About

Soul of the South Sports came from experience.

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One of us earned a college education through athletics. The other didn’t. Same destination — different roads. And somewhere in between raising our own children, working in education, and walking through recruiting from the parent side, it became clear:  Opportunity isn’t just about talent. It’s about access, information, and who actually knows what they’re doing and who doesn’t.

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We were those parents once, trying to piece things together from conversations, opinions, and advice. 

 

Our oldest son was recruited to a Division I program for track — hurdles. That first time through? Everything felt new. Unclear. A lot of “we’ll figure it out as we go.” We were told track recruiting was different. We were told timelines didn’t matter as much. We were told a lot of things. Some of it was right. Some of it wasn’t even close. We sat in front of coaches. Asked questions we weren’t even sure were the right questions. And it wasn’t until we were in those rooms — face to face — that we started getting real answers.

 

We weren’t raising an athlete just to get to college. We were raising a student-athlete who had to stay there. Graduate.  Our son went on to compete at the Division I level and later transferred to another Division I program. Another transition. Another layer of learning. By the time our younger son came through the process — basketball, Division III — we were different parents. More informed. More direct. Less impressed by what sounded good and more focused on what actually worked. 

 

The recruiting process is similar… but it is not the same. Not across sports. Not across divisions. Not across schools. Not across coaches. Track was one experience. Basketball was another.

 

Even within the same sport, the expectations can shift based on need, timing, academics, roster space — things families don’t always see coming. Which means this: You cannot copy someone else’s recruiting story and expect it to work for your child.

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That’s where families get stuck. That’s where opportunities get missed. That’s where decisions get made based on what looks good… instead of what is good.

 

And that’s why Soul of the South Sports exists. To tell you the truth. To give you what we had to learn in real time. To say the things people gatekeep. To help you ask better questions before decisions have consequences. Because talent will open a door. But preparation — real preparation — is what keeps it open.

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Everything we do starts there.