Stop Trying to Survive Fall Camp. Start Using It.
Eight reminders for the people carrying the unseen work of serving athletes
Every year, coaches, player development professionals, athletic trainers, equipment staffs, graduate assistants, and operations personnel all say the same thing:
“I just need to survive fall camp.”
I understand why.
The days are long.
The schedule changes.
Everyone is tired.
The pressure increases.
But after several years working inside college football, I eventually realized something.
Fall camp isn’t just exhausting.
It’s revealing.
It reveals your players.
It reveals your staff.
It reveals your systems.
And it reveals you.
If you’re intentional, fall camp becomes the greatest professional development opportunity of the entire year.
Here are five things I’d encourage every player development professional to focus on.
1. Build Relationships
You’ll never have this much access to your players again.
Breakfast.
Lunch.
Dinner.
Meetings.
Walks across the facility.
Recovery.
Downtime.
Those moments matter.
Don’t waste them checking emails.
Talk to players.
Learn their stories.
Earn trust before adversity arrives.
Then build relationships with your staff.
The coaches.
Equipment.
Athletic training.
Strength staff.
Housing.
Dining.
Academic services.
Those relationships will solve problems long after camp ends.
2. Identify Pain Points Early
Fall camp exposes everything.
Communication gaps.
Transportation issues.
Schedule confusion.
Players struggling with responsibility.
Staff processes that aren’t working.
Don’t ignore those problems.
Fix them now.
One small adjustment in August can prevent ten headaches in October.
3. Develop Yourself
You’re asking players to grow.
Are you?
Use the repetitive schedule of camp to sharpen one skill.
Organization.
Communication.
Public speaking.
Leadership.
Conflict resolution.
Fall camp develops players.
It should develop professionals too.
4. Read Something That Makes You Better
Every camp needs a companion.
For me, one year it was I Came As a Shadow by John Thompson.
That book reminded me to advocate for players.
Maybe your book is different.
Just don’t spend every spare minute scrolling.
Feed your mind.
5. Remember Why You’re There
The practices matter.
The depth chart matters.
Winning matters.
But people matter more.
Some athlete is questioning whether they belong.
Someone misses home.
Someone is overwhelmed.
Someone simply needs one adult to believe in them.
Your encouragement may become the moment they remember years from now.
Never underestimate one conversation.
Go build relationships.
Go solve problems.
Go develop yourself.
Go serve people.
And don’t just survive fall camp.
Use it.
Question for you:
What has been your biggest lesson from a fall camp?
I’d love to hear it in the comments.
WATCH MORE HERE:
Before the Season Starts, You Need to Hear This
The people who spend their days taking care of everyone else are often the last people anyone asks:
How are you doing?
Fall camp is approaching.
Training camps are beginning.
Schools are reopening.
Schedules are tightening.
Phones are about to ring more often.
Problems are about to arrive with no warning.
For those serving athletes, the pace is about to change quickly.
High school coaches.
Athletic directors.
Teachers.
Student-athlete development professionals.
Academic support professionals.
Community engagement professionals.
Directors of player development.
Player engagement and player services professionals.
This message is for you.
You are about to enter a season filled with long days, difficult conversations, unexpected challenges, and meaningful moments.
Before it begins, I want to remind you of eight things. These reminders came directly from an encouragement message I recorded for those doing the unseen work of serving athletes.
1. You are needed
You may not hear it enough.
You may not hear it at all.
But you are needed.
The athletes need you.
They need someone who sees the person beyond the performance.
They need someone who can listen without immediately judging.
They need someone who can help them communicate what they do not yet know how to say.
The staff needs you.
Your presence brings stability, awareness, and understanding to the program.
The organization needs you.
You help connect players, coaches, families, departments, communities, and resources.
Some people may not fully understand what you do until you are no longer there to do it.
Do not confuse a lack of recognition with a lack of value.
Your work matters.
Your presence matters.
You are needed.
2. You are equipped
Imposter syndrome has a way of getting louder when the pressure increases.
You may question whether you know enough.
You may wonder whether someone else is more qualified.
You may compare your experience, title, budget, or resources to someone working at a larger program.
Remember this:
Being equipped does not mean having every answer.
It means being willing to learn.
It means being able to build relationships.
It means adapting when circumstances change.
It means asking the right questions, finding the right people, and getting athletes the support they need.
You can learn the policies.
You can learn the systems.
You can learn the conference, league, school district, or organizational expectations.
What cannot be taught as easily is the genuine desire to serve people well.
You are in the role for a reason.
Continue learning, but stop talking yourself out of the value you already bring.
3. Do not lose yourself while serving everyone else
This one is personal for me.
There were seasons when I gave so much to the work that I stopped taking care of myself.
I gained weight.
I stopped prioritizing fitness.
I lost sleep.
I experienced depression.
I missed time with my family because I believed everything had to be handled immediately.
