient is key.
It's also important to note two things…
(1) Regardless of if you are being successfully recruited or not, enjoy high school athletics. There is no better time in your life to play sports than in high school. College athletics is a full-time job, as where high school sports are a place where lifelong memories are made with the guys/girls you grew up with, in a community that will always have your back.
(2) Even if you are a successful high school athlete that is heavily recruited, the biggest thing colleges are looking for is how you perform in the classroom. Only a select few athletes can get away with having poor grades/attendance and still get recruited to good academic schools. Don’t let high school sports take away from performing just as well in the classroom.
Although Vanderbilt helped with my admissions process, I still had to hit certain academic qualifications to get fast-tracked since I wasn’t a scholarship athlete. If I had poor grades and a bad SAT/ACT score, I would not have been able to attend Vanderbilt.
There are a million other recommendations I could give you if you are a high school student looking to play collegiate sports, but those are the two main takeaways I wish to leave y'all with. Enjoy the process and put in the work, and the work will reward you. Best of luck to all y'all as you start to look into attending college - it’s the best time of your life and will leave you with lifelong memories.
Best,
Jack
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I hope Jack's story resonated with some of you and helped clarify questions about the athletic recruitment process and how you can leverage your passion for a sport in high school to enhance your college admissions.
That said, Jack required a lot of guidance and still had to complete an application. If you or your child are in a similar situation, on the border between athletic recruitment and regular college admissions, set up a call with our team to discuss how we can assist you further!
Best of luck,
Melina Kazanas
P.S. - Have a high-performing high school athlete w/ a 3.7 GPA or higher? We'll help get them into at least one of their top 5 dream colleges...and if we don't get them into at least one of their top 5 dream colleges, you don't pay us a penny. Seriously. College admissions isn't rocket science...but it is a science. And we've cracked the code...year, after year, after year. You can learn more about our world renowned all-inclusive, start-to-finish college coaching here and to see if your family qualifies for an introductory call.
P.P.S - Our most common question is "When should we start?!" The answer is, if you truly care about giving your high schooler the best chance of college planning success, you should start NOW. 9th grade is not too early to start! 10th grade is certainly not too early to start! And 11th grade is far, far too late! (supporting data here to show just how much of an advantage you give your child by starting the process early).
