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Twenty-four years as a Division 1 coach has given Digit Murphy invaluable experience and unique insight into finding the right fit for your student athlete. Our experienced team will help you define your college objectives, assess options that are real for you and identify your family’s college objectives.

QUESTION 1:  Am I good enough to play?

Deep down every athlete knows whether they are good enough. However, even if the athlete thinks they are a stud player, their parents think so, their high school coach, their teammates, their great uncles you are all going Division 1 and getting a four year-full scholarship! Well none of this matters unless the coach and the staff like the way you play. I say the staff because assistant coaches initially do most of the recruiting. The head coach is brought in after the assistants have watched you several times. Trust me if you are good enough coaches find you ;)

QUESTION  2:   Is the school I want to go to really interested in me?

If you got a recruiting letter in 9th grade and you’ve never heard from the school since and you are now a junior they are not interested. You may think this is obvious but many people have little to no contact and they think they are going to Harvard. If the school is interested, rest assured they will find a way to get to you. They will get you on a camp list, they will call your club coach and set up a call, they will have an player on your team that knows you call you…they will find a way to let them know they like you. The reason is that coaches want the best, and they want to win. So they will find you if you are good!

QUESTION 3. Will I play if I attend my dream school?

The simplest way to find out is ask the coach politely. If you are visiting, face-to-face is best. You can read the coach’s response and gather this as more information to make your decision. Don’t be afraid to ask where you fit into the program. Coaches are used to this question. If the answer is what you want to hear great! If not, take this as a gift—now you have more information early and can move in a different direction.

QUESTION 4. Can I get into the school of my choice?

Do some research before you start choosing schools. Look at their typical school profile. Many schools have preferred admissions for athletes, but many admissions policies for athletes depend on the individual program under consideration. There are different degrees of athletic support based on the conference affiliation (i.e. Big East, NESCAC, and Ivy League) all have different academic criteria. Look at the historical data of the institution. Do you know a player before you that got into Yale? Did that player have fantastic grades? If you are an average student and haven’t heard from coaches and you haven’t taken your ACT yet and it is September of Your senior year, chances are an Ivy League education is a stretch. Conversely if a coach from Wisconsin is calling your coach and wanting to talk to you in the 9th grade, you must ask about the admissions standards of their program so that you can be armed with information to insure admittance if you hit the mark.

5. Financially is the school a good fit for my family?

Financial considerations are becoming more and more important to a family as the price of a college education continues to skyrocket. It is very important that you know the facts about athletics and money. Division 1 sports give scholarships. Scholarship money is money that is essentially “free” money. From an athletic perspective, getting a scholarship means you don’t have to pay it back and you are getting it as a result of the coach awarding it to you based on your athletic ability. This is different from an academic scholarship. All colleges have academic money available for their high acheiving academic students and has nothing to do with a student playing a sport. The financial aid office based on the Institutional Criteria awards the academic scholarships to its students. Division 3 institutions do not award athletic scholarships. They award financial aid based on need. The award is based on the parents' income. The financial question is individual for all students and families and is complicated but getting as much information as possible will help you to navigate the process and make the right choices. Be sure to ask lots of questions!

Digit Murphy Athletics will provide you with guidance based on knowledge of the athletic process and a vast network of coaches and athletic departments including working relationships with athletic directors. Our job will be to get the information and advise you as you make the necessary decisions, and choose a school that best suits your needs. We want to help you make that happen! Our packages start at $500. Please contact Digit at digitmurphy1@gmail.com if you are interested in pursuing student advising options. It is more competitive than ever in recruiting. Having a plan and roadmap is critical in helping to leverage your student’s athletic talents for academic opportunities! Digit also offers Express Consulting if you need quick answers click here if you are interested!