While National Signing Day has come and gone, there are players still looking for their opportunity after not receiving an offer. Division I spots may be hard to come by, but there are plenty of ways an athlete can continue their career in college and even receive that desired scholarship.
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Other options exist for players looking to compete at the next level:
A student-athlete who was close to an offer, but just missed out, can still work toward creating that opportunity at a postgraduate school. Also called prep schools, they have several advantages:
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Ryan Williams of Jireh Preparatory Academy (Matthews, North Carolina) indicates all postgraduate options aren't the same. Specifically, he said the notion that postgraduate schools are strictly for student-athletes with academic or behavior issues is a myth.
"The fact is, you don’t really know why each kid is there, because it's different for each one of them," Williams said. "He may be there because he suffered an injury and he needs another year to show his ability. Another kid might be there to improve his test score. It’s different for everyone.”
Williams identified the following types of postgraduate programs:
Williams noted that his school creates an opportunity the student-athlete didn't have out of high school. Between 75-80 percent of his roster finds placement on a four-year college roster.
While this isn't the traditional track, it gives an option to those who were close to the opportunity they wanted on Signing Day but came up just short.
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