• Statistics show that college graduates make a considerably higher income over their lifetime compared to those who only have a high school diploma. A college degree will open many doors for those who graduate. For some student athletes, football can be their ticket to achieving the goal of a college degree.

• Football alone is not the answer. Just watch the credits from the movie "Friday night lights" and see what happened to the players who put all of their hopes into football. Would you like to play football in college? The coaching staff does their part by building character, creating boundaries, setting priorities and teaching the fundamentals of football. But the responsibility is not the coaches alone ... the Student Athlete and their parents must do their part also.

• Preparing for college begins a lot sooner than many parents and student athletes think! Preparing for College starts now. Don't wait until there is no time left. Do it now! There is no other way to show your children how much you love and value them by getting involved in their lives and encouraging education first and athletics second.

The following guidelines will greatly enhance your opportunity to play college football.

• Complete and submit the F.A.F.S.A. Form (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) by January of your Senior year. http://www.fafsa.ed.gov This is the Federal Government web site.

• Complete all high school graduation requirements. (Meet with your guidance counselor about this).

• Pass the S.A.T. (Scholastic Aptitude Test) and/or the A.C.T. (American College Test). You must have an SAT/ACT score or you won't be considered. You can and should take these tests every year while in high school. Some atletes have found that a scholarship has been given to someone else because they procrastinated in taking the test and were still waiting on their SAT score. This is all up to you. Take the test early. It is usually a good idea to take the test more than once.

• Pass the FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test) - http://www.firn.edu/doe/sas/fcat.htm

• GPA: Your Grade Point Average is very important, especially in "core classes". See your guidance counselor for more information about what constitues "core classes". You need a minimum of 2.0 GPA, but 2.5 or higher is recommended. Remember, you are competing with other high school graduates across the nation for a position on a college team. The GPA is doubly important. College recruiters look at your GPA. Also, your GPA affects how high your SAT/ACT score has to be to qualify. The higher the GPA, the less you have to score on the SAT/ACT. You may consider summer courses to improve your core GPA (Duval County does not offer Summer classes - but there are private schools in Duval who offer summer programs). If you do not take the initiative with your GPA in high school, what would a college recruiter think you will do in college. They cannot afford to waste their scholarships.

• For more information go to the following links - http://www.act.org, http://www.collegeboard.com

• Complete and submit the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearing House form by the start of your Senior year. www. ncaaclearinghouse.net www.ncaa.org The NCAA site has a lot of useful information.

• Establish yourself as a student athlete (preferably by your junior year). This starts with following the advice and instructions of your coaching staff.

• Stay out of trouble (both in and out of school). THINK BEFORE YOU ACT. Colleges are not looking for "problems" in their program. Establish yourself as a model citizen. Well mannered student athletes with a good GPA/SAT score and football skills impress college recruiters.