That is not sustainable service.
You cannot keep pouring from an empty place and call it commitment.
Your job does not need every part of you.
Your family still needs you.
Your health still matters.
Your relationships still matter.
Your identity cannot be completely consumed by your title.
The athletes deserve a healthy version of you, not a constantly exhausted version of you.
Take care of yourself with the same intentionality you use when caring for them.
Make time to exercise.
Make time to rest.
Protect your relationships.
Find a hobby.
Be present with your family.
The role will continue.
Certain moments with the people you love will not return.
4. Find your community
Player development can become one of the loneliest roles in the building.
People may appreciate your work without fully understanding it.
They may not understand the emotional weight of the conversations you carry.
They may not understand what it feels like to serve as a bridge between players, coaches, families, and administrators.
You need people who understand.
Find professionals you can call when you have questions.
Find people who can challenge your thinking.
Find people who can remind you that you are not the only one navigating these situations.
Your community does not have to include only people with your exact title.
It may include someone in recruiting, academics, operations, mental health, coaching, personnel, or another department.
The important thing is that you find people who support you as a person, not only as a professional resource.
Do not wait until you are overwhelmed to build community.
Build it now.
5. Enjoy the moments
The work can become so demanding that you forget how special the access really is.
You may travel to places you never imagined visiting.
You may hear incredible speakers.
You may stand inside facilities that once existed only in your dreams.
You may celebrate championships.
You may be present when an intern receives their first job.
You may watch a freshman develop into a leader.
You may have a conversation with a player that neither of you ever forgets.
Enjoy those moments.
Keep the name tags.
Take the pictures.
Save the credentials.
Celebrate the bowl trip.
Remember the quiet conversations before games.
Remember the trust an athlete showed when they told you something deeply personal.
Do not become so busy creating experiences for other people that you forget to experience your own life.
One day, the season will end.
The players will graduate, transfer, retire, or move forward.
The staff will change.
The building may no longer be yours to enter every day.
Be present while you are there.
6. Share your work
There are professionals doing life-changing work that nobody knows about.
That needs to change.
Share what you are doing.
Post the program.
Share the lesson.
Document the initiative.
Highlight the partnership.
Celebrate the athlete’s growth when appropriate.
Protect confidentiality, but do not hide the work.
Sharing your work is not automatically bragging.
Visibility helps the profession grow.
When people see player development in action, they begin to understand its value.
Greater awareness can lead to more resources.
More resources can lead to more positions.
More positions can lead to more athletes receiving intentional support.
Your work can also give another professional an idea they can implement inside their program.
Post once a week.
Keep a running document.
Take photos.
Save outcomes and testimonials.
We are entering an era where people can claim almost anything.
Showing your work creates credibility.
It is no longer only about who you know.
It is also about who knows you and understands what you can do.
7. Do not measure your impact only by what you see
You will not always witness the full outcome of the seeds you plant.
Some athletes will leave after six months.
Some will transfer.
Some will graduate years after you leave.
Some will understand your advice long after the conversation ends.
That does not mean the seed did not matter.
Keep sowing.
Sow seeds of encouragement.
Sow seeds of accountability.
Sow seeds of career preparation.
Sow seeds of personal wellness.
Sow seeds of community service.
Sow seeds of mentorship.
Sow seeds of direction.
You may not see the tree grow.
Plant the seed anyway.
The impact of your work may show up years later in how an athlete becomes a spouse, parent, professional, coach, mentor, or community leader.
Not every meaningful result arrives on your preferred timeline.
8. Stay close to your why
There will be days when athletes do not attend the program you worked hard to build.
There will be moments when you feel underappreciated.
There will be times when leadership does not understand the value of what you are trying to accomplish.
There will be seasons when the recognition does not match the sacrifice.
Stay close to your why.
Why did you enter this work?
Why do you care about athletes beyond their performance?
Why are you willing to have the difficult conversations?
Why do you believe holistic development matters?
Why did you choose to serve?
Your why must be strong enough to sustain you when applause disappears.
It must also keep you grounded when recognition arrives.
Whether you are overlooked or celebrated, stay close to the reason you started.
One final reminder
As this season begins, remember:
You are needed.
You are equipped.
Do not lose yourself while serving everyone else.
Find your community.
Enjoy the moments.
Share your work.
Do not measure your impact only by what you see.
Stay close to your why.
I am cheering for you.
Beyond The Field is cheering for you.
This can be the greatest year you have had in your role, but greatness will not only be measured by what happens on the scoreboard.
It will be measured by the people you develop, the relationships you strengthen, the seeds you plant, and the moments you choose not to overlook.
Keep showing up.
Keep serving.
Keep creating generational impact.
Developing People. Elevating Programs.
Watch the full encouragement message:
Know someone serving athletes who needs this today? Forward this newsletter to them and remind them:
You are needed.