My buddy Mack Prioleau got a scholarship to Vanderbilt University because of his abilities on the football field and you can too. To be honest we all knew that Mack had clear ability on the football field but that doesn’t always mean that you will get a scholarship and there are many who we all believed would get one, yet they simply didn’t have what it took. I caught up with Mack recently to find out what he believes is the perfect football preparation if you have your eyes on a scholarship in the future.
Picking a Position
Unless you are clearly cut out to be a QB or a linebacker then it is likely that you have spent high school playing in a number of different positions. Whilst there is nothing wrong with being flexible, if you want to get a scholarship you need to understand what your best position is. The reason for this is two-fold, on one hand if colleges are looking for individual positions rather than a Jack of all trades and on the other hand you need to be able to study and master your position. The sooner you know your position the better.
Student
Colleges aren’t just looking for people who have the natural gifts to play football, they also want people to understand the game. When I asked Mack why he was picked over others he believes that it is down to the fact that he was prepared to study the game, whilst the others simply played it. Watch as many games as possible and try to get involved in the analysis of each game. Focus on both your position and others, and see how the very best in the game are doing it. Colleges don’t expect a finished article of course but they do want to see someone who has a footballing brain, as well as the talent to play.
Diet
Many don’t focus on their diet until they reach adulthood but if you want that college scholarship then you need to be on top of your game, and on top of your nutrition. If you don’t know what kind of diet you should be consuming then go to see a nutritionist so that they can educate you on what you are putting into your body. In doing this you will see increased performance which will boost your scholarship chances.
Hard Work
Ultimately it comes down to putting in the hard yards, training harder, working smarter and reaching for an extra 10% every time that you play or train. Another reason why Mack believes that he was selected for the scholarship over others is his work ethic and his motivation to push with everything that he had, in order to show people that he was worthwhile. If you don’t work hard now then you will struggle when the level of football which you are playing increases.
